Protocol

Allelic-Exchange Procedure in Staphylococcus aureus

  1. Angelika Gründling3,4
  1. 1Microbiology, School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, University of Galway, Galway, H91 TK33, Ireland
  2. 2Center for Pandemic Vaccines and Therapeutics (ZEPAI), Paul-Ehrlich-Institute, 63225 Langen, Germany
  3. 3Section of Molecular Microbiology and Medical Research Council Centre for Molecular Bacteriology and Infection, Imperial College London, Exhibition Road, London, SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
  1. 4Correspondence: a.grundling{at}imperial.ac.uk

Abstract

This protocol continues a series of methods for the construction of an in-frame gene deletion in Staphylococcus aureus strain RN4220. To this end, we describe in this protocol an allelic-exchange procedure for S. aureus. We have previously described how an allelic-exchange plasmid containing a desired gene deletion (in this case, pIMAY*-ΔtagO) can be constructed and isolated from Escherichia coli, then introduced into electrocompetent S. aureus cells by electroporation. This plasmid contains a temperature-sensitive origin of replication, a counterselectable marker (pheS* gene) and confers chloramphenicol resistance to S. aureus. As a specific example, we present the construction of strain RN4220*ΔtagO from strain RN4220 carrying the pIMAY*-ΔtagO plasmid. The protocol can be easily adapted for the construction of other gene deletions and/or allelic-exchange plasmids.

Footnotes

  • From the Experiments in Bacterial Genetics collection, edited by Lionello Bossi, Andrew Camilli, and Angelika Gründling.