Probing the Genome-Scale Metabolic Landscape of Bordetella pertussis, the Causative Agent of Whooping Cough.

ABSTRACT: Whooping cough is a highly contagious respiratory disease caused by Bordetella pertussis Despite widespread vaccination, its incidence has been rising alarmingly, and yet, the physiology of B. pertussis remains poorly understood. We combined genome-scale metabolic reconstruction, a novel optimization algorithm, and experimental data to probe the full metabolic potential of this pathogen, using B. pertussis strain Tohama I as a reference. Experimental validation showed that B. pertussis secretes a significant proportion of nitrogen as arginine and purine nucleosides, which may contribute to modulation of the host response. We also found that B. pertussis can be unexpectedly versatile, being able to metabolize many compounds while displaying minimal nutrient requirements. It can grow without

SUBMITTER: Branco Dos Santos F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5648915 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature