A Single Mechanosensitive Channel Protects Francisella tularensis subsp. holarctica from Hypoosmotic Shock and Promotes Survival in the Aquatic Environment.

ABSTRACT: Francisella tularensis subsp. holarctica is found in North America and much of Europe and causes the disease tularemia in humans and animals. An aquatic cycle has been described for this subspecies, which has caused waterborne outbreaks of tularemia in at least 10 countries. In this study, we sought to identify the mechanosensitive channel(s) required for the bacterium to survive the transition from mammalian hosts to freshwater, which is likely essential for the transmission of the bacterium between susceptible hosts. A single 165-amino-acid MscS-type mechanosensitive channel (FtMscS) was found to protect F. tularensis subsp. holarctica from hypoosmotic shock, despite lacking much of the cytoplasmic vestibule domain found in well-characterized MscS prote

SUBMITTER: Williamson DR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5812925 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature