A MARTX Toxin rtxA Gene Is Controlled by Host Environmental Signals through a CRP-Coordinated Regulatory Network in Vibrio vulnificus

Abstract

A MARTX toxin, RtxA, is an essential virulence factor of many pathogens, including Vibrio species. H-NS and HlyU repress and derepress, respectively, rtxA expression of a life-threatening pathogen, Vibrio vulnificus . We found that Lrp directly activates rtxA independently of H-NS and HlyU, and leucine inhibits the Lrp-mediated activation of rtxA . Furthermore, we demonstrated that CRP represses rtxA but derepresses in the presence of exogenous glucose. CRP represses rtxA not only directly by binding to upstream of rtxA but also indirectly by repressing lrp and hlyU . This is the first report of a regulatory network comprising CRP, Lrp, H-NS, and HlyU, which coordinates the rtxA expression in response to environmental signals such as leucine and glucose during infection. This elaborate regulatory network will enhance the fitness of V. vulnificus and contribute to its successful infection within the host.