Lysosomal degradation products induce <i>Coxiella burnetii</i> virulence
Patrice Newton, David R. Thomas, Shawna C. O. Reed, Nicole Lau, Bangyan Xu, Sze Ying Ong, Shivani Pasricha, Piyush B. Madhamshettiwar, Laura E. Edgington‐Mitchell, Kaylene J. Simpson, Craig R. Roy, Hayley J. Newton
Abstract
Significance Coxiella burnetii is a unique bacterial pathogen that replicates to high numbers in a lysosome-like intracellular niche. This study identified host proteins that contribute to the pathogen’s capacity to establish this niche and activate the Dot/Icm secretion system required for intracellular replication. Many host proteins were found to contribute to the establishment of C. burnetii virulence by aiding trafficking of the pathogen to the lysosome and creating the degradative lysosome environment. Pathogenic bacteria are able to sense and adapt to their environment by altering their gene expression profile. Here we demonstrated that C. burnetii detects specific amino acids present in the lysosome using a two-component system that up-regulates expression of genes required for Dot/Icm activity.