Bile salts exposure regulates Shigella survival and virulence in the gastrointestinal tract

What is it about?

This work demonstrates how Shigella flexneri resist bile salts and analyzes the changes in gene expression following bile salts exposure

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Why is it important?

There are crucial gaps in knowledge regarding how Shigella survives host transit and regulates gene expression prior to infection. This work begins to address the gaps. We demonstrate that the bacteria utilize AcrAB and GalU to resist bile salts. Furthermore the bacteria form a biofilm and significantly alter gene expression in response to bile salts exposure. Following dispersion from the biofilm, S. flexneri has induced adherence to HT-29 cells. This work provides insights into how Shigella transits the small intestine and enhances virulence prior to reaching the colonic epithelium for infection.