Expression of Pseudomonas aeruginosa virulence genes requires cell-to-cell communication.
Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic human pathogen that causes a variety of infections in immunocompromised hosts and individuals with cystic fibrosis. Expression of elastase, one of the virulence factors produced by this organism, requires the transcriptional activator LasR. Experiments with gene fusions show that gene lasl is essential for high expression of elastase. The lasl gene is involved in the synthesis of a diffusible molecule termed Pseudomonas autoinducer (PAI). PAI provides P. aeruginosa with a means of cell-to-cell communication that is required for the expression of virulence genes and may provide a target for therapeutic approaches.
Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Rochester, School of Medicine and Dentistry, NY 14620.
L
L
Passador
J M
JM
Cook
M J
MJ
Gambello
L
L
Rust
B H
BH
Iglewski
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*; D002450:Cell Communication; D015964:Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial; D005809:Genes, Regulator; D008666:Metalloendopeptidases / Q000235:genetics*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011550:Pseudomonas aeruginosa / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000096:biosynthesis; D014774:Virulence
D001426:Bacterial Proteins; C081237:LasI protein, Pseudomonas aeruginosa; D014157:Transcription Factors; D008666:Metalloendopeptidases; C043859:pseudolysin, Pseudomonas aeruginosa