Identifying New Variables During Infection: Proximity to the Host Epithelium and Epigenetic Programs Alter the Expression of Virulence Factors in Vibrio Cholerae

Benjamin Mudrak,Rita Tamayo

doi:10.3389/fmicb.2011.00042

Abstract

Identifying New Variables During Infection: Proximity to the Host Epithelium and Epigenetic Programs Alter the Expression of Virulence Factors in Vibrio Cholerae

Highlights

Many studies have assumed a homogeneous response on the part of the population of pathogenic cells, but increasing evidence suggests that bacterial cells can specialize, producing two stable phenotypes within a single isogenic population using an epigenetic mechanism called bistability (Veening et al, 2008)
The primary virulence factors produced by V. cholerae are cholera toxin (CT), which is responsible for generating the massive efflux of fluid and electrolytes that culminates in diarrhea, and the toxin-coregulated pilus (TCP), a bundle-forming pilus required for colonization of the host intestine
The complex regulatory mechanisms controlling CT and TCP production have been defined in great detail, uncovering the dynamics of virulence factor expression during infection would improve our understanding of V. cholerae pathogenesis and transmission

Summary

Introduction

Many studies have assumed a homogeneous response on the part of the population of pathogenic cells, but increasing evidence suggests that bacterial cells can specialize, producing two stable phenotypes within a single isogenic population using an epigenetic mechanism called bistability (Veening et al, 2008). The primary virulence factors produced by V. cholerae are cholera toxin (CT), which is responsible for generating the massive efflux of fluid and electrolytes that culminates in diarrhea, and the toxin-coregulated pilus (TCP), a bundle-forming pilus required for colonization of the host intestine.

Results

Conclusion