Journal article
The type VI secretion system of Vibrio cholerae fosters horizontal gene transfer.
- Borgeaud S Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology, Global Health Institute, School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland.
- Metzger LC Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology, Global Health Institute, School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland.
- Scrignari T Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology, Global Health Institute, School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland.
- Blokesch M Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology, Global Health Institute, School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland. melanie.blokesch@epfl.ch.
- 2015-01-03
Published in:
- Science (New York, N.Y.). - 2015
Bacterial Proteins
Bacterial Secretion Systems
DNA Transformation Competence
Gene Transfer, Horizontal
Multigene Family
Trans-Activators
Vibrio cholerae
English
Natural competence for transformation is a common mode of horizontal gene transfer and contributes to bacterial evolution. Transformation occurs through the uptake of external DNA and its integration into the genome. Here we show that the type VI secretion system (T6SS), which serves as a predatory killing device, is part of the competence regulon in the naturally transformable pathogen Vibrio cholerae. The T6SS-encoding gene cluster is under the positive control of the competence regulators TfoX and QstR and is induced by growth on chitinous surfaces. Live-cell imaging revealed that deliberate killing of nonimmune cells via competence-mediated induction of T6SS releases DNA and makes it accessible for horizontal gene transfer in V. cholerae.
- Language
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- English
- Open access status
- closed
- Identifiers
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- DOI 10.1126/science.1260064
- PMID 25554784
- Persistent URL
- https://sonar.ch/global/documents/163055
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