A Virulence Locus of <i>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</i> Encodes a Protein Secretion Apparatus

Joseph D. Mougous(Argonne National Laboratory), M.E. Cuff(Argonne National Laboratory), Stefan Raunser(Argonne National Laboratory), Aimee Shen(Argonne National Laboratory), Min Zhou(Argonne National Laboratory), Casey A. Gifford(Argonne National Laboratory), Andrew L. Goodman(Argonne National Laboratory), G. Joachimiak(Argonne National Laboratory), Claudia L. Ordoñez(Argonne National Laboratory), Stephen Lory(Argonne National Laboratory), Thomas Walz(Argonne National Laboratory), A. Joachimiak(Argonne National Laboratory), John J. Mekalanos(Argonne National Laboratory)
Science
June 8, 2006
10.1126/science.1128393
Cited by 1,104Open Access
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Abstract

Bacterial pathogens frequently use protein secretion to mediate interactions with their hosts. Here we found that a virulence locus (HSI-I) of Pseudomonas aeruginosa encodes a protein secretion apparatus. The apparatus assembled in discrete subcellular locations and exported Hcp1, a hexameric protein that forms rings with a 40 angstrom internal diameter. Regulatory patterns of HSI-I suggested that the apparatus functions during chronic infections. We detected Hcp1 in pulmonary secretions of cystic fibrosis (CF) patients and Hcp1-specific antibodies in their sera. Thus, HSI-I likely contributes to the pathogenesis of P. aeruginosa in CF patients. HSI-I-related loci are widely distributed among bacterial pathogens and may play a general role in mediating host interactions.

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