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The two-component sensor kinase KinB acts as a non-canonical switch between acute and chronic infection.

Publication TypeJournal Article
AuthorsChand, NS, and Hung DT
AbstractP. aeruginosa is an opportunistic pathogen that occupies diverse environmental niches and is capable of causing a range of infections in humans. This versatility suggests that it has sophisticated mechanisms to sense and respond to the surrounding microenvironment. Two-component sensors are commonly used by bacteria to sense and respond to environmental stimuli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa has one of the largest sets of two-component sensors known in bacteria. We took advantage of a non-redundant transposon library and a recently characterized vertebrate model host, Danio rerio, that is amenable to higher throughput analysis than mammalian models, to systematically test the role of 60 two-component sensors that are required for P. aeruginosa virulence in acute infection. We found that the sensor kinase KinB is required for acute infection in zebrafish embryos and regulates a number of virulence related phenotypes in a manner independent of its kinase activity and its known response regulator, AlgB. Thus, the regulation of virulence by KinB highlights the increasing recognition of non-canonical two-component signaling mechanisms.
Year of Publication2011
JournalVirulence
Volume2
Issue6
Pages553-8
Date Published (YYYY/MM/DD)2011/11/01
ISSN Number2150-5594
DOI10.4161/viru.2.6.17987
PubMedhttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21971182?dopt=Abstract