Transcriptional diversification in a human-adapting zoonotic pathogen drives niche-specific evolution.

ABSTRACT: Bacterial pathogens can undergo striking adaptive evolutionary change in the context of infection, driven by selection forces associated with host defenses and antibiotic treatment. In this work, we analyze the transcriptional landscape associated with adaptation in an emerging zoonotic pathogen, Bordetella hinzii, as it evolved during a 45-month infection in an IL12Rβ1-deficient immunocompromised host. We find evidence of multiple niche-specific modifications in the intravascular and gastrointestinal compartments, involving the superoxide dismutase system, glutamate and ectoine metabolism, chaperone-mediated protein folding, pilus organization, and peptide transport. Individual blood lineages displayed modifications in glutathione, phenylacetate, and 3-phenylpropionate metabolism, iron cl

SUBMITTER: Ghosh S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11871327 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature