Comparative Proteomic Profiling of Methicillin‐Susceptible and Resistant Staphylococcus aureus

Purpose

Staphylococcus aureus is a highly successful human pathogen responsible for wide range of infections. In this study, we provide insights into the virulence, pathogenicity, and antimicrobial resistance determinants of methicillin susceptible and methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA; MRSA) recovered from non‐healthcare environments.

Experiment design

Three environmental MSSA and three environmental MRSA were selected for proteomic profiling using iTRAQ MS/MS. Gene Ontology (GO) Annotation and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) Pathway Annotation were applied to interpret the functions of the proteins detected.

Results

792 proteins were identified in MSSA and MRSA. Comparative analysis of MRSA and MSSA revealed that 8 of out 792 proteins were up‐regulated and 156 were down‐regulated. Proteins that had differences in abundance were predominantly involved in catalytic and binding activity. Among 164 differently abundant proteins, 29 were involved in pathogenesis, antimicrobial resistance, stress response, mismatch repair and cell wall synthesis. Twenty‐two proteins associated with pathogenicity, including spa, sbi, clfA and dlt were up‐regulated in MRSA. Moreover, the up‐regulated pathogenic protein entC2 in MSSA was determined to be a super antigen potentially capable of triggering toxic shock syndrome in the host.

Conclusions

Enhanced pathogenicity, antimicrobial resistance and stress response were observed in MRSA compared to MSSA.