Rho factor mediates flagellum and toxin phase variation and impacts virulence in Clostridioides difficile.

ABSTRACT: The intestinal pathogen Clostridioides difficile exhibits heterogeneity in motility and toxin production. This phenotypic heterogeneity is achieved through phase variation by site-specific recombination via the DNA recombinase RecV, which reversibly inverts the "flagellar switch" upstream of the flgB operon. A recV mutation prevents flagellar switch inversion and results in phenotypically locked strains. The orientation of the flagellar switch influences expression of the flgB operon post-transcription initiation, but the specific molecular mechanism is unknown. Here, we report the isolation and characterization of spontaneous suppressor mutants in the non-motile, non-toxigenic recV flg OFF background that regained motility and toxin production. The restored phenotypes corresponded with in

SUBMITTER: Trzilova D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7446863 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature