Abstract
Epinephrine/norepinephrine/AI-3 signaling is used as an interkingdom chemical signaling system between microbes and their hosts. This system is also exploited by pathogens to regulate virulence traits. In enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC) O157:H7, it is essential for pathogenesis and flagella motility. These three signals activate expression of a pathogenicity island named locus of enterocyte effacement (LEE), Shiga toxin, and the flagella regulon. These signals are sensed by the two-component system QseBC, whereas the bacterial membrane receptor QseC autophosphorylates and phosphorylates the QseB response regulator initiating a complex phosphorelay signaling cascade that activates the expression of a second two-component system, QseEF. The QseEF two-component system is also involved in the expression of the virulence genes, and it senses epinephrine, phosphate, and sulfate. This complex signaling cascade still needs to be completely elucidated.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Microbial Endocrinology |
| Subtitle of host publication | Interkingdom Signaling in Infectious Disease and Health |
| Publisher | Springer New York |
| Pages | 213-227 |
| Number of pages | 15 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 9781441955760 |
| ISBN (Print) | 9781441955753 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 2010 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Medicine
- General Immunology and Microbiology