Manganese detoxification by Staphylococcus aureus

Manganese (Mn) is an essential micronutrient critical for the pathogenesis of Staphylococcus aureus, a significant cause of human morbidity and mortality. Paradoxically, excess Mn is toxic, therefore maintaining intracellular Mn homeostasis is required for survival. To identify gene candidates that contribute to manganese detoxification, we compared the transcriptional response of S. aureus cells exposed to 1 mM MnCl2 and those that were untreated. Overall design: Cultures of S. aureus were exposed to either 1 mM MnCl2 or untreated media. The experiment was performed in biological triplicate for a total of 6 samples.