Pseudomonas aeruginosa Magnesium Transporter MgtE Inhibits Type III Secretion System Gene Expression by Stimulating rsmYZ Transcription
| Autor: | Shubham Chakravarty, Timothy L. Yahr, Gregory G. Anderson, Adam Bailin, Cameron N. Melton |
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| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Rok vydání: | 2017 |
| Předmět: |
0301 basic medicine
Transcription Genetic Virulence Factors Magnesium transporter 030106 microbiology Biology medicine.disease_cause Microbiology Antiporters Type three secretion system 03 medical and health sciences Bacterial Proteins Transcription (biology) Gene expression Operon medicine Type III Secretion Systems Secretion Magnesium Molecular Biology Bacterial Secretion Systems Regulation of gene expression Pseudomonas aeruginosa Membrane Transport Proteins Gene Expression Regulation Bacterial Cell biology Trans-Activators bacteria Research Article Signal Transduction |
| Popis: | Pseudomonas aeruginosa causes numerous acute and chronic opportunistic infections in humans. One of its most formidable weapons is a type III secretion system (T3SS), which injects powerful toxins directly into host cells. The toxins lead to cell dysfunction and, ultimately, cell death. Identification of regulatory pathways that control T3SS gene expression may lead to the discovery of novel therapeutics to treat P. aeruginosa infections. In a previous study, we found that expression of the magnesium transporter gene mgtE inhibits T3SS gene transcription. MgtE-dependent inhibition appeared to interfere with the synthesis or function of the master T3SS transcriptional activator ExsA, although the exact mechanism was unclear. We now demonstrate that mgtE expression acts through the GacAS two-component system to activate rsmY and rsmZ transcription. This event ultimately leads to inhibition of exsA translation. This inhibitory effect is specific to exsA as translation of other genes in the exsCEBA operon is not inhibited by mgtE . Moreover, our data reveal that MgtE acts solely through this pathway to regulate T3SS gene transcription. Our study reveals an important mechanism that may allow P. aeruginosa to fine-tune T3SS activity in response to certain environmental stimuli. IMPORTANCE The type III secretion system (T3SS) is a critical virulence factor utilized by numerous Gram-negative bacteria, including Pseudomonas aeruginosa , to intoxicate and kill host cells. Elucidating T3SS regulatory mechanisms may uncover targets for novel anti- P. aeruginosa therapeutics and provide deeper understanding of bacterial pathogenesis. We previously found that the magnesium transporter MgtE inhibits T3SS gene transcription in P. aeruginosa . In this study, we describe the mechanism of MgtE-dependent inhibition of the T3SS. Our report also illustrates how MgtE might respond to environmental cues, such as magnesium levels, to fine-tune T3SS gene expression. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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