Publication

Independent Regulation of Type VI Secretion in Vibrio cholerae by TfoX and TfoY

Publications associées (28)

Neighbor predation linked to natural competence fosters the transfer of large genomic regions in Vibrio cholerae

Christian Iseli, Nicolas Jean Philippe Guex, Noémie Matthey, Melanie Blokesch, Candice Stoudmann, Sandrine Stutzmann

Natural competence for transformation is a primary mode of horizontal gene transfer. Competent bacteria are able to absorb free DNA from their surroundings and exchange this DNA against pieces of their own genome when sufficiently homologous. However, the ...

2019

DNA-uptake pili of Vibrio cholerae are required for chitin colonization and capable of kin recognition via sequence-specific self-interaction

Melanie Blokesch, Candice Stoudmann, Sandrine Stutzmann, David William Adams

How bacteria colonize surfaces and how they distinguish the individuals around them are fundamental biological questions. Type IV pili are a widespread and multipurpose class of cell surface polymers. Here we directly visualize the DNA-uptake pilus of Vibr ...

2019

Ecological implications of gene regulation by TfoX and TfoY among diverse Vibrio species

Noémie Matthey, Melanie Blokesch, Esther Jeanne Collas, Candice Stoudmann, Lisa Christina Metzger

Bacteria of the genus Vibrio are common members of aquatic environments where they compete with other prokaryotes and defend themselves against grazing predators. A macromolecular protein complex called the type VI secretion system (T6SS) is used for both ...

2019

The type IV pilus protein PilU functions as a PilT-dependent retraction ATPase

Melanie Blokesch, Candice Stoudmann, Sandrine Stutzmann, David William Adams, Jorge André Matias Pereira

Type IV pili are dynamic cell surface appendages found throughout the bacteria. The ability of these structures to undergo repetitive cycles of extension and retraction underpins their crucial roles in adhesion, motility and natural competence for transfor ...

2019

Vibrio cholerae filamentation promotes chitin surface attachment at the expense of competition in biofilms

Alexandre Louis André Persat

Collective behavior in spatially structured groups, or biofilms, is the norm among microbes in their natural environments. Though biofilm formation has been studied for decades, tracing the mechanistic and ecological links between individual cell morpholog ...

National Academy of Sciences2019

Mechanisms of DNA Uptake by Naturally Competent Bacteria

Melanie Blokesch

Transformation is a widespread mechanism of horizontal gene transfer in bacteria. DNA uptake to the periplasmic compartment requires a DNA-uptake pilus and the DNA-binding protein ComEA. In the gram-negative bacteria, DNA is first pulled toward the outer m ...

2019

Eco-Evolutionary Dynamics Linked to Horizontal Gene Transfer in Vibrios

Melanie Blokesch, Frédérique Marie Jeanne Le Roux

Vibrio is a genus of ubiquitous heterotrophic bacteria found in aquatic environments. Although they are a small percentage of the bacteria in these environments, vibrios can predominate during blooms. Vibrios also play important roles in the degradation of ...

2018

Bacterial type VI secretion system facilitates niche domination

Melanie Blokesch, Natalia Carolina Drebes Dorr

Over the last few decades humanity has experienced a series of tremendous technological advances, especially in the realm of basic science. A plethora of new approaches has allowed us to appreciate life in previously unimaginable detail, prompting the real ...

2018