How the PhoP/PhoQ System Controls Virulence and Mg ²⁺ Homeostasis: Lessons in Signal Transduction, Pathogenesis, Physiology, and Evolution

Abstract

The PhoP/PhoQ two-component system governs virulence, Mg²⁺ homeostasis, and resistance to a variety of antimicrobial agents, including acidic pH and cationic antimicrobial peptides, in several Gram-negative bacterial species. Best understood in Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium, the PhoP/PhoQ system consists o-regulated gene products alter PhoP-P amounts, even under constant inducing conditions. PhoP-P controls the abundance of hundreds of proteins both directly, by having transcriptional effects on the corresponding genes, and indirectly, by modifying the abundance, activity, or stability of other transcription factors, regulatory RNAs, protease regulators, and metabolites. The investigation of PhoP/PhoQ has uncovered novel forms of signal transduction and the physiological consequences of regulon evolution.