The accessory type III secretion system effectors collectively shape intestinal inflammatory infection outcomes.

ABSTRACT: Injection of effectors via a type III secretion system (T3SS) is an infection strategy shared by various Gram-negative bacterial pathogens, many infecting mucosal surfaces. While individual T3SS effectors are well characterized, their network-level organization and the distinction between core and accessory effectors remain incompletely understood. Here, by systematically dissecting the T3SS effector network of the enteric mouse pathogen Citrobacter rodentium (CR) we identified a subset of 12 accessory effectors that, while dispensable for colonization, significantly alter infection outcomes. A strain lacking the accessory effectors (CR_M12) remained virulent in susceptible mouse hosts yet resulted in reduced epithelial barrier damage, inflammation, and immune cell infiltr

SUBMITTER: Biswas P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12233879 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature