Transcriptional profiles of Burkholderia pseudomallei reveal the direct and indirect roles of Sigma E under oxidative stress conditions.

Background: Burkholderia pseudomallei, the causative agent of melioidosis, is a Gram-negative bacterium widely distributed in soil and water in endemic areas. This soil saprophyte can survive harsh environmental conditions, even in soils where herbicides (containing superoxide generators) are abundant. Sigma factor E (σE) is a key regulator of extra-cytoplasmic stress response in Gram-negative bacteria.

Analysis of the prevalence, secretion and function of a cell cycle-inhibiting factor in the melioidosis pathogen Burkholderia pseudomallei.

Enteropathogenic and enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli express a cell cycle-inhibiting factor (Cif), that is injected into host cells via a Type III secretion system (T3SS) leading to arrest of cell division, delayed apoptosis and cytoskeletal rearrangements. A homologue of Cif has been identified in Burkholderia pseudomallei (CHBP; Cif homologue in B. pseudomallei; BPSS1385), which shares catalytic activity, but its prevalence, secretion and function are ill-defined.