Acetylation of CspC Controls the Las Quorum-Sensing System through Translational Regulation of <i>rsaL</i> in Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Shou‐Yi Li, Xuetao Gong, Liwen Yin, Xiaolei Pan, Yongxin Jin, Fang Bai, Zhihui Cheng, Un‐Hwan Ha, Weihui Wu
Abstract
Bacterial infectious diseases impose a severe threat to human health. The ability to orchestrate virulence determinant in response to the host environment is critical for the pathogenesis of bacterial pathogens. Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a leading pathogen that causes various infections in humans. In P. aeruginosa, the quorum-sensing (QS) systems play an important role in regulating the production of virulence factors. In this study, we find that a small RNA binding protein, CspC, regulates the QS systems by repressing the expression of a QS negative regulator. We further demonstrate that CspC is acetylated in response to a host-derived metabolite, itaconate, which alters the function of CspC in regulating the QS system. The importance of this work is in elucidation of a novel regulatory pathway that regulates virulence determinants in P. aeruginosa in response to a host signal.