Killing with proficiency: Integrated post-translational regulation of an offensive Type VI secretion system.

ABSTRACT: The Type VI secretion system (T6SS) is widely used by bacterial pathogens as an effective weapon against bacterial competitors and is also deployed against host eukaryotic cells in some cases. It is a contractile nanomachine which delivers toxic effector proteins directly into target cells by dynamic cycles of assembly and firing. Bacterial cells adopt distinct post-translational regulatory strategies for deployment of the T6SS. 'Defensive' T6SSs assemble and fire in response to incoming attacks from aggressive neighbouring cells, and can utilise the Threonine Protein Phosphorylation (TPP) regulatory pathway to achieve this control. However, many T6SSs are 'offensive', firing at all-comers without the need for incoming attack or other cell contact-dependent signal. Post-translational contr

SUBMITTER: Ostrowski A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6082577 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature