Small RNA promotes negative feedback of the master virulence regulator PhoP by repressing the PhoQ sensor enhancer UgtL in acidic pH.

ABSTRACT: Signal transduction allows bacterial pathogens to sense the host environment and regulate gene expression accordingly for adaptation and survival. While the success of infection largely depends on the timely induction of virulence genes, the activity of the regulatory pathways controlling their expression must be tightly regulated for pathogens to cause disease. Here, we establish that a small RNA (sRNA) promotes the negative feedback control of a master virulence regulator in Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium) by repressing a signaling protein essential for its induction in response to an intracellular cue. We show that the virulence regulatory PhoP/PhoQ pathway is inhibited by the PhoP-activated sRNA PinT in mildly acidic pH, an infection-relevant cond

SUBMITTER: Prophete MD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12838224 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature