Avirulent phenotype promotes Bordetella pertussis adaptation to the intramacrophage environment.

ABSTRACT: Bordetella pertussis, the causative agent of whooping cough, is an extracellular, strictly human pathogen. However, it has been shown that B. pertussis cells can escape phagocytic killing and survive in macrophages upon internalization. Our time-resolved RNA-seq data suggest that B. pertussis efficiently adapts to the intramacrophage environment and responds to host bactericidal activities. We show that this adaptive response is multifaceted and, surprisingly, related to the BvgAS two-component system, a master regulator of virulence. Our results show that the expression of this regulatory circuit is downregulated upon internalization. Moreover, we demonstrate that the switch to the avirulent Bvg^- phase augments a very complex process based on the adjustment

SUBMITTER: Farman MR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9858536 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature