TccP2 of O157:H7 and non-O157 enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC): Challenging the dogma of EHEC-induced actin polymerization

Abstract

Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) O157:H7 and enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC) trigger actin polymerization at the site of bacterial adhesion by inducing different signaling pathways. Actin assembly by EPEC requires tyrosine phosphorylation of Tir, which subsequently binds the host adaptor protein Nck. In contrast, TirEHEC O157 is not tyrosine phosphorylated and instead of Nck utilizes the bacterially encoded Tir-cytoskeleton coupling protein (TccP)/EspFU, which mimics the function of Nck tccP is carried on prophage CP-933U/Sp14 (TccP). Typical isolates of EHEC O157:H7 harbor a pseudo-tccP gene that is carried on prophage CP-933 M/Sp4 (tccP2). Here we report that atypical, β-glucuroni..