Diverse regulatory pathways modulate bet hedging of competence induction in epigenetically-differentiated phase variants of Streptococcus pneumoniae.

ABSTRACT: Despite enabling Streptococcus pneumoniae to acquire antibiotic resistance and evade vaccine-induced immunity, transformation occurs at variable rates across pneumococci. Phase variants of isolate RMV7, distinguished by altered methylation patterns driven by the translocating variable restriction-modification (tvr) locus, differed significantly in their transformation efficiencies and biofilm thicknesses. These differences were replicated when the corresponding tvr alleles were introduced into an RMV7 derivative lacking the locus. RNA-seq identified differential expression of the type 1 pilus, causing the variation in biofilm formation, and inhibition of competence induction in the less transformable variant, RMV7domi. This was partly attributable to RMV7domi's lower expression of ManLMN,

SUBMITTER: Kwun MJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10602874 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature