Metabolic Stress Drives Keratinocyte Defenses against Staphylococcus aureus Infection.

Publication Type Academic Article
Authors Wickersham M, Wachtel S, Wong Fok Lung T, Soong G, Jacquet R, Richardson A, Parker D, Prince A
Journal Cell Rep
Volume 18
Issue 11
Pagination 2742-2751
Date Published 03/14/2017
ISSN 2211-1247
Keywords Keratinocytes, Staphylococcal Infections, Staphylococcus aureus, Stress, Physiological
Abstract Human skin is commonly colonized and infected by Staphylococcus aureus. Exactly how these organisms are sensed by keratinocytes has not been clearly delineated. Using a combination of metabolic and transcriptomic methodologies, we found that S. aureus infection is sensed as a metabolic stress by the hypoxic keratinocytes. This induces HIF1α signaling, which promotes IL-1β production and stimulates aerobic glycolysis to meet the metabolic requirements of infection. We demonstrate that staphylococci capable of glycolysis, including WT and agr mutants, readily induce HIF1α responses. In contrast, Δpyk glycolytic mutants fail to compete with keratinocytes for their metabolic needs. Suppression of glycolysis using 2-DG blocked keratinocyte production of IL-1β in vitro and significantly exacerbated the S. aureus cutaneous infection in a murine model. Our data suggest that S. aureus impose a metabolic stress on keratinocytes that initiates signaling necessary to promote both glycolysis and the proinflammatory response to infection.
DOI 10.1016/j.celrep.2017.02.055
PubMed ID 28297676
PubMed Central ID PMC6799992
Back to Top