Bile acids activate the antibacterial T6SS1 in the gut pathogen Vibrio parahaemolyticus

Abstract

Bacterial pathogens often manipulate their host and cause disease by secreting toxic proteins. However, to successfully colonize a host, they must also remove commensal bacteria that reside in it and may compete with them over resources. Here, we find that the same host-derived molecules that activate the secreted virulence toxins in a gut bacterial pathogen, Vibrio parahaemolyticus , also activate an antibacterial toxin delivery system that targets such commensal bacteria. These findings suggest that a pathogen can use one cue to launch a coordinated, trans -kingdom attack that enables it to colonize a host.