Iron availability and oxygen tension regulate the Yersinia Ysc type III secretion system to enable disseminated infection.

ABSTRACT: The enteropathogen Yersinia pseudotuberculosis and the related plague agent Y. pestis require the Ysc type III secretion system (T3SS) to subvert phagocyte defense mechanisms and cause disease. Yet type III secretion (T3S) in Yersinia induces growth arrest and innate immune recognition, necessitating tight regulation of the T3SS. Here we show that Y. pseudotuberculosis T3SS expression is kept low under anaerobic, iron-rich conditions, such as those found in the intestinal lumen where the Yersinia T3SS is not required for growth. In contrast, the Yersinia T3SS is expressed under aerobic or anaerobic, iron-poor conditions, such as those encountered by Yersinia once they cross the epithelial barrier and encounter phagocytic cells. We further show that the [2Fe-2S] containing transcription fac

SUBMITTER: Hooker-Romero D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6946166 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature