title: Regulation of competence-mediated horizontal gene transfer in the natural habitat of Vibrio cholerae.
abstract: The human pathogen Vibrio cholerae is an autochthonous inhabitant of aquatic environments where it often interacts with zooplankton and their chitinous molts. Chitin induces natural competence for transformation in V. cholerae, a key mode of horizontal gene transfer (HGT). Recent comparative genomic analyses were indicative of extensive HGT in this species. However, we can still expand our understanding of the complex regulatory network that drives competence in V. cholerae. Here, we present recent advances, including the elucidation of bipartite competence regulation mediated by QstR, the inclusion of the type VI secretion system in the competence regulon of pandemic O1 El Tor strains, and the identification of TfoS as a transcriptional regulator that links chitin to competence induction in V. cholerae.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology, Global Health Institute, School of Life Sciences, Station 19, EPFL-SV-UPBLO, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Lisa C
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Metzger
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology, Global Health Institute, School of Life Sciences, Station 19, EPFL-SV-UPBLO, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland. Electronic address: melanie.blokesch@epfl.ch.
authors.forename: Melanie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Blokesch
mesh_terms: D058947:Bacterial Secretion Systems / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D017753:Ecosystem; D015964:Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial; D022761:Gene Transfer, Horizontal; D014734:Vibrio cholerae / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D058947:Bacterial Secretion Systems