Fatty acids can inhibit Staphylococcus aureus SaeS activity at the membrane independent of alterations in respiration

In Staphylococcus aureus , the two‐component system SaeRS is responsible for regulating various virulence factors essential for the success of this pathogen. SaeRS can be stimulated by neutrophil‐derived products but has also recently been shown to be inactivated by the presence of free fatty acids. A mechanism for how fatty acids negatively impacts SaeRS has not been described. We found that unsaturated fatty acids, as well as fatty acids not...