Symbiotic T6SS affects horizontal transmission of <i>Paraburkholderia bonniea</i> among <i>Dictyostelium discoideum</i> amoeba hosts.

ABSTRACT: Three species of Paraburkholderia are able to form facultative symbiotic relationships with the amoeba, Dictyostelium discoideum. These symbiotic Paraburkholderia share a type VI secretion system (T6SS) that is absent in other close relatives. We tested the phenotypic and transcriptional effect of tssH ATPase gene disruption in P. bonniea on its symbiosis with D. discoideum. We hypothesized that the ∆tssH mutant would have a significantly reduced ability to affect host fitness or transmit itself from host to host. We found that the T6SS does not directly affect host fitness. Instead, wildtype P. bonniea had significantly higher rates of horizontal transmission compared to ∆tssH. In addition, we observed significant differences

SUBMITTER: Chen A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11882306 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature