Dissecting the PhoP regulatory network of Escherichia coli and Salmonella enterica.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Zwir I
PROVIDER: S-EPMC548500 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Project description:PhoP is considered a regulator of virulence despite being conserved in both pathogenic and non-pathogenic Enterobacteriaceae. While Escherichia coli strains represent both non-pathogenic commensal isolates and numerous virulent pathotypes, the PhoP virulence regulator has only been studied in commensal E. coli. To better understand how conserved transcription factors contribute to virulence, we characterized PhoP in pathogenic E. coli. Loss of phoP significantly attenuated E. coli during extraintestinal infection. This was not surprising since we demonstrated that PhoP differentially regulated the transcription of >600 genes. In addition to survival at acidic pH and resistance to polymyxin B, PhoP was required for repression of motility and oxygen-independent changes in the expression of primary dehydrogenase and terminal reductase respiratory chain components. All phenotypes have in common a reliance on an energized membrane. Thus, we hypothesized that PhoP mediated these effects by regulating genes that generate a proton motive force. Indeed, bacteria lacking PhoP exhibited a hyper-polarized membrane, and dissipation of the transmembrane electrochemical gradient increased the susceptibility of the phoP mutant to acidic pH, while inhibiting respiratory generation of the proton gradient restored resistance to antimicrobial peptides independent of lipopolysaccharide modification. These findings demonstrate a connection between PhoP, virulence, and the energized state of the membrane.
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