Self-trimerization of ExsD limits inhibition of the Pseudomonas aeruginosa transcriptional activator ExsA in vitro.

ABSTRACT: The opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa ranks among the leading causes of nosocomial infection. The type III secretion system (T3SS) aids acute Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection by injecting potent cytotoxins into host cells to suppress the host's innate immune response. Expression of all T3SS-related genes is strictly dependent on the transcription factor ExsA. Consequently, ExsA and the biological processes that regulate ExsA function are of great biomedical interest. The present study focused on the ExsA-ExsC-ExsD-ExsE signaling cascade, which ties host cell contact to the upregulation of T3SS gene expression. Prior to T3SS induction, the antiactivator protein ExsD binds to ExsA and blocks ExsA-dependent transcription by interfering with ExsA dimerization and promoter interacti

SUBMITTER: Bernhards RC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3621117 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature