Type VI secretion system killing by commensal Neisseria is influenced by expression of type four pili
| Title: | Type VI secretion system killing by commensal Neisseria is influenced by expression of type four pili |
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| Authors: | Rafael Custodio, Rhian M Ford, Cara J Ellison, Guangyu Liu, Gerda Mickute, Christoph M Tang, Rachel M Exley |
| Source: | eLife, Vol 10 (2021) |
| Publisher Information: | eLife Sciences Publications Ltd, 2021. |
| Publication Year: | 2021 |
| Collection: | LCC:Medicine LCC:Science LCC:Biology (General) |
| Subject Terms: | Neisseria cinerea, Neisseria meningitidis, T6SS, Type IV pili, Medicine, Science, Biology (General), QH301-705.5 |
| More Details: | Type VI Secretion Systems (T6SSs) are widespread in bacteria and can dictate the development and organisation of polymicrobial ecosystems by mediating contact dependent killing. In Neisseria species, including Neisseria cinerea a commensal of the human respiratory tract, interbacterial contacts are mediated by Type four pili (Tfp) which promote formation of aggregates and govern the spatial dynamics of growing Neisseria microcolonies. Here, we show that N. cinerea expresses a plasmid-encoded T6SS that is active and can limit growth of related pathogens. We explored the impact of Tfp on N. cinerea T6SS-dependent killing within a colony and show that pilus expression by a prey strain enhances susceptibility to T6SS compared to a non-piliated prey, by preventing segregation from a T6SS-wielding attacker. Our findings have important implications for understanding how spatial constraints during contact-dependent antagonism can shape the evolution of microbial communities. |
| Document Type: | article |
| File Description: | electronic resource |
| Language: | English |
| ISSN: | 2050-084X |
| Relation: | https://elifesciences.org/articles/63755; https://doaj.org/toc/2050-084X |
| DOI: | 10.7554/eLife.63755 |
| Access URL: | https://doaj.org/article/166cfad48bbd41369d9889d0d64efae5 |
| Accession Number: | edsdoj.166cfad48bbd41369d9889d0d64efae5 |
| Database: | Directory of Open Access Journals |
| ISSN: | 2050084X |
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| DOI: | 10.7554/eLife.63755 |
| Published in: | eLife |
| Language: | English |