Redox-Mediated Inactivation of the Transcriptional Repressor RcrR is Responsible for Uropathogenic Escherichia coli’s Increased Resistance to Reactive Chlorine Species
Sadia Sultana, Mary E. Crompton, Kennadi Meurer, Olivia Jankiewicz, Grace Morales, Colton Johnson, Elise Horbach, Kevin Pierre Hoffmann, Pooja Kr, Ritika Shah, Greg M. Anderson, Nathan T. Mortimer, Jonathan E. Schmitz, Maria Hadjifrangiskou, A Foti, Jan‐Ulrik Dahl
Abstract
How do pathogens deal with antimicrobial oxidants produced by the innate immune system during infection? Uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC), the most common etiological agent of urinary tract infections (UTIs), is particularly exposed to infiltrating neutrophils and, therefore, must counter elevated levels of the antimicrobial oxidant HOCl to establish infection. Our study provides fundamentally new insights into a defense mechanism that enables UPEC to fend off the toxic effects of HOCl stress.