Quorum sensing orchestrates parallel cell death pathways in Vibrio cholerae via Type 6 secretion-dependent and -independent mechanisms

Simplified model of V. cholerae 2740-80 QS regulation of t6ss, vps, and vca0646-0649, and consequently, the HCD-specific cell death behavior.

Bonnie Bassler’s Lab at Princeton investigates two parallel cell death pathways in Vibrio cholerae colonies, one driven by the Type 6 secretion system (T6SS) and another independent of T6SS, which is regulated by the quorum sensing master regulator HapR and the vca0646-0649 operon.

- V. cholerae has two parallel pathways for cell death in colonies: one driven by the Type 6 secretion system (T6SS) and another requiring the vca0646-0649 operon, particularly vca0646 and vca0647.

- Overexpression of vca0646-0649 promotes cell death, but deletion of these genes does not affect cell death, suggesting redundant or additional compensatory mechanisms.

- HapR, the master quorum sensing regulator, does not regulate T6SS-mediated killing in the V. cholerae 2740-80 strain, unlike in other pandemic V. cholerae strains.

Mashruwala AA, Bassler BL. Quorum sensing orchestrates parallel cell death pathways in Vibrio cholerae via Type 6 secretion-dependent and -independent mechanisms. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2024 Nov 12;121(46):e2412642121. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2412642121. Epub 2024 Nov 5. PMID: 39499633; PMCID: PMC11573629.  https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2412642121

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