Genetic mutations are a primary driving force behind the adaptive evolution of bacterial pathogens. Multiple clinical isolates of , an important human pathogen, have naturally evolved one or more missense mutations in , which encodes the sensor histidine kinase of the BfmRS two-component system (TCS). A mutant BfmS protein containing both the L181P and E376Q substitutions increased the phosphorylation and thus the transcriptional regulatory activity of its cognate downstream response regulator, BfmR. This reduced acute virulence and enhanced biofilm formation, both of which are phenotypic changes associated with a chronic infection state. The increased phosphorylation of BfmR was due, at least in part, to the cross-phosphorylation of BfmR by GtrS, a noncognate sensor kinase. Other spontaneous missense mutations in , such as A42E/G347D, T242R, and R393H, also caused a similar remodeling of the BfmRS TCS in This study highlights the plasticity of TCSs mediated by spontaneous mutations and suggests that mutation-induced activation of BfmRS may contribute to host adaptation by during chronic infections.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/scisignal.aaz1529 | DOI Listing |
Front Immunol
May 2023
School of Agriculture, Ludong University, Yantai, China.
Uncovering the mechanism underlying the pathogenesis of induced enteritis is essential for global aquaculture. In the present study, we identified as a lethal pathogen of the big-belly seahorse () and revealed its pathogenic pattern and characteristics by updating our established bacterial enteritis model and evaluation system. Conjoint analysis of metagenomic and metabolomic data showed that 15 core virulence factors could mutually coordinate the remodeling of intestinal microorganisms and host metabolism and induce enteritis in the big-belly seahorse.
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June 2022
College of Animal Sciences, Institute of Sericulture and Apiculture, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.
The complex gut microbiome is a malleable microbial community that can undergo remodeling in response to many factors, including the gut environment and microbial properties. has emerged as one of the predominant gut commensal bacterial and plays a fundamental role in the host physiology and health of the major economic agricultural insect, Although extensive research on gut structure and microbiome diversity has been carried out, how these microbial consortia are established in multifarious niches within the gut has not been well characterized to date. Here, an species that was stably associated with its host, the model organism , was identified in the larval gut.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSci Signal
November 2020
College of Life Science, Northwest University, Xi'an 710127, China.
Genetic mutations are a primary driving force behind the adaptive evolution of bacterial pathogens. Multiple clinical isolates of , an important human pathogen, have naturally evolved one or more missense mutations in , which encodes the sensor histidine kinase of the BfmRS two-component system (TCS). A mutant BfmS protein containing both the L181P and E376Q substitutions increased the phosphorylation and thus the transcriptional regulatory activity of its cognate downstream response regulator, BfmR.
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