The global regulator Crc plays a multifaceted role in modulation of type III secretion system in Pseudomonas aeruginosa

MicrobiologyOpen

Yi-Hu Dong¹  Xi-Fen Zhang¹ 

[1] Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Singapore

关键词: Crc;    exsA;    Pseudomonas aeruginosa;    type III secretion system;   

DOI  :  10.1002/mbo3.54

来源: Wiley

【 摘 要 】

Abstract

The opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa utilizes type III secretion system (T3SS) to translocate effector proteins into eukaryotic host cells that subvert normal host cell functions to the benefit of the pathogen, and results in serious infections. T3SS in P. aeruginosa is controlled by a complex system of regulatory mechanisms and signaling pathways. In this study, we described that Crc, an RNA-binding protein, exerts a positive impact on T3SS in P. aeruginosa, as evidenced by promoter activity assays of several key T3SS genes, transcriptomics, RT-PCR, and immunoblotting in crc mutant. We further demonstrated that the regulatory function of Crc on the T3SS was mediated through the T3SS master regulator ExsA and linked to the Cbr/Crc signaling system. Expression profiling of the crc mutant revealed a downregulation of flagship T3SS genes as well as 16 other genes known to regulate T3SS gene expression in P. aeruginosa. On the basis of these data, we proposed that Crc may exert multifaceted control on the T3SS through various pathways, which may serve to fine-tune this virulence mechanism in response to environmental changes and nutrient sources.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2012 The Authors. MicrobiologyOpen published by Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.