Determining function for core and strain specific genes in Staphylococcus epidermidis using CRISPRi

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

8-9-2024

Keywords

JGM

JAX Location

In: Student Reports, Summer 2024, The Jackson Laboratory

Abstract

Staphylococcus epidermidis is a bacterium that is ubiquitous to human skin. It plays a vital role in skin health and protection from pathogens but is also an opportunistic pathogen and one of the most common sources of blood borne infections. Different strains of S. epidermidis are genetically diverse, with about 20% of genetic content differing between strains. This diversity makes it difficult to find common genes that make certain S. epidermidis strains virulent. The goal of this project is to understand S. epidermidis’ role in skin health and infection by assessing the essentiality of strain-specific and conserved genes across diverse strains using CRISPR interference (CRISPRi). We screened 48 genetically diverse strains of S. epidermidis using pidCas9. Ten of those strains were candidates for gene targeting as there were sufficient colonies present during the primary screen. We focused on S. epidermidis strain NIHLM031 to conduct growth assays to test for gene essentiality based on differences in guide abundance. This research on S. epidermidis will be used to understand gene function of S. epidermidis strains and why some commensal strains become pathogenic in certain conditions.

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