Title |
The host metabolite D-serine contributes to bacterial niche specificity through gene selection
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Published in |
The ISME Journal, December 2014
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DOI | 10.1038/ismej.2014.242 |
Pubmed ID | |
Authors |
James P R Connolly, Robert J Goldstone, Karl Burgess, Richard J Cogdell, Scott A Beatson, Waldemar Vollmer, David G E Smith, Andrew J Roe |
Abstract |
Escherichia coli comprise a diverse array of both commensals and niche-specific pathotypes. The ability to cause disease results from both carriage of specific virulence factors and regulatory control of these via environmental stimuli. Moreover, host metabolites further refine the response of bacteria to their environment and can dramatically affect the outcome of the host-pathogen interaction. Here, we demonstrate that the host metabolite, D-serine, selectively affects gene expression in E. coli O157:H7. Transcriptomic profiling showed exposure to D-serine results in activation of the SOS response and suppresses expression of the Type 3 Secretion System (T3SS) used to attach to host cells. We also show that concurrent carriage of both the D-serine tolerance locus (dsdCXA) and the locus of enterocyte effacement pathogenicity island encoding a T3SS is extremely rare, a genotype that we attribute to an 'evolutionary incompatibility' between the two loci. This study demonstrates the importance of co-operation between both core and pathogenic genetic elements in defining niche specificity.The ISME Journal advance online publication, 19 December 2014; doi:10.1038/ismej.2014.242. |
X Demographics
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
United Kingdom | 2 | 15% |
Ireland | 1 | 8% |
United States | 1 | 8% |
Sweden | 1 | 8% |
Netherlands | 1 | 8% |
Unknown | 7 | 54% |
Demographic breakdown
Type | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Scientists | 10 | 77% |
Members of the public | 2 | 15% |
Science communicators (journalists, bloggers, editors) | 1 | 8% |
Mendeley readers
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
New Zealand | 1 | 1% |
United States | 1 | 1% |
Unknown | 85 | 98% |
Demographic breakdown
Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Researcher | 18 | 21% |
Student > Ph. D. Student | 15 | 17% |
Student > Master | 12 | 14% |
Student > Bachelor | 7 | 8% |
Professor | 6 | 7% |
Other | 16 | 18% |
Unknown | 13 | 15% |
Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Immunology and Microbiology | 25 | 29% |
Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 22 | 25% |
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology | 15 | 17% |
Engineering | 4 | 5% |
Medicine and Dentistry | 4 | 5% |
Other | 2 | 2% |
Unknown | 15 | 17% |