SmdA is a Novel Cell Morphology Determinant in Staphylococcus aureus
Ine Storaker Myrbråten, Gro Anita Stamsås, Helena Chan, Danae Morales Angeles, Tiril Mathiesen Knutsen, Zhian Salehian, Volha Shapaval, Daniel Straume, Morten Kjos
Abstract
Staphylococcus aureus is an important human and animal pathogen. Antibiotic resistance is a major problem in the treatment of staphylococcal infections, and cell division and cell wall synthesis factors have previously been shown to modulate susceptibility to antibiotics in this species. Here, we investigated the function of a protein named SmdA, which was identified based on its septal localization and knockdown phenotype resulting in defective cellular morphologies. We demonstrated that this protein was critical for normal cell division in S. aureus. Depletion of SmdA sensitized resistant staphylococci to β-lactam antibiotics. This work revealed a new staphylococcal cell division factor and a potential future target for narrow-spectrum antimicrobials or compounds to resensitize antibiotic-resistant staphylococcal strains.