ArticlePloS one2009
An anomalous type IV secretion system in Rickettsia is evolutionarily conserved.
Article in PloS one, 2009. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 72 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
72 citing papers in PubMed, 103 citations in OpenAlex.
- Article
- Hybrid capture RNA-seq defines temporal gene expression inbioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- Article
- Article
- Structural and functional diversity of type IV secretion systems.Nature reviews. Microbiology · 2024Review
- Article
- Article
- Metagenome diversity illuminates origins of pathogen effectors.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2023Article
- One to host them all: genomics of the diverse bacterial endosymbionts of the spiderMicrobial genomics · 2023Article
- Immune evasion strategies of major tick-transmitted bacterial pathogens.Trends in microbiology · 2023Review
- Pathogenicity and virulence ofVirulence · 2022Review
- The evolutionary origin of host association in the Rickettsiales.Nature microbiology · 2022Article
- Subversion of host cell signaling: The arsenal of Rickettsial species.Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2022Review
- Nitric Oxide Inhibition of Rickettsia rickettsii.Infection and immunity · 2021Article
- Review
- Disruption of VirB6 Paralogs in Anaplasma phagocytophilum Attenuates Its Growth.Journal of bacteriology · 2020Article
- Risk1, a Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinase Effector, Promotes Rickettsia typhi Intracellular Survival.mBio · 2020Article
- First Whole Genome Sequence ofPathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2020Article
- Deianiraea, an extracellular bacterium associated with the ciliate Paramecium, suggests an alternative scenario for the evolution of Rickettsiales.The ISME journal · 2019Article
- The Anaplasma ovis genome reveals a high proportion of pseudogenes.BMC genomics · 2019Article
12 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundBacterial type IV secretion systems (T4SSs) comprise a diverse transporter family functioning in conjugation, competence, and effector molecule (DNA and/or protein) translocation. Thirteen genome sequences from Rickettsia, obligate intracellular symbionts/pathogens of a wide range of eukaryotes, have revealed a reduced T4SS relative to the Agrobacterium tumefaciens archetype (vir). However, the Rickettsia T4SS has not been functionally characterized for its role in symbiosis/virulence, and none of its substrates are known.
resultsSuperimposition of T4SS structural/functional information over previously identified Rickettsia components implicate a functional Rickettsia T4SS. virB4, virB8 and virB9 are duplicated, yet only one copy of each has the conserved features of similar genes in other T4SSs. An extraordinarily duplicated VirB6 gene encodes five hydrophobic proteins conserved only in a short region known to be involved in DNA transfer in A. tumefaciens. virB1, virB2 and virB7 are newly identified, revealing a Rickettsia T4SS lacking only virB5 relative to the vir archetype. Phylogeny estimation suggests vertical inheritance of all components, despite gene rearrangements into an archipelago of five islets. Similarities of Rickettsia VirB7/VirB9 to ComB7/ComB9 proteins of epsilon-proteobacteria, as well as phylogenetic affinities to the Legionella lvh T4SS, imply the Rickettsiales ancestor acquired a vir-like locus from distantly related bacteria, perhaps while residing in a protozoan host. Modern modifications of these systems likely reflect diversification with various eukaryotic host cells.
conclusionWe present the rvh (Rickettsiales vir homolog) T4SS, an evolutionary conserved transporter with an unknown role in rickettsial biology. This work lays the foundation for future laboratory characterization of this system, and also identifies the Legionella lvh T4SS as a suitable genetic model.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.