TsrA Regulates Virulence and Intestinal Colonization in Vibrio cholerae

Abstract

Cholera is a potentially lethal disease that is endemic in much of the developing world. Vibrio cholerae , the bacterium underlying the disease, infects humans utilizing proteins encoded on horizontally acquired genetic material. Here, we provide evidence that TsrA, a Vibrionaceae -specific protein, plays a critical role in regulating these genetic elements and is essential for V. cholerae virulence in a mouse intestinal model.