An rhs Gene Linked to the Second Type VI Secretion Cluster Is a Feature of the Pseudomonas aeruginosa Strain PA14

Abstract

The type VI secretion system (T6SS) of Gram-negative bacteria has been involved in various processes, notably bacterial competition and eukaryotic cell subversion. Most Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains possess three T6SS gene clusters, but only the function of the first T6SS (H1-T6SS) has been clearly elucidated. It is involved in the secretion of three toxins (Tse1 to -3) that target bacterial competitors. In the case of the H2- and H3-T6SS, no clear function has been assigned, and only one effector has been associated with these systems. Yet the H2-T6SS was proposed to promote P. aeruginosa internalization in nonphagocytic epithelial cells. Although the H2-T6SS genetic organization is conser..