Salmonella entericaSerovar Typhimurium CpxRA Two-Component System Contributes to Gut Colonization inSalmonella-Induced Colitis
ABSTRACTSalmonella enterica, a common cause of diarrhea, has to colonize the gut lumen to elicit disease. In the gut, the pathogen encounters a vast array of environmental stresses that cause perturbations in the bacterial envelope. The CpxRA two-component system monitors envelope perturbations and responds by altering the bacterial gene expression profile. This allowsSalmonellato survive under such harmful conditions. Therefore, CpxRA activation is likely to contribute toSalmonellagut infection. However, the role of the CpxRA-mediated envelope stress response inSalmonella-induced diarrhea is unclear. Here, we show that CpxRA is dispensable for the induction of colitis byS. entericaserovar Typhimurium, whereas it is required for gut colonization. We prove that CpxRA is expressed during gut infection and that the presence of antimicrobial peptides in growth media activates the expression of CpxRA-regulated genes. In addition, we demonstrate that aS. Typhimurium strain lacking thecpxRAgene is able to cause colitis but is unable to continuously colonize the gut. Finally, we show that CpxRA-dependent gut colonization requires the host gut inflammatory response, while DegP, a CpxRA-regulated protease, is dispensable. Our findings reveal that the CpxRA-mediated envelope stress response plays a crucial role inSalmonellagut infection, suggesting that CpxRA might be a promising therapeutic target for infectious diarrhea.