Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 14, 2026

Author Spotlight: Understanding Rhamnolipid Regulation in Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Published on: March 29, 2024
A choline-sensing regulator coordinates metabolic adaptation and pathogenesis in Pseudomonas aeruginosa pulmonary
Yingjie Song1, Xiyu Wu2, Bo Song1
1College of Life Science, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu 610101, China.
Abstract:
Pseudomonas aeruginosa exploits host-derived phosphatidylcholine (PC) to establish persistent lung infections, yet the mechanistic link between metabolic adaptation and pathogenesis remains unclear. Here, we demonstrate that choline (Cho)-induced regulator (CodR), a GcvA-type transcriptional regulator, serves as a master regulator integrating virulence, antibiotic resistance, and PC catabolism during pulmonary infection. CodR directly binds Cho, the key metabolite of PC degradation, to activate pchP and norA, facilitating exogenous PC/Cho utilization. Genome-wide profiling reveals that CodR targets conserved motifs in promoters of mexA, pslA, and amrZ, synchronizing virulence and tolerance pathways. codR deletion attenuated biofilm formation, type III secretion system activity, siderophore production, and PC catabolism, reducing bacterial pathogenicity in a murine pneumonia model. Notably, Cho/PC pretreatment potentiates CodR-dependent transcriptional activation of antibiotic resistance genes, elevating tolerance to ciprofloxacin and meropenem. Our findings elucidate a paradigm wherein P. aeruginosa co-opts host-derived Cho via CodR to simultaneously potentiate virulence and antibiotic resilience, exposing CodR as a druggable node to break infection-resistance synergies.
Related Concept Videos
Gene Regulation in Microbial Communities: Quorum Sensing
Pneumonia II: Pathophysiology
Global Regulatory Systems
Stringent Response in E. coli
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease-II: Pathophysiology
Chronic Inflammation
GPCRs Regulate Adenylyl Cylase Activity

