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

Virulence. 2011 Nov-Dec;2(6):553-8. doi: 10.4161/viru.2.6.17987. Epub 2011 Nov 1.

Abstract

P. 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.

MeSH terms

  • Acute Disease
  • Animals
  • Bacterial Proteins / genetics
  • Bacterial Proteins / metabolism*
  • Chronic Disease
  • DNA-Binding Proteins / genetics
  • DNA-Binding Proteins / metabolism
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial
  • Humans
  • Protein Kinases / genetics
  • Protein Kinases / metabolism*
  • Pseudomonas Infections / microbiology*
  • Pseudomonas aeruginosa / enzymology*
  • Pseudomonas aeruginosa / genetics
  • Pseudomonas aeruginosa / pathogenicity
  • Signal Transduction
  • Transcription Factors / genetics
  • Transcription Factors / metabolism
  • Virulence
  • Zebrafish

Substances

  • Bacterial Proteins
  • DNA-Binding Proteins
  • Transcription Factors
  • AlgB protein, Pseudomonas
  • Protein Kinases