Title |
An antimicrobial peptide-resistant minor subpopulation of Photorhabdus luminescens is responsible for virulence
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Published in |
Scientific Reports, March 2017
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DOI | 10.1038/srep43670 |
Pubmed ID | |
Authors |
Annabelle Mouammine, Sylvie Pages, Anne Lanois, Sophie Gaudriault, Gregory Jubelin, Maurine Bonabaud, Stéphane Cruveiller, Emeric Dubois, David Roche, Ludovic Legrand, Julien Brillard, Alain Givaudan |
Abstract |
Some of the bacterial cells in isogenic populations behave differently from others. We describe here how a new type of phenotypic heterogeneity relating to resistance to cationic antimicrobial peptides (CAMPs) is determinant for the pathogenic infection process of the entomopathogenic bacterium Photorhabdus luminescens. We demonstrate that the resistant subpopulation, which accounts for only 0.5% of the wild-type population, causes septicemia in insects. Bacterial heterogeneity is driven by the PhoPQ two-component regulatory system and expression of pbgPE, an operon encoding proteins involved in lipopolysaccharide (LPS) modifications. We also report the characterization of a core regulon controlled by the DNA-binding PhoP protein, which governs virulence in P. luminescens. Comparative RNAseq analysis revealed an upregulation of marker genes for resistance, virulence and bacterial antagonism in the pre-existing resistant subpopulation, suggesting a greater ability to infect insect prey and to survive in cadavers. Finally, we suggest that the infection process of P. luminescens is based on a bet-hedging strategy to cope with the diverse environmental conditions experienced during the lifecycle. |
X Demographics
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
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France | 2 | 67% |
United Kingdom | 1 | 33% |
Demographic breakdown
Type | Count | As % |
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Members of the public | 2 | 67% |
Scientists | 1 | 33% |
Mendeley readers
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
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France | 1 | 2% |
Unknown | 58 | 98% |
Demographic breakdown
Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
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Researcher | 13 | 22% |
Student > Ph. D. Student | 11 | 19% |
Student > Master | 7 | 12% |
Student > Doctoral Student | 4 | 7% |
Other | 3 | 5% |
Other | 5 | 8% |
Unknown | 16 | 27% |
Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
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Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 19 | 32% |
Immunology and Microbiology | 9 | 15% |
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology | 6 | 10% |
Veterinary Science and Veterinary Medicine | 2 | 3% |
Medicine and Dentistry | 2 | 3% |
Other | 5 | 8% |
Unknown | 16 | 27% |