Genetic transformation and cell division delay in competent Staphylococcus aureus

Natural competence for genetic transformation, considered as one of the three main mechanisms leading to horizontal gene transfer in bacteria, is able to promote evolution, through genomic plasticity, and foster antibiotic resistance and virulence factors spreading. Conserved machineries and actors required to perform genetic transformation have been shown to accumulate at different cellular localizations depending on the model organism considered. Here, we show in the human pathogen Staphylococcus aureus that DNA binding, uptake and recombination are spatially and temporally coordinated to ensure S. aureus genetic transformation. We also reveal that localization of genetic transformation proteins is dynamic and preferentially occurs in the vicinity of the division septum. We finally propose that S. aureus competent cells would initiate and then block cell division to ensure the success of genetic transformation before the final constriction of the cytokinetic ring.