Inorganic polyphosphate in host and microbe biology

Inorganic polyphosphate (polyP) is produced by both bacteria and their eukaryotic hosts, and it appears to play multiple important roles in the interactions between those organisms. However, the detailed mechanisms of how polyP synthesis is regulated in bacteria, and how it influences both bacterial...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Trends in microbiology (Regular ed.) 2021-11, Vol.29 (11), p.1013-1023
Main Authors: Bowlin, Marvin Q., Gray, Michael J.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Bacteria
bacterial survival
Biology
immune regulation
Immune system
Immunosuppressive agents
Infectious diseases
Mammals
Microorganisms
pathogenicity
polyphosphate
Polyphosphates
Polyps
Synthesis
Virulence
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Summary:Inorganic polyphosphate (polyP) is produced by both bacteria and their eukaryotic hosts, and it appears to play multiple important roles in the interactions between those organisms. However, the detailed mechanisms of how polyP synthesis is regulated in bacteria, and how it influences both bacterial and host biology, remain largely unexplored. In this review, we examine recent developments in the understanding of how bacteria regulate the synthesis of polyP, what roles polyP plays in controlling virulence in pathogenic bacteria, and the effects of polyP on the mammalian immune system, as well as progress on developing drugs that may be able to target bacterial polyP synthesis as novel means of treating infectious disease. Inorganic polyphosphate (polyP) plays multiple roles in bacterial regulation, including controlling proteolysis by the Lon protease and regulating virulence factors, both positively and negatively.PolyP plays a major role in host repair by facilitating thrombin-driven coagulation and in defense mechanisms by recruiting neutrophils and driving M1 macrophage differentiation.Bacteria use polyP to manipulate host immune responses, impairing phagocytic cell functions, modulating inflammatory responses, and impairing antigen presentation.Dictyostelium discoideum is emerging as a powerful model system for investigating polyP biology.Multiple drugs influencing polyP levels in different organisms have recently been discovered.
ISSN:0966-842X
1878-4380
DOI:10.1016/j.tim.2021.02.002