Umeå Centre for Microbial Research (UCMR), Department of Molecular Biology, Umeå University, SE-901 87 Umeå, Sweden. Laboratory for Molecular Infection Medicine Sweden (MIMS), Department of Molecular Biology, Umeå University, SE-901 87 Umeå, Sweden.
Umeå Centre for Microbial Research (UCMR), Department of Molecular Biology, Umeå University, SE-901 87 Umeå, Sweden.
Science. 2016 Jul 29;353(6298):492-5. doi: 10.1126/science.aaf7501. Epub 2016 Jun 30.
Pathogenic bacteria have evolved numerous virulence mechanisms that are essential for establishing infections. The enterobacterium Yersinia uses a type III secretion system (T3SS) encoded by a 70-kilobase, low-copy, IncFII-class virulence plasmid. We report a novel virulence strategy in Y. pseudotuberculosis in which this pathogen up-regulates the plasmid copy number during infection. We found that an increased dose of plasmid-encoded genes is indispensable for virulence and substantially elevates the expression and function of the T3SS. Remarkably, we observed direct, tight coupling between plasmid replication and T3SS function. This regulatory pathway provides a framework for further exploration of the environmental sensing mechanisms of pathogenic bacteria.
病原菌已经进化出许多毒力机制，这些机制对于建立感染是必不可少的。肠杆菌属耶尔森氏菌使用由 70 千碱基、低拷贝数、IncFII 类毒力质粒编码的 III 型分泌系统（T3SS）。我们报告了在假结核耶尔森氏菌中一种新的毒力策略，在这种病原体中，该病原体在感染过程中上调质粒拷贝数。我们发现，增加质粒编码基因的剂量对于毒力是必不可少的，并且大大提高了 T3SS 的表达和功能。值得注意的是，我们观察到质粒复制和 T3SS 功能之间存在直接、紧密的偶联。这种调控途径为进一步探索病原菌的环境感应机制提供了框架。
