Regulation of Staphylococcus aureus Virulence

ABSTRACT Staphylococcus aureus is a Gram-positive opportunistic pathogen that has evolved a complex regulatory network to control virulence. One of the main functions of this interconnected network is to sense various environmental cues and respond by altering the production of virulence factors necessary for survival in the host, including cell surface adhesins and extracellular enzymes and toxins. Of these S. aureus regulatory systems, one of the best studied is the accessory gene regulator ( agr ), which is a quorum-sensing system that senses the local concentration of a cyclic peptide signaling molecule. This system allows S. aureus to sense its own population density and translate this information into a…