High Levels of Cyclic Di-GMP in Klebsiella pneumoniae Attenuate Virulence in the Lung.

ABSTRACT: The bacterial second messenger bis-(3'-5')-cyclic dimeric GMP (c-di-GMP) has been shown to influence the expression of virulence factors in certain pathogenic bacteria, but little is known about its activity in the increasingly antibiotic-resistant pathogen Klebsiella pneumoniae Here, the expression in K. pneumoniae of a heterologous diguanylate cyclase increased the bacterial c-di-GMP concentration and attenuated pathogenesis in murine pneumonia. This attenuation remained evident in mice lacking the c-di-GMP sensor STING, indicating that the high c-di-GMP concentration exerted its influence not on host responses but on bacterial physiology. While serum resistance and capsule expression were unaffected by the increased c-di-GMP concentration, both type 3 and type 1 pili were strongly upreg

SUBMITTER: Rosen DA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5778367 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature