Interactions between pili affect the outcome of bacterial competition driven by the type VI secretion system.

Autor:	Otto SB; Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology, Global Health Institute, School of Life Sciences, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland., Servajean R; Laboratory of Computational Biology and Theoretical Biophysics, Institute of Bioengineering, School of Life Sciences, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland; SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland., Lemopoulos A; Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology, Global Health Institute, School of Life Sciences, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland., Bitbol AF; Laboratory of Computational Biology and Theoretical Biophysics, Institute of Bioengineering, School of Life Sciences, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland; SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland., Blokesch M; Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology, Global Health Institute, School of Life Sciences, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland. Electronic address: melanie.blokesch@epfl.ch.
Jazyk:	angličtina
Zdroj:	Current biology : CB [Curr Biol] 2024 Jun 03; Vol. 34 (11), pp. 2403-2417.e9. Date of Electronic Publication: 2024 May 14.
DOI:	10.1016/j.cub.2024.04.041
Abstrakt:	The bacterial type VI secretion system (T6SS) is a widespread, kin-discriminatory weapon capable of shaping microbial communities. Due to the system's dependency on contact, cellular interactions can lead to either competition or kin protection. Cell-to-cell contact is often accomplished via surface-exposed type IV pili (T4Ps). In Vibrio cholerae, these T4Ps facilitate specific interactions when the bacteria colonize natural chitinous surfaces. However, it has remained unclear whether and, if so, how these interactions affect the bacterium's T6SS-mediated killing. In this study, we demonstrate that pilus-mediated interactions can be harnessed by T6SS-equipped V. cholerae to kill non-kin cells under liquid growth conditions. We also show that the naturally occurring diversity of pili determines the likelihood of cell-to-cell contact and, consequently, the extent of T6SS-mediated competition. To determine the factors that enable or hinder the T6SS's targeted reduction of competitors carrying pili, we developed a physics-grounded computational model for autoaggregation. Collectively, our research demonstrates that T4Ps involved in cell-to-cell contact can impose a selective burden when V. cholerae encounters non-kin cells that possess an active T6SS. Additionally, our study underscores the significance of T4P diversity in protecting closely related individuals from T6SS attacks through autoaggregation and spatial segregation. Competing Interests: Declaration of interests The authors declare no competing interests. (Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)
Databáze:	MEDLINE
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