Journal
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Volume 107, Issue 38, Pages 16631-16636Publisher
NATL ACAD SCIENCES
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1007276107
Keywords
Bacillus nematocida; Caenorhabditis elegans; chemotaxis; pathogen-host interaction; virulence protease
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Funding
- National Basic Research Program of China [2007CB411600, 2010CB134503]
- National Natural Science Foundation Program of China [30630003, 30770070]
- Department of Science and Technology of Yunnan Province, China [2007C0007Z, 2006PY01-27]
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Understanding the mechanisms of host-pathogen interaction can provide crucial information for successfully manipulating their relationships. Because of its genetic background and practical advantages over vertebrate model systems, the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans model has become an attractive host for studying microbial pathogenesis. Here we report a Trojan horse mechanism of bacterial pathogenesis against nematodes. We show that the bacterium Bacillus nematocida B16 lures nematodes by emitting potent volatile organic compounds that are much more attractive to worms than those from ordinary dietary bacteria. Seventeen B. nematocida-attractant volatile organic compounds are identified, and seven are individually confirmed to lure nematodes. Once the bacteria enter the intestine of nematodes, they secrete two proteases with broad substrate ranges but preferentially target essential intestinal proteins, leading to nematode death. This Trojan horse pattern of bacterium-nematode interaction enriches our understanding of microbial pathogenesis.
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