Bacterial
pathogens employ various strategies to interact with and subvert host defenses
to promote survival and proliferation. Such subversion is often mediated by the
specific interaction of bacterial effectors with host-encoded proteins and
other molecules to modify host function.
In
the current issue of Cell, scientists reported that the extracellular
pathogenic bacterium group A Streptococcus (GAS) modulates host metabolism to
regulate its own sensing and proliferation. GAS releases streptolysin toxins,
leading to ER stress during adherence to host cells, which promotes the
production of asparagine (ASN). The bacteria senses the released ASN, modifying
the expression of about 17% of its genes. (2014, Cell 156, 97.)
Posted by Tim Sandle
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