RelQ-mediated alarmone signalling regulates growth, stress-induced biofilm formation and spore accumulation in Clostridioides difficile.

ABSTRACT: The bacterial stringent response (SR) is a conserved transcriptional reprogramming pathway mediated by the nucleotide signalling alarmones, (pp)pGpp. The SR has been implicated in antibiotic survival in Clostridioides difficile, a biofilm- and spore-forming pathogen that causes resilient, highly recurrent C. difficile infections. The role of the SR in other processes and the effectors by which it regulates C. difficile physiology are unknown. C. difficile RelQ is a clostridial alarmone synthetase. Deletion of relQ dysregulates C. difficile growth in unstressed conditions, affects susceptibility to antibiotic and oxidative stressors and drastically reduces biofilm formation. While wild-type C. difficile displays increased biofilm formation in

SUBMITTER: Malik A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11317968 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature