The Power of Bacteria
As a tool to reinforce your reading of Chapter 13, please answer the following questions (only even numbered questions to reduce load).
2. Describe how you would show that putative translocated effector proteins from Salmonella were involved in inducing actin rearrangements, changing phosphorylation states of host proteins, and induction of apoptosis or DNA synthesis in host cells.
4. In the chapter, we mention that one advantage of direct delivery of toxic effectors into target host cells by the T3SS, T4SS, or T6SS is that the toxic effectors are able to avoid being neutralized by circulating antibodies. What other advantages does direct delivery of a toxic effector have for the pathogen?
6. You suspect that a newly discovered secretion system is important for virulence. How would you test this hypothesis? Keep in mind that mutations that disrupt an essential secretion system may kill the cell, thus making the bacterium appear less virulent.
8. You want to design a plasmid vector that would enable researchers to have their favorite protein(s) secreted by E. coli, even though that protein is not normally a secreted protein. Which of the secretion systems would you choose and why? Describe what this plasmid vector would entail?
10. How does the autotransporter secretory pathway differ from the other secretory pathways? Is the secretion mechanisms considered Sec-dependent or Sec-independent. Explain your answer.
12. Describe the mechanisms used by Gram-positive bacteria to retain proteins on their cell surfaces. Why are these mechanisms needed.
