Abstract
Recent studies have identified cytoskeletal elements in bacteria which play important roles in cellular morphology, cell division, DNA segregation and the establishment of cell polarity. However, our understanding of the contribution the bacterial cytoskeleton makes toward virulence is lacking. The MreB protein is a bacterial homolog of eukaryotic actin and interacts intimately with MreC and MreD. We provide evidence that the Mre-based cytoskeleton directly influences pathogenicity in Salmonella. Disruption of MreC and MreD caused the downregulation of the Salmonella pathogenicity island 1 (SPI-1) type 3 secretion system (T3SS) essential for host cell-invasion, and also flagella-mediated motility. These phenotypic effects were mediated by RcsC, the sensor kinase of the Rcs phosphorelay two-component system and a major envelope stress regulator. Curiously, the SPI-2 T3SS remained viable. Our results demonstrate the importance of the integrity of the bacterial cytoskeleton for virulence, highlighting the impact of associated global regulatory mechanisms on pathogenicity.
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