Functional interplay between (p)ppGpp and RNAP in Acinetobacter baumannii.

ABSTRACT: The (p)ppGpp-dependent stress response is required for pathogenic bacteria to survive both outside and inside the host but the mechanisms behind this survival are mostly unknown. In this study, we characterize the (p)ppGpp metabolism in the opportunistic pathogen multi-drug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii. We show that two stressful conditions potentially encountered during infection - iron starvation and polymyxin exposure - induce (p)ppGpp production. The absence of (p)ppGpp led to multiple consequences on the physiology of A. baumannii, including an increase of surface motility, a decrease in catalase activity, a poor survival upon nutrient starvation, a rapid killing during desiccation and a strong attenuation in a Galleria mellonella model of infection. Using a motility suppressor s

SUBMITTER: Perrier A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12742793 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature