Epistatic Interplay between Type IV Secretion Effectors Engages the Small GTPase Rab2 in the <i>Brucella</i> Intracellular Cycle
Erin P. Smith, Alexis Cotto-Rosario, Elizabeth Borghesan, Kiara Held, Cheryl N. Miller, Jean Celli
Abstract
Bacterial pathogens with an intracellular lifestyle modulate many host cellular processes to promote their infectious cycle. They do so by delivering effector proteins into host cells via dedicated secretion systems that target specific host functions. While the roles of many individual effectors are known, how their modes of action are coordinated is rarely understood. Here, we show that the zoonotic bacterium Brucella abortus delivers the BspB effector that mitigates the negative effect on bacterial replication that the RicA effector exerts via modulation of the host small GTPase Rab2. These findings provide an example of functional integration between bacterial effectors that promotes proliferation of pathogens.