De novo nucleotide biosynthesis and its dynamic regulation are crucial for systemic infection by extraintestinal Escherichia coli.

ABSTRACT: Extraintestinal Escherichia coli (ExPEC) proliferates rapidly in the bloodstream, causing life-threatening systemic infections with high mortality rates. Understanding how ExPEC adapts to the blood environment is essential for elucidating its pathogenesis and identifying potential antimicrobial targets. Using transposon mutagenesis-based high-throughput screening, we systematically identified genes critical for ExPEC growth in serum. Our findings demonstrate that de novo nucleotide biosynthesis genes are indispensable for serum proliferation, and animal infection assays further confirm their vital role in ExPEC virulence. Genetic disruption of this pathway did not affect bacterial stress response or adhesion capacity but severely impaired ExPEC's intracellular survival in macrophages. Tran

SUBMITTER: Zhang C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12858057 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature