A 4-Hydroxybenzoic Acid-Mediated Signaling System Controls the Physiology and Virulence of Shigella sonnei
Mingfang Wang, Jia Zeng, Yu Zhu, Xiayu Chen, Quan Guo, Huihui Tan, Binbin Cui, Shihao Song, Yinyue Deng
Abstract
Shigella sonnei is an important pathogen in human intestines. Following previous findings that some bacteria employ 4-HBA as a QS signal to regulate biological functions, we demonstrate that 4-HBA controls the physiology and virulence of S. sonnei. This study is significant because it identifies both the signal synthase UbiC and receptor AaeR and unveils the signaling pathway of 4-HBA in S. sonnei. In addition, this study also supports the important role of 4-HBA in microbial cross talk, as 4-HBA strongly inhibits hyphal formation by Candida albicans. Together, our findings describe the dual roles of 4-HBA in both intraspecies signaling and interkingdom communication.