A single regulatory gene is sufficient to alter bacterial host range

Mark J. Mandel (), Michael S. Wollenberg, Eric V. Stabb, Karen L. Visick and Edward G. Ruby
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Mark J. Mandel: University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, 1550 Linden Drive, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
Michael S. Wollenberg: University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, 1550 Linden Drive, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
Eric V. Stabb: University of Georgia, 828 Biological Sciences, Athens, Georgia 30602, USA
Karen L. Visick: Loyola University Chicago, Maywood, Illinois 60153, USA
Edward G. Ruby: University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, 1550 Linden Drive, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA

Nature, 2009, vol. 458, issue 7235, 215-218

Abstract: A gene for host selection An understanding of the beneficial relationships between bacteria and animals has become increasingly important to several areas of biology, including pathogenic microbiology. Many pathogens display specificity for a single host or tissue, but the molecular basis for such specificity is largely unknown. A comparative genomic study of host specificity in the mutualism between the sepiolid squid Euprymna scolopes and the bioluminescent bacteria Vibrio fischeri now demonstrates that the presence of a single bacterial gene, the regulatory gene rscS, can modify host range. When this gene is expressed in strains of V. fischeri that normally colonize the Japanese pinecone fish, it produces a symbiotic biofilm that is critical for squid colonization. This work raises the possibility that the specificity of human pathogens might be similarly manipulated for therapeutic purposes.

Date: 2009
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DOI: 10.1038/nature07660

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