Article of Significant Interest Selected from This Issue by the Editors

摘要

Untangling the Biofilm Matrix: Cysteine, Drugs, and Redox Cysteine auxotrophs of uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) are linked to chronic infections. Hufnagel et al. (e00389-17) explored the link between cysteine metabolism and extracellular matrix production (ECM). UPEC ECM expression is usually an expertly coordinated process, yet cysteine biosynthesis was shown necessary for the temperature-dependent regulation of curli and cellulose production. Decreased reducing capacity in cysteine auxotrophs led to destabilization of the redox-sensitive repressor YfiR and subsequent activation of the diguanylate cyclase YfiN. Interestingly, redox and cysteine auxotrophy also altered UPEC's susceptibility to amdinocillin, as sublethal concentrations inhibited curli production by the wild type, while cysteine auxotrophs were recalcitrant to curli inhibition.