A new study by scientists in Portugal and France tracked the patterns of gene expression in Listeria monocytogenes live during infection for the first time, reported AlphaGalileo.
The findings, published in PLoS Pathogens, reveals how the bacterial genome shifts to better adapt to infection by activating genes involved in virulence and subversion of the host defenses, as well as adaptation to the host conditions. The discovery may lead to the development of new therapies against the potentially lethal bacteria, as well as the study of other pathogen/host interactions.
Researchers also found that these infection-linked genes were controlled by a complex network coordinated by two major regulators called PrfA and SigB. They also identified several new virulence factors, which are bacterial proteins that induce the disease in the host.
