Conditional toxicity and synergy drive diversity among antibacterial effectors

Nat Microbiol. 2018 Apr;3(4):440-446. doi: 10.1038/s41564-018-0113-y. Epub 2018 Feb 19.

Abstract

Bacteria in polymicrobial habitats contend with a persistent barrage of competitors, often under rapidly changing environmental conditions 1 . The direct antagonism of competitor cells is thus an important bacterial survival strategy 2 . Towards this end, many bacterial species employ an arsenal of antimicrobial effectors with multiple activities; however, the benefits conferred by the simultaneous deployment of diverse toxins are unknown. Here we show that the multiple effectors delivered to competitor bacteria by the type VI secretion system (T6SS) of Pseudomonas aeruginosa display conditional efficacy and act synergistically. One of these effectors, Tse4, is most active in high-salinity environments and synergizes with effectors that degrade the cell wall or inactivate intracellular electron carriers. We find Tse4 synergizes with these disparate mechanisms by forming pores that disrupt the ΔΨ component of the proton motive force. Our results provide evidence that the concomitant delivery of a cocktail of effectors serves as a bet-hedging strategy to promote bacterial competitiveness in the face of unpredictable and variable environmental conditions.

Publication types

  • Letter
  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / metabolism*
  • Antibiosis / physiology*
  • Bacterial Proteins / metabolism*
  • Cell Wall / metabolism
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial
  • Pseudomonas aeruginosa / growth & development*
  • Pseudomonas aeruginosa / metabolism*
  • Type VI Secretion Systems / metabolism*

Substances

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents
  • Bacterial Proteins
  • Type VI Secretion Systems