Cytoplasmic Copper Detoxification in Salmonella Can Contribute to SodC Metalation but Is Dispensable during Systemic Infection.

serovar Typhimurium is a leading cause of foodborne disease worldwide. Severe infections result from the ability of Typhimurium to survive within host immune cells, despite being exposed to various host antimicrobial factors. SodCI, a copper-zinc-cofactored superoxide dismutase, is required to defend against phagocytic superoxide.

Phagocyte roulette in Salmonella killing.

Salmonella propagates in macrophages to cause life-threatening infections, but the role of neutrophils in combating Salmonella has been controversial. In this issue, Burton et al. (2014) use single cell analyses and modeling to explain the ability of Salmonella to survive in macrophages while being killed by neutrophils.

Perturbations in histidine biosynthesis uncover robustness in the metabolic network of Salmonella enterica.

Phosphoribosylamine (PRA) is an intermediate in the biosynthetic pathway that is common to thiamine and purines. Glutamine phosphoribosyl pyrophosphate (PRPP) amidotransferase is the product of the purF gene in Salmonella enterica and catalyzes the synthesis of PRA from PRPP and glutamine. Strains lacking PurF require exogenous addition of purines for growth.

Phosphoribosylpyrophosphate synthetase (PrsA) variants alter cellular pools of ribose 5-phosphate and influence thiamine synthesis in Salmonella enterica.

Phosphoribosylamine (PRA) is the first intermediate in the common purine/thiamine biosynthetic pathway and is primarily synthesized by the product of the purF gene, glutamine phosphoribosylpyrophosphate (PRPP) amidotransferase (E.C. 2.