ausblenden:
Schlagwörter:
Bacterial pathogens; Pseudomonas aeruginosa; Bacteria interactions; Type VI Secretion System; Comparative genomics
Zusammenfassung:
Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria live in diverse environments all around the world. Wherever they live, they are not alone. They are faced with various biotic and abiotic factors. In order to survive in such environments, P. aeruginosa can make use of several molecular mechanisms. One mechanism is the type VI secretion system (T6SS). Through the T6SS, P. aeruginosa translocates effector proteins into neighboring cells or the extracellular space. Those effector proteins have different functions: Anti-prokaryotic effectors cause neighboring bacteria to die, anti-eukaryotic effectors manipulate neighboring eukaryotic cells, and extracellular effectors help with the acquisition of nutrients. Most of what we know about the almost 30 effector proteins in this opportunistic pathogen is based on laboratory reference strains and few small clinical collections of isolates. Little is known about the T6SSs and their effectors within the species.
Overall, I performed comparative genomics on a global P. aeruginosa population, did in vivo experiments, and analyzed genomes from clinical isolates to obtain a better understanding of the diversity, evolution and clinical relevance of T6SSs and their effectors. This knowledge helps us to better understand how pathogenic bacteria can survive in diverse environments and contributes to developing new treatment options against multidrug resistant bacteria.
