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Researchers led by Tao Dong reported that some clinical isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa carry an additional H4 type VI secretion system beyond the three typically found in the species.
In the clinical isolate LYSZa7, the native H4-T6SS was found to be silent or transcriptionally silent under standard laboratory conditions.
Rewiring the promoters activated the H4 system and showed that it functions as a secretion apparatus with antibacterial activity, and one analysis also noted cytotoxicity.
The study identified TseMt as a major H4-associated antibacterial effector that acts in the periplasm and forms ion-conducting pores in membranes or lipid bilayers.
Why it mattersReveals a new virulence system and effector that could shape treatment research.
More context
A cryo-EM structure of TseMt revealed a compact three-domain architecture, and one analysis reported a 3.0-angstrom single-particle structure.
The work also linked TseMt activity to a DUF4123 chaperone, VgrG4b, and PAAR4 in the delivery pathway.