CodY-Mediated c-di-GMP-Dependent Inhibition of Mammalian Cell Invasion in Listeria monocytogenes.

ABSTRACT: Elevated levels of the second messenger c-di-GMP suppress virulence in diverse pathogenic bacteria, yet mechanisms are poorly characterized. In the foodborne pathogen Listeria monocytogenes, high c-di-GMP levels inhibit mammalian cell invasion. Here, we show that invasion is impaired because of the decreased expression levels of internalin genes whose products are involved in invasion. We further show that at high c-di-GMP levels, the expression of the entire virulence regulon is suppressed, and so is the expression of the prfA gene encoding the master activator of the virulence regulon. Analysis of mechanisms controlling prfA expression pointed to the transcription factor CodY as a c-di-GMP-sensitive component. In high-c-di-GMP strains, codY gene expression is decreased, apparently due to

SUBMITTER: Elbakush AM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5809697 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature