Control of <i>Clostridioides difficile</i> virulence and physiology by the flagellin homeostasis checkpoint FliC-FliW-CsrA in the absence of motility.

ABSTRACT: Mutations affecting Clostridioides difficile flagellin (FliC) have been shown to be hypervirulent in animal models and display increased toxin production and alterations in central metabolism. The regulation of flagellin levels in bacteria is governed by a tripartite regulatory network involving fliC, fliW, and csrA, which creates a feedback system to regulate flagella production. Through genomic analysis of C. difficile clade 5 strains (non-motile), we identified they have jettisoned many of the genes required for flagellum biosynthesis yet retain the major flagellin gene fliC and regulatory gene fliW. We therefore investigated the roles of fliC, fliW, and csrA in the clade 5 ribotype 078 strain C. difficile 1015

SUBMITTER: Zhu D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11898703 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature