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Ann Biol Sci, 2017
ISSN: 2348-1927
August 23-24, 2017 | Toronto, Canada
Annual Conference on
MICROBIAL PATHOGENESIS, INFECTIOUS DISEASE,
ANTIMICROBIALS AND DRUG RESISTANCE
I
ntracellular bacterial pathogens are metabolically adapted
to grow within mammalian cells. While these adaptations
are fundamental to the ability to cause disease, we know little
about the relationship between the pathogen’s metabolism
and virulence. My lab focuses on studying the bacterial
pathogen
Listeria monocytogenes
. We investigate the
intracellular metabolism of this bacterium during infection
and how it senses host derived metabolites as localization
signals. We recently discovered that
L. monocytogenes
responds to low availability of BCAAs within mammalian
cells by triggering virulence gene expression. This response
is dependent on the nutrient global regulator CodY, which
directly activates the major virulence regulator, PRfA.
Furthermore, we reported that L-glutamine, an abundant
nitrogen source in host serum and cells, also serves as an
environmental indicator and inducer of virulence gene
expression. Rapid intercellular uptake of L-glutamine is the
signal as listerial intracellular concentration of L-glutamine
had to cross a certain threshold to activate virulence gene
expression, acting as an on/off switch. The mechanisms
behinds these metabolic signals were identified, revealing
how intracellular pathogens gouge for host derived
metabolic cues and use them to cross-regulate metabolism
and virulence.
e:
anathe@post.tau.ac.ilCross regulation of intracellular metabolism and virulence in
Listeria monocytogenes
Anat A Herskovits
Tel Aviv University, Israel
Arch Clin Microbiol, 8:5
DOI: 10.4172/1989-8436-C1-003