2024-04-17
Brucella, a bacterium caught by hand in a bag… with candies
An international scientific team has just uncovered the mechanism by which the bacteria that causes brucellosis* manipulates the cellular processes of its host to ensure its survival and reproduction. This discovery offers new insight into bacterial infections and paves the way for the development of innovative treatments.
A new study published in the journal Cell Host & Microbe in collaboration with CIRAD researchers shows how the bacterium Brucella, the causative agent of brucellosis, hijacks the host cell’s sugar metabolism, facilitating its infection.
The crucial role of the Rhg1 protein
The research team, led by Paul de Figueiredo, a bacteriologist at the University of Missouri, focused on a protein called Rhg1, a virulence protein secreted by bacteria. This allows it to manipulate its host’s cells in order to survive and reproduce.
Thus, the researchers were able to demonstrate that this protein causes a global reprogramming of the host cell’s N-glycome, that is, all the sugars attached to the cell’s proteins.
This reprogramming helps bacteria live inside cells by interacting with a set of molecules called the OST complex, which are critical for protein glycosylation, a fundamental process of protein folding and stability.
https://www.cirad.fr/espace-presse/communiques-de-presse/2024/metabolisme-du-sucre-detourne-par-la-bacterie-responsable-de-la-brucellose
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