AUTHOR=Etter Danai , Ukowitz Christina , Eicher Corinne , Tasara Taurai , Johler Sophia 

TITLE=Mild NaCl Stress Influences Staphylococcal Enterotoxin C Transcription in a Time-Dependent Manner and Reduces Protein Expression

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Microbiology

VOLUME=13

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2022.820067

DOI=10.3389/fmicb.2022.820067

ISSN=1664-302X

ABSTRACT=<p>Enterotoxins (SEs) produced by <italic>Staphylococcus aureus</italic> are the cause of serious food intoxications. Staphylococcal enterotoxin C (SEC) is one of the main contributors, as it is often highly expressed. <italic>S. aureus</italic> possesses a competitive growth advantage over accompanying bacterial flora under stress conditions encountered in foods, such as high NaCl concentrations. However, the influence of NaCl as an external stressor on SEC expression is still unclear. We investigated the influence of 4.5% NaCl on <italic>sec</italic> mRNA and SEC protein levels. A qRT-PCR assay revealed that NaCl stress leads to time-dependently decreased or elevated <italic>sec</italic> mRNA levels for most strains. SEC protein levels were generally decreased under NaCl stress. Our findings suggest that NaCl stress lowers overall SEC concentration and time-dependently affects <italic>sec</italic> mRNA levels.</p>