An HWE-Family Histidine Kinase Modulates Brucella Cell Envelope Properties and Host Innate Immune Response.

ABSTRACT: The bacterial cell envelope is essential for viability and host interaction. In the intracellular pathogen Brucella ovis, the orphan HWE-family histidine kinase PhyK has been implicated in processes that influence cell envelope homeostasis, yet its function remains largely uncharacterized. We show that deletion of phyK (∆phyK) disrupts cell size control, increases resistance to anionic detergents, enhances sensitivity to cationic envelope disruptors, and triggers broad transcriptional changes, including reduced expression of aerobic respiration genes and increased expression of genes involved in transport and lipid metabolism. This transcriptional profile mirrors that of wild-type B. ovis exposed to an anionic detergent, indicating that loss of PhyK function primes cells to resist this str

SUBMITTER: Chen X 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12354254 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature