Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 17, 2025
10:39
Automated Analysis of Intracellular Phenotypes of Salmonella Using ImageJ
Published on: August 9, 2022
3.0K
Ribosome deficiency induces Salmonella filamentation within host cells.
Zhihui Lyu1, Cierra Wilson1, Kalyn Weiss2
1Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, The University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, USA.
Mbio
|June 30, 2025
Summary
Ribosome deficiency causes Salmonella bacteria to change from rod shapes to filaments inside host cells, improving survival under acid stress. This morphological change is linked to histidine operon regulation and can be induced by antibiotics.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Cell Biology
- Genetics
Background:
- Bacteria face host-induced stresses, prompting adaptive mechanisms like morphological changes.
- Ribosome function is crucial for bacterial survival and is a target for antibiotics.
- Ribosome deficiency impacts bacterial stress responses, but its role in host-pathogen interactions is unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effects of ribosome deficiency on bacterial morphology within host cells.
- To elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying ribosome deficiency-induced morphological changes in Salmonella.
- To determine the adaptive significance of bacterial filamentation during host-pathogen interactions.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a ribosome-deficient Salmonella strain and host macrophage infection models.
- Employed genetic analyses to identify key regulatory genes and pathways.
- Combined molecular and cell biology techniques to study gene expression and cell morphology.
Main Results:
- Ribosome-deficient Salmonella exhibited a rod-to-filamentous morphological transition within macrophages.
- Filamentation was dependent on acidic conditions and linked to histidine operon (his) overexpression.
- Slowed translation of the HisL leader peptide in mutants activated his operon transcription, inducing filamentation.
Conclusions:
- Ribosome deficiency, whether from mutations or antibiotics, triggers Salmonella filamentation in host cells.
- Bacterial filamentation serves as an adaptive strategy, enhancing survival under acid stress.
- This study reveals translational control of bacterial morphology and adaptation to the host environment.
Related Concept Videos
01:23Stringent Response in E. coli
61
Bacterial growth is closely tied to nutrient availability, with cells proliferating exponentially under favorable conditions and entering a stationary phase when resources become scarce. This transition is mediated by a regulatory mechanism known as the stringent response, which allows bacteria to adapt to nutrient deprivation by modulating gene expression and metabolic activity.During nutrient scarcity, intracellular amino acid levels decline. It results in the accumulation of uncharged tRNAs...
61
01:29Coordination of Gene Expression Processes in Bacteria
160
The DNA replication, transcription, and translation processes are intricately coupled in bacteria, allowing efficient gene expression and rapid protein synthesis. While this physical and functional coordination is advantageous, it introduces challenges that bacteria overcome through specific regulatory mechanisms.Coupling of Replication, Transcription, and TranslationThe coupling of replication, transcription, and translation is a hallmark of bacterial gene expression. As the replisome unwinds...
160
01:31Translation
15.7K
Translation is the process of synthesizing proteins from the genetic information carried by messenger RNA (mRNA). Following transcription, it constitutes the final step in the expression of genes. This process is carried out by ribosomes, complexes of protein and specialized RNA molecules. Ribosomes, transfer RNA (tRNA), and other proteins produce a chain of amino acids—the polypeptide—as the end product of translation.
Translation Produces the Building Blocks of Life
Proteins are...
Translation Produces the Building Blocks of Life
Proteins are...
15.7K
02:24Ribosome Profiling
3.6K
Ribosome profiling or ribo-sequencing is a deep sequencing technique that produces a snapshot of active translation in a cell. It selectively sequences the mRNAs protected by ribosomes to get an insight into a cell’s translation landscape at any given point in time.
Applications of ribosome profiling
Ribosome profiling has many applications, including in vivo monitoring of translation inside a particular organ or tissue type and quantifying new protein synthesis levels.
The technique...
Applications of ribosome profiling
Ribosome profiling has many applications, including in vivo monitoring of translation inside a particular organ or tissue type and quantifying new protein synthesis levels.
The technique...
3.6K
02:53Ribosomal RNA Synthesis
13.5K
Ribosome synthesis is a highly complex and coordinated process involving more than 200 assembly factors. The synthesis and processing of ribosomal components occurs not only in the nucleolus but also in the nucleoplasm and the cytoplasm of eukaryotic cells.
Ribosome biogenesis begins with the synthesis of 5S and 45S pre-rRNAs by distinct RNA polymerases. The primary transcripts are extensively processed and modified before they are bound and folded by ribosomal proteins and assembly factors,...
Ribosome biogenesis begins with the synthesis of 5S and 45S pre-rRNAs by distinct RNA polymerases. The primary transcripts are extensively processed and modified before they are bound and folded by ribosomal proteins and assembly factors,...
13.5K
01:29Cytoskeletal Proteins in Bacteria
3.5K
Bacterial cells were initially considered simple, randomly organized structures lacking a cytoskeleton. However, the discovery of cytoskeleton homologs in bacteria led to the change of this opinion. Bacterial cytoskeletal filaments regulate the cell shape, cell polarity, cell division, and partitioning of plasmids during cell division. It was later discovered that bacterial cytoskeletal proteins, mainly actin and tubulin homologs, are diverse compared to their eukaryotic counterparts. On the...
3.5K