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Molecular Characterization of a Functional Type VI Secretion System in Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi

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Abstract

The type VI secretion system (T6SS) of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi (S. typhi) is associated with Salmonella pathogenicity island 6 (SPI-6). Though the T6SS gene cluster is intact in S. typhi, the protein complex is believed to be non-functional due to the presence of a pseudogene form of SciI (VipB homolog), a key component. We detected the SciK-his6 in the supernatant of the wild type strain of S. typhi containing the plasmid over-expressing SciK (hcp homolog) with a his6 epitope at the C-terminus, which suggested that the T6SS in S. typhi is functional. We also identified four genes that were essential to T6SS function: sciC (vasA homolog), sciS (vasK homolog), sciG (clpV homolog), and vrgS (vgrG homolog). Further analysis revealed that S. typhi T6SS is cytotoxic to human epithelial cells, but does not influence bacterial growth and mobility. RcsB, PmrA, and Hfq were identified as regulators of S. typhi T6SS gene expression; however, PhoP appears to not be involved. Taken together, the data demonstrate the functionality of S. typhi T6SS and confirm the important role of T6SS for S. typhi’s ability to invade and infect epithelial cells.

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Acknowledgments

This study was funded by a grant from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (30870095), National Special Scientific Program (2008ZX10004-009). We thank Jie Tian, Yan Liu, Dong Zheng, and Yinxia Zhao for technical assistance. We also appreciate International Science Editing for language editing.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Basic Medicine and Medical Technology, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, China

    Min Wang, Hong Du, Shungao Xu, Bin Ni, Haifang Zhang, Xiumei Sheng, Huaxi Xu & Xinxiang Huang

  2. Department of Life Sciences, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, China

    Zhe Luo

  3. Clinical Laboratory, Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China

    Hong Du

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  1. Min Wang
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Correspondence to Xinxiang Huang.

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Wang, M., Luo, Z., Du, H. et al. Molecular Characterization of a Functional Type VI Secretion System in Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi. Curr Microbiol 63, 22–31 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00284-011-9935-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00284-011-9935-z

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