The ecological impact of a bacterial weapon: microbial interactions and the Type VI secretion system

Abstract Bacteria inhabit all known ecological niches and establish interactions with organisms from all kingdoms of life. These interactions are mediated by a wide variety of mechanisms and very often involve the secretion of diverse molecules from the bacterial cells. The Type VI secretion system...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:FEMS microbiology reviews 2021-11, Vol.45 (6), p.1
Main Authors: Gallegos-Monterrosa, Ramses, Coulthurst, Sarah J
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Bacteria
Bacterial Proteins
Bacterial Secretion Systems
Competition
Ecological niches
Ecology
Effectors
Genes
Insects
Life sciences
Machinery
Microbial Interactions
Microbiology
Microbiota
Microbiota (Symbiotic organisms)
Microorganisms
Niche (Ecology)
Niches
Organisms
Pathogens
Phages
Proteins
Review
Secretion
Type VI Secretion Systems
Weapons
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Summary:Abstract Bacteria inhabit all known ecological niches and establish interactions with organisms from all kingdoms of life. These interactions are mediated by a wide variety of mechanisms and very often involve the secretion of diverse molecules from the bacterial cells. The Type VI secretion system (T6SS) is a bacterial protein secretion system that uses a bacteriophage-like machinery to secrete a diverse array of effectors, usually translocating them directly into neighbouring cells. These effectors display toxic activity in the recipient cell, making the T6SS an effective weapon during inter-bacterial competition and interactions with eukaryotic cells. Over the last two decades, microbiology research has experienced a shift towards using systems-based approaches to study the interactions between diverse organisms and their communities in an ecological context. Here, we focus on this aspect of the T6SS. We consider how our perspective of the T6SS has developed and examine what is currently known about the impact that bacteria deploying the T6SS can have in diverse environments, including niches associated with plants, insects and mammals. We consider how T6SS-mediated interactions can affect host organisms by shaping their microbiota, as well as the diverse interactions that can be established between different microorganisms through the deployment of this versatile secretion system. Gallegos-Monterrosa and Coulthurst review the distinct functions that the bacterial Type VI secretion system can play during interactions between bacteria and other organisms in diverse ecological niches.
ISSN:1574-6976
0168-6445
1574-6976
DOI:10.1093/femsre/fuab033