Methylation of Salmonella Typhimurium flagella promotes bacterial adhesion and host cell invasion

Julia A. Horstmann, Michele Lunelli, Hélène Cazzola, Johannes Heidemann, Caroline Kühne, Pascal Steffen, Sandra Szefs, Claire Rossi, Ravi K. Lokareddy, Chu Wang, Laurine Lemaire, Kelly T. Hughes, Charlotte Uetrecht, Hartmut Schlüter, Guntram A. Grassl, Theresia E. B. Stradal, Yannick Rossez, Michael Kolbe () and Marc Erhardt ()
Additional contact information
Julia A. Horstmann: Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research
Michele Lunelli: Center for Structural Systems Biology (CSSB) & Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research
Hélène Cazzola: Alliance Sorbonne Université, UMR7025 CNRS Enzyme and Cell Engineering Laboratory
Johannes Heidemann: Leibniz Institute for Experimental Virology
Caroline Kühne: Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Institute for Biology – Bacterial Physiology
Pascal Steffen: University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf
Sandra Szefs: Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research
Claire Rossi: Alliance Sorbonne Université, UMR7025 CNRS Enzyme and Cell Engineering Laboratory
Ravi K. Lokareddy: Thomas Jefferson University
Chu Wang: Center for Structural Systems Biology (CSSB) & Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research
Laurine Lemaire: Alliance Sorbonne Université, UMR7025 CNRS Enzyme and Cell Engineering Laboratory
Kelly T. Hughes: University of Utah, Department of Biology
Charlotte Uetrecht: Leibniz Institute for Experimental Virology
Hartmut Schlüter: University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf
Guntram A. Grassl: Partner Site Hannover-Braunschweig
Theresia E. B. Stradal: Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research
Yannick Rossez: Alliance Sorbonne Université, UMR7025 CNRS Enzyme and Cell Engineering Laboratory
Michael Kolbe: Center for Structural Systems Biology (CSSB) & Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research
Marc Erhardt: Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research

Nature Communications, 2020, vol. 11, issue 1, 1-11

Abstract: Abstract The long external filament of bacterial flagella is composed of several thousand copies of a single protein, flagellin. Here, we explore the role played by lysine methylation of flagellin in Salmonella, which requires the methylase FliB. We show that both flagellins of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium, FliC and FljB, are methylated at surface-exposed lysine residues by FliB. A Salmonella Typhimurium mutant deficient in flagellin methylation is outcompeted for gut colonization in a gastroenteritis mouse model, and methylation of flagellin promotes bacterial invasion of epithelial cells in vitro. Lysine methylation increases the surface hydrophobicity of flagellin, and enhances flagella-dependent adhesion of Salmonella to phosphatidylcholine vesicles and epithelial cells. Therefore, posttranslational methylation of flagellin facilitates adhesion of Salmonella Typhimurium to hydrophobic host cell surfaces, and contributes to efficient gut colonization and host infection.

Date: 2020
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-15738-3

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