title: Rules of Engagement: The Type VI Secretion System in Vibrio cholerae.
abstract: Microbial species often exist in complex communities where they must avoid predation and compete for favorable niches. The type VI secretion system (T6SS) is a contact-dependent bacterial weapon that allows for direct killing of competitors through the translocation of proteinaceous toxins. Vibrio cholerae is a Gram-negative pathogen that can use its T6SS during antagonistic interactions with neighboring prokaryotic and eukaryotic competitors. The T6SS not only promotes V. cholerae's survival during its aquatic and host life cycles, but also influences its evolution by facilitating horizontal gene transfer. This review details the recent insights regarding the structure and function of the T6SS as well as the diverse signals and regulatory pathways that control its activation in V. cholerae.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Environmental Toxicology, University of Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California, USA.
authors.forename: Avatar
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Joshi
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Alberta, Alberta, Canada.
authors.forename: Benjamin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kostiuk
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Environmental Toxicology, University of Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California, USA.
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rogers
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Environmental Toxicology, University of Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California, USA.
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Teschler
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado, USA.
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pukatzki
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Environmental Toxicology, University of Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California, USA. Electronic address: fyildiz@ucsc.edu.
authors.forename: Fitnat H
authors.initials: FH
authors.lastname: Yildiz
mesh_terms: D000898:Antibiosis / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D001427:Bacterial Toxins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000378:metabolism*; D002771:Cholera / Q000382:microbiology; D022761:Gene Transfer, Horizontal / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D053038:Quorum Sensing / Q000502:physiology*; D000069376:Type VI Secretion Systems / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D014734:Vibrio cholerae / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development / Q000472:pathogenicity*
chemical_list: D001427:Bacterial Toxins; D000069376:Type VI Secretion Systems
keywords: Vibrio cholerae; function; regulation; structure; type VI secretion system (T6SS)