This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Supplemental material
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowReprints and Permissions
Right arrow Copyright Information
Right arrow Books from ASM Press
Right arrow MicrobeWorld
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Laskowski, M. A.
Right arrow Articles by Kazmierczak, B. I.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Laskowski, M. A.
Right arrow Articles by Kazmierczak, B. I.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Infection and Immunity, August 2006, p. 4462-4473, Vol. 74, No. 8
0019-9567/06/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/IAI.00575-06
Copyright © 2006, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Mutational Analysis of RetS, an Unusual Sensor Kinase-Response Regulator Hybrid Required for Pseudomonas aeruginosa Virulence{dagger}

Michelle A. Laskowski1,2,3 and Barbara I. Kazmierczak2,3*

Program in Microbiology,1 Department of Internal Medicine,2 Section of Microbial Pathogenesis, Yale University School of Medicine, P.O. Box 208022, New Haven, Connecticut 06520-80223

Received 6 April 2006/ Returned for modification 17 May 2006/ Accepted 24 May 2006

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic pathogen capable of causing both acute and chronic infections in a wide range of hosts. Expression of the type III secretion system (T3SS) proteins is correlated with virulence in models of acute infection, while downregulation of the T3SS and upregulation of genes important for biofilm formation are observed during chronic infections. RetS, a hybrid sensor kinase-response regulator protein of P. aeruginosa, plays a key role in the reciprocal regulation of virulence factors required for acute versus chronic infection and is postulated to act in concert with two other sensor kinase-response regulator hybrids, GacS and LadS. This work examines the roles of the putative sensing and signal transduction domains of RetS in induction of the T3SS in vitro and in a murine model of acute pneumonia. We identify distinct signaling roles for the tandem receiver domains of RetS and present evidence suggesting that RetS may serve as a substrate for another sensor kinase. Phenotypes associated with RetS alleles lacking periplasmic and/or transmembrane domains further indicate that the periplasmic domain of RetS may transmit a signal that inhibits RetS activity during acute infections.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Yale University School of Medicine, 333 Cedar Street, P.O. Box 208022, New Haven, CT 06520-8022. Phone: (203) 737-5062. Fax: (203) 785-3864. E-mail: barbara.kazmierczak{at}yale.edu.

Editor: J. T. Barbieri

{dagger} Supplemental material for this article may be found at http://iai.asm.org/.

Infection and Immunity, August 2006, p. 4462-4473, Vol. 74, No. 8
0019-9567/06/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/IAI.00575-06
Copyright © 2006, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Wegener-Feldbrugge, S., Sogaard-Andersen, L. (2009). The Atypical Hybrid Histidine Protein Kinase RodK in Myxococcus xanthus: Spatial Proximity Supersedes Kinetic Preference in Phosphotransfer Reactions. J. Bacteriol. 191: 1765-1776 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Goodman, A. L., Merighi, M., Hyodo, M., Ventre, I., Filloux, A., Lory, S. (2009). Direct interaction between sensor kinase proteins mediates acute and chronic disease phenotypes in a bacterial pathogen. Genes Dev. 23: 249-259 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Lucchetti-Miganeh, C., Burrowes, E., Baysse, C., Ermel, G. (2008). The post-transcriptional regulator CsrA plays a central role in the adaptation of bacterial pathogens to different stages of infection in animal hosts. Microbiology 154: 16-29 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Palmer, K. L., Aye, L. M., Whiteley, M. (2007). Nutritional Cues Control Pseudomonas aeruginosa Multicellular Behavior in Cystic Fibrosis Sputum. J. Bacteriol. 189: 8079-8087 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Mascher, T., Helmann, J. D., Unden, G. (2006). Stimulus Perception in Bacterial Signal-Transducing Histidine Kinases. Microbiol. Mol. Biol. Rev. 70: 910-938 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Murray, T. S., Kazmierczak, B. I. (2006). FlhF Is Required for Swimming and Swarming in Pseudomonas aeruginosa.. J. Bacteriol. 188: 6995-7004 [Abstract] [Full Text]  


Copyright © 2009 by the American Society for Microbiology.   For an alternate route to Journals.ASM.org, visit: http://intl-journals.asm.org | More Info»