Brucella regulators: self-control in a hostile environment.
Brucella is an important zoonotic pathogen for which no human vaccine exists. In an infected host, Brucella resides in macrophages but must coordinate expression of multiple virulence factors for successful cell entry and trafficking to acquire this replicative niche. Brucella responds to environmental signals to regulate virulence strategies that circumvent or blunt the host immune response. The Brucella quorum sensing system is a nexus of control for several Brucella virulence factors including flagellar genes and the type IV secretion system. Other sensory transduction systems, such as BvrRS and the newly described LOV-HK, sense environmental factors to control virulence. Here, we examine the contributions of various regulatory systems to Brucella virulence.
Rambow-Larsen
Amy A
AA
University of Wisconsin, Department of Pathobiological Sciences, Madison, WI 53706, USA.
Petersen
Erik M
EM
Gourley
Christopher R
CR
Splitter
Gary A
GA
D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis; D002002:Brucella / Q000502:physiology*; D015964:Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial; D006801:Humans; D053038:Quorum Sensing; D015398:Signal Transduction; D014774:Virulence; D037521:Virulence Factors / Q000096:biosynthesis*
D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D037521:Virulence Factors