Transporters and Efflux Pumps Are the Main Mechanisms Involved in Staphylococcus epidermidis Adaptation and Tolerance to Didecyldimethylammonium Chloride

<i>Staphylococcus epidermidis</i> cleanroom strains are often exposed to sub-inhibitory concentrations of disinfectants, including didecyldimethylammonium chloride (DDAC). Consequently, they can adapt or even become tolerant to them. RNA-sequencing was used to investigate adaptation and tolerance mechanisms of <i>S. epidermidis</i> cleanroom strains (SE11, SE18), with <i>S. epidermidis</i> SE11Ad adapted and <i>S. epidermidis</i> SE18To tolerant to DDAC. Adaptation to DDAC was identified with up-regulation of genes mainly involved in transport (thioredoxin reductase [<i>pstS</i>], the arsenic efflux pump [gene ID, SE0334], sugar phosphate antiporter [<i>uhpT</i>]), while down-regulation was seen for the Agr system (<i>agrA</i>, <i>arC</i>, <i>agrD</i>, <i>psm</i>, SE1543), for enhanced biofilm formation. Tolerance to DDAC revealed the up-regulation of genes associated with transporters (L-cysteine transport [<i>tcyB</i>]; uracil permease [SE0875]; multidrug transporter [<i>lmrP</i>]; arsenic efflux pump [<i>arsB</i>]); the down-regulation of genes involved in amino-acid biosynthesis (lysine [<i>dapE</i>]; histidine [<i>hisA</i>]; methionine [<i>metC</i>]), and an enzyme involved in peptidoglycan, and therefore cell wall modifications (alanine racemase [SE1079]). We show for the first time the differentially expressed genes in DDAC-adapted and DDAC-tolerant <i>S. epidermidis</i> strains, which highlight the complexity of the responses through the involvement of different mechanisms.

Abstract licence: CC BY

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