Prophage and metabolic determinants of Staphylococcus aureus survival to vancomycin identified via TraDIS screening
6 affiliations
- 1Living Systems Institute, University of Exeter, Exeter, Devon, United Kingdom
- 2Biosciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, Devon, United Kingdom
- 3University of Exeter Sequencing Facility, University of Exeter, Exeter, Devon, United Kingdom
- 4Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- 5School of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom
- 6Centre for Superbug Solutions, Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland, Australia
Abstract
Reduced vancomycin susceptibility phenotypes in Staphylococcus aureus contribute to treatment failure, yet the genetic determinants of survival under inhibitory vancomycin exposure remain incompletely defined. We performed transposon-directed insertion-site sequencing (TraDIS) on a methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) ST398 mutant library following exposure to vancomycin at its minimum inhibitory concentration, identifying 52 genes whose disruption was associated with loss of population survival at inhibitory drug concentrations. Prophage-associated loci were the largest functional group, spanning predicted structural and regulatory genes, as well as multiple conserved hypothetical proteins. Targeted testing of defined transposon mutants in a USA300 background confirmed that disruption of selected loci impaired growth under vancomycin exposure. Our results highlight the contribution of diverse physiological processes, including metabolism and stress responses, as well as a prominent role for prophage-associated functions, rather than discrete resistance pathways. Together, these findings indicate that vancomycin tolerance is shaped by the general physiological state of the bacterial cell, including metabolic capacity and stress adaptation.
IMPORTANCE: Treatment failure in Staphylococcus aureus infections often occurs in the absence of known antibiotic resistance determinants, suggesting that additional survival mechanisms influence therapeutic outcomes. In this study, we identify genetic determinants required for survival during inhibitory vancomycin exposure, revealing a broad role for metabolic functions, stress adaptation, and prophage-associated loci. The prominence of these diverse processes highlights that survival reflects global physiological adaptation rather than discrete resistance pathways. This insight underscores the need to consider cellular physiology and stress responses when developing strategies to prevent antibiotic tolerance and improve treatment efficacy.
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BibTeX
@article{zborowsky2026prophage,
title = {{Prophage and metabolic determinants of Staphylococcus aureus survival to vancomycin identified via TraDIS screening}},
author = {Sophia Zborowsky and Urszula Łapińska and Paul A. O'Neill and Audrey Farbos and Aaron R. Jeffries and Xiaoliang Ba and Mark A. Holmes and Maisem Laabei and Bing Zhang and Mark A. T. Blaskovich and Andrew Grant and Stefano Pagliara},
journal = {mSystems},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.1128/msystems.00734-26},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1128/msystems.00734-26},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Prophage and metabolic determinants of Staphylococcus aureus survival to vancomycin identified via TraDIS screening
AU - Sophia Zborowsky
AU - Urszula Łapińska
AU - Paul A. O'Neill
AU - Audrey Farbos
AU - Aaron R. Jeffries
AU - Xiaoliang Ba
AU - Mark A. Holmes
AU - Maisem Laabei
AU - Bing Zhang
AU - Mark A. T. Blaskovich
AU - Andrew Grant
AU - Stefano Pagliara
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/16
JO - mSystems
DO - 10.1128/msystems.00734-26
UR - https://doi.org/10.1128/msystems.00734-26
AB - Reduced vancomycin susceptibility phenotypes in Staphylococcus aureus contribute to treatment failure, yet the genetic determinants of survival under inhibitory vancomycin exposure remain incompletely defined. We performed transposon-directed insertion-site sequencing (TraDIS) on a methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) ST398 mutant library following exposure to vancomycin at its minimum inhibitory concentration, identifying 52 genes whose disruption was associated with loss of population survival at inhibitory drug concentrations. Prophage-associated loci were the largest functional group, spanning predicted structural and regulatory genes, as well as multiple conserved hypothetical proteins. Targeted testing of defined transposon mutants in a USA300 background confirmed that disruption of selected loci impaired growth under vancomycin exposure. Our results highlight the contribution of diverse physiological processes, including metabolism and stress responses, as well as a prominent role for prophage-associated functions, rather than discrete resistance pathways. Together, these findings indicate that vancomycin tolerance is shaped by the general physiological state of the bacterial cell, including metabolic capacity and stress adaptation. IMPORTANCE: Treatment failure in Staphylococcus aureus infections often occurs in the absence of known antibiotic resistance determinants, suggesting that additional survival mechanisms influence therapeutic outcomes. In this study, we identify genetic determinants required for survival during inhibitory vancomycin exposure, revealing a broad role for metabolic functions, stress adaptation, and prophage-associated loci. The prominence of these diverse processes highlights that survival reflects global physiological adaptation rather than discrete resistance pathways. This insight underscores the need to consider cellular physiology and stress responses when developing strategies to prevent antibiotic tolerance and improve treatment efficacy.
SN - 2379-5077
ER -