Defense arsenal of the strict anaerobe <i>Clostridioides difficile</i> against reactive oxygen species encountered during its infection cycle.

ABSTRACT: Clostridioides difficile, a strict anaerobe, is the major cause of antibiotic-associated diarrhea. This enteropathogen must adapt to oxidative stress mediated by reactive oxygen species (ROS), notably those released by the neutrophils and macrophages recruited to the site of infection or those endogenously produced upon high oxygen (O₂) exposure. C. difficile uses a superoxide reductase, Sor, and several peroxidases to detoxify ROS. We showed that Sor has a superoxide reductase activity in vitro and protects the bacterium from exposure to menadione, a superoxide donor. After confirming the peroxidase activity of the rubrerythrin, Rbr, we showed that this enzyme together with the peroxiredoxin, Bcp, plays a central role in the detoxification of H₂O

SUBMITTER: Lotoux A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11980386 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature