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The metabolic enzyme AdhE controls the virulence of E scherichia coli O 157: H 7
Author(s) -
Beckham Katherine S. H.,
Connolly James P. R.,
Ritchie Jennifer M.,
Wang Dai,
Gawthorne Jayde A.,
Tahoun Amin,
Gally David L.,
Burgess Karl,
Burchmore Richard J.,
Smith Brian O.,
Beatson Scott A.,
Byron Olwyn,
Wolfe Alan J.,
Douce Gillian R.,
Roe Andrew J.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
molecular microbiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.857
H-Index - 247
eISSN - 1365-2958
pISSN - 0950-382X
DOI - 10.1111/mmi.12651
Subject(s) - biology , virulence , enzyme , microbiology and biotechnology , escherichia coli , genetics , biochemistry , gene
Summary Classical studies have focused on the role that individual regulators play in controlling virulence gene expression. An emerging theme, however, is that bacterial metabolism also plays a key role in this process. Our previous work identified a series of proteins that were implicated in the regulation of virulence. One of these proteins was AdhE , a bi‐functional acetaldehyde‐ CoA dehydrogenase and alcohol dehydrogenase. Deletion of its gene ( adhE ) resulted in elevated levels of extracellular acetate and a stark pleiotropic phenotype: strong suppression of the Type Three Secretion System ( T3SS ) and overexpression of non‐functional flagella. Correspondingly, the adhE mutant bound poorly to host cells and was unable to swim. Furthermore, the mutant was significantly less virulent than its parent when tested in vivo , which supports the hypothesis that attachment and motility are central to the colonization process. The molecular basis by which AdhE affects virulence gene regulation was found to be multifactorial, involving acetate‐stimulated transcription of flagella expression and post‐transcriptional regulation of the T3SS through Hfq . Our study reveals fascinating insights into the links between bacterial physiology, the expression of virulence genes, and the underlying molecular mechanism mechanisms by which these processes are regulated.