Bacterium Salmonella enterica regulates virulence according to iron levels found in its surroundings
Tuesday, May 10, 2011 - 09:30
in Biology & Nature
Salmonella enterica, one of the main causes of gastrointestinal infections, modulates its virulence gene expression, adapting it to each stage of the infection process, depending on the free iron concentration found in the intestinal epithelium of its host. Researchers in Spain have demonstrated for the first time that the pathogen activates these genes through the Fur protein, which acts as a sensor of iron levels in its surroundings.