ArticlePLoS pathogens2023
Effectiveness of Pseudomonas aeruginosa type VI secretion system relies on toxin potency and type IV pili-dependent interaction.
Article in PLoS pathogens, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 17 papers.
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Who cites it
17 citing papers in PubMed, 30 citations in OpenAlex.
- Molecular basis of type VI secretion system effector loading.Nature microbiology · 2026Article
- Integrative Systems-Level Transcriptomic Network Analysis Identifies Candidate Genes Associated with Biofilm Formation and Virulence inInternational journal of molecular sciences · 2026Article
- Interspecies quorum sensing signals modulate multicellular organization and enhance contact-dependent antagonism in Vibrio cholerae.Nature communications · 2026Article
- "Molecular insights into the bactericidal toxin Tle1 of Pseudomonas aeruginosa: Interaction with VgrG, its adaptor, and its immunity protein".The Journal of biological chemistry · 2026Article
- T6SS mutants exploit itaconate to support infection of phagocytes.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- The type VI secretion system of Acinetobacter: mechanisms, biology and therapeutic potential.Communications biology · 2026Review
- Structural and functional insights into Pseudomonas aeruginosa's secretion systems 1-6: regulation, role in microbial keratitis and drug targets.European journal of clinical microbiology & infectious diseases : official publication of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology · 2026Review
- Occurrence of type VI secretion system effector genes in longitudinal isolates ofMicrobial genomics · 2025Article
- Two cysteines control Tse1 secretion by H1-T6SS in Pseudomonas aeruginosa.Protein science : a publication of the Protein Society · 2025Article
- Phenotypic, transcriptomic and metabolomic changes in Klebsiella pneumoniae after long term exposure to simulated microgravity.NPJ microgravity · 2025Article
- The Pseudomonas aeruginosa Tse4 toxin assembles ion-selective and voltage-sensitive ion channels to couple membrane depolarisation with K+ efflux.PLoS pathogens · 2025Article
- Comprehensive genomic analysis of type VI secretion system diversity and associated proteins inMicrobial genomics · 2025Article
- Distribution of the four type VI secretion systems in Pseudomonas aeruginosa and classification of their core and accessory effectors.Nature communications · 2025Article
- Multiplicity of type 6 secretion system toxins limits the evolution of resistance.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2025Article
- The type II secretion system as an underappreciated and understudied mediator of interbacterial antagonism.Infection and immunity · 2024Review
- Article
- Cell motility empowers bacterial contact weapons.The ISME journal · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
The type VI secretion system (T6SS) is an antibacterial weapon that is used by numerous Gram-negative bacteria to gain competitive advantage by injecting toxins into adjacent prey cells. Predicting the outcome of a T6SS-dependent competition is not only reliant on presence-absence of the system but instead involves a multiplicity of factors. Pseudomonas aeruginosa possesses 3 distinct T6SSs and a set of more than 20 toxic effectors with diverse functions including disruption of cell wall integrity, degradation of nucleic acids or metabolic impairment. We generated a comprehensive collection of mutants with various degrees of T6SS activity and/or sensitivity to each individual T6SS toxin. By imaging whole mixed bacterial macrocolonies, we then investigated how these P. aeruginosa strains gain a competitive edge in multiple attacker/prey combinations. We observed that the potency of single T6SS toxin varies significantly from one another as measured by monitoring the community structure, with some toxins acting better in synergy or requiring a higher payload. Remarkably the degree of intermixing between preys and attackers is also key to the competition outcome and is driven by the frequency of contact as well as the ability of the prey to move away from the attacker using type IV pili-dependent twitching motility. Finally, we implemented a computational model to better understand how changes in T6SS firing behaviours or cell-cell contacts lead to population level competitive advantages, thus providing conceptual insight applicable to all types of contact-based competition.
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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.