Table 1 Strains and plasmids used in this study

Newman

Clinical isolate, ATCC 25904, natural saeS constitutive mutant

[21, 22]

BS304

Newman ΔesxA, markerless deletion

This study

SM148

Newman Δ(yabJ-spoVG)::erm(B); Em^r

[8]

IK184

Newman Δ(rsbUVW-sigB)::erm(B); Em^r

[23]

MS64

Newman sigB1(Am); Tc^r

[24]

SM99

Newman ΔarlR::cat; Cm^r

[9]

BS310

Newman Δagr::ermB; Em^r

This study

KS186

Newman Δagr::tet(M); Tc^r

[25]

BS309

Newman ΔsarA::ermB; Em^r

This study

LR15

Newman ΔsarA::tet(L); Tc^r

L. Reutimann

BB1002

Newman mec, MRSA derivative, Mc^r

[26]

BS307

BB1002 ΔesxA, markerless deletion

This study

NM143

Newman GISA derivative, in vitro selected mutant; Te^r

[27]

BS308

NM143 ΔesxA, markerless deletion

This study

E. coli

DH5α

F^-Φ80d/acZΔM15 recA1

Invitrogen

Plasmids

pKOR1

E. coli-S. aureus shuttle vector for markerless deletions using the counter selection system

[28]

pAC7

Expression plasmid containing the P_BAD promoter and the araC gene; Cm^r

[29]

pAC7-sigB

pAC7 with a 0.75 kb fragment containing the gene sigB from S. aureus Col; Cm^r

[30]

pBus1

E. coli-S. aureus shuttle plasmid with multicloning site from pBluescript II SK (Stratagene) and the rrnT14 terminator sequence from pLL2443; Tc^r

[31]

pyabJ

pBus1 containing a bacA promoter-yabJ ORF fusion construct; Tc^r

[10]

pspoVG

pBus1 containing a bacA promoter-spoVG ORF fusion construct; Tc^r

[10]

pyabJspoVG

pBus1 containing a bacA promoter-yabJ-spoVG operon fusion construct; Tc^r

[10]

pSP-luc⁺

Firefly luciferase casette vector; Ap^r

Promega

pesxAp-luc⁺

pBus1 containing an esxAp-luc⁺ fusion fragment; Tc^r

This study

pesxApΔσ^A-luc⁺

pesxAp-luc⁺ with deletion of the σ^A promoter

This study

pesxApΔσ^B-luc⁺

pesxAp-luc⁺ with deletion of the σ^B promoter

This study

pSB40N

Promoter probe plasmid; Ap^r

[29]

pasp23p

pSB40N with a 0.6 kb fragment covering the asp23 promoter region fused to the reporter gene lacZα; Ap^r

[30]

pesxAp

pSB40N with a 0.5 kb fragment covering the esxA promoter region fused to the reporter gene lacZα; Ap^r

This study

pyabJp

pSB40N with a 0.4 kb fragment covering the yabJ promoter region fused to the reporter gene lacZα; Ap^r

This study

pSTM07

pSB40N with a 0.37 kb fragment covering the capA promoter region fused to the reporter gene lacZα; Ap^r

[9]