Assembly, secretion, function, and regulation of T6SS in Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Abstract:

The type VI secretion system (T6SS) is a versatile bacterial weapon, which is widespread in Gram-negative bacteria and used to act against both eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells. Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic pathogen that is resistant to a variety of antibiotics and can cause acute and chronic infections in humans. P. aeruginosa encodes three separate T6SSs, namely H1-, H2-, and H3-T6SS, which play key roles in virulence and environmental adaptation by mediating inter-bacterial competition, biofilm formation, metal uptake, and interaction with eukaryotic host cells. This article reviews the latest progress in assembly, secretion, function, and regulation mechanisms of T6SS in P. aeruginosa, aiming to provide reference for the study of T6SS and provide guidance for the prevention and treatment of P. aeruginosa infection.