New understanding of bacterium metabolism and causing infection
Published: 29 October 2024
New research led by Professor Andrew Roe and former lab group member Kabo Wale has uncovered a surprising new role for protein PdhR in certain disease-causing bacteria, demonstrating that the relationship between a bacterium's metabolism and its ability to cause infections is more intricate than previously understood.
New research led by Professor Andrew Roe and former lab group member Kabo Wale has uncovered a surprising new role for protein PdhR in certain disease-causing bacteria.
Published in PLOS Pathogens, the study, titled ‘A master regulator of central carbon metabolism directly activates virulence gene expression in attaching and effacing pathogens’ is the result of a collaboration involving several School of Infection & Immunity colleagues.
The protein, called PdhR, was previously known to help regulate energy production in bacterial cells by controlling the activity of enzymes that break down pyruvate, a key metabolic molecule.
However, PhD student Kabo, Professor Roe and the research team discovered that it also plays a crucial part in how these bacteria infect host cells.
When the gene for PdhR was deleted, it affected hundreds of other genes in the bacteria, including many involved in the infection process.
Without PdhR, the bacteria were much less able to attach to and colonise host cells, both in lab experiments and in living organisms.
Researchers, including colleagues from Trinity College Dublin and Newcastle University, learned that PdhR directly interacts with a region of DNA that controls an important factor for bacterial virulence.
This correlation shows that the protein has a direct hand in regulating the bacteria's ability to cause disease.
These findings have, therefore, revealed how bacteria can adapt proteins originally meant for basic cellular functions to control their disease-causing abilities.
Ultimately, this exciting research demonstrates that the relationship between a bacterium's metabolism and its ability to cause infections is more intricate than previously understood.
Sii Head of Bacteriology Professor Roe said: "I have to commend the lead author on this work, Kabo Wale.
"Kabo joined the group from his home University in Botswana under the Eleanor Emery Scholarship and made a great impact in the lab.
“He worked incredibly hard, and the end result is a fantastic paper that shows just how integrated bacterial metabolism is with virulence.”
Attachment of enterohaemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC, green) to host cells (blue for the nucleus and red for the cytoskeleton) is reduced when the regulator pdhR is deleted.
First published: 29 October 2024