Species and strain diversity in Staphylococcus drive divergent host responses in human skin

ABSTRACT The skin microbiome regulates key skin processes, yet the functional diversity of a dominant genus, Staphylococcus, remains poorly resolved at the strain level for multiple species across its pathogenic and commensal continuum. It is likely that Staphylococcus’ effects on skin are diverse at these finest taxonomic resolutions, but current skin models lack the physiological relevance and scalability needed to profile this diversity. Using an organotypic 3D human skin model (reconstructed human epidermis, RHE), we profiled skin responses to 187 Staphylococcus strains across seven dominant species. Canonically ‘pathogenic’ species (e.g., S. aureus) induced broad inflammatory responses, whereas prototypical ‘commensal’ species (e.g., S. hominis) elicited more nuanced effects on innate immune and skin barrier responses. Strikingly, S. epidermidis displayed pronounced strain-level heterogeneity, with subsets inducing either ‘commensal’ or ‘pathogen’-like responses despite lacking canonical virulence factors, suggesting pleiotropic effects. Comparative genomics, dual-transcriptomics, untargeted metabolomics, and growth phenotyping revealed species- and strain-specific traits underlying these differential effects on RHE, including the presence of select cell surface proteins and differential arginine metabolism. Together, our study provides the first high-throughput, species- and strain-resolved analysis of skin–Staphylococcus interactions, offering mechanistic insights and a platform for microbiome-based strategies to modulate skin inflammation and diseases. One-line summary High-throughput profiling of Staphylococcus in a human skin model shows that species- and strain-level diversity underlies a continuum of host barrier and immune responses. Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest.