Journal
TOXINS
Volume 10, Issue 11, Pages -Publisher
MDPI
DOI: 10.3390/toxins10110424
Keywords
toxin-antitoxin system; HigB; HigA; Pseudomonas aeruginosa; type III secretion system; biofilm; c-di-GMP
Categories
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Toxin-antitoxin (TA) systems play important roles in bacteria persister formation. Increasing evidence demonstrate the roles of TA systems in regulating virulence factors in pathogenic bacteria. The toxin HigB in Pseudomonas aeruginosa contributes to persister formation and regulates the expression of multiple virulence factors and biofilm formation. However, the regulatory mechanism remains elusive. In this study, we explored the HigB mediated regulatory pathways. We demonstrate that HigB decreases the intracellular level of c-di-GMP, which is responsible for the increased expression of the type III secretion system (T3SS) genes and repression of biofilm formation. By analyzing the expression levels of the known c-di-GMP metabolism genes, we find that three c-di-GMP hydrolysis genes are up regulated by HigB, namely PA2133, PA2200 and PA3825. Deletion of the three genes individually or simultaneously diminishes the HigB mediated regulation on the expression of T3SS genes and biofilm formation. Therefore, our results reveal novel functions of HigB in P. aeruginosa.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available