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Volume 171, Issue 4

Genome-wide high-throughput transposon mutagenesis unveils key factors for acidic pH adaptation of Open Access

Abstract

a notable pathogen responsible for the life-threatening disease diphtheria, encounters harsh intracellular environments within the host, particularly within macrophages where acidic conditions prevail. To elucidate the genetic and molecular mechanisms underlying its acid stress response, we employed a Transposon Directed Insertion-site Sequencing approach. This comprehensive study identified crucial genes and pathways facilitating ’s survival at low pH. In subsequent experiments, the Ktr potassium transport system was identified as a putative key factor for maintaining pH homeostasis and growth under acidic stress. A deletion strain exhibited significantly reduced growth at pH 5, which could be restored by expression in . The deletion strain showed unchanged uptake and survival in macrophages compared to the wild-type, indicating that the Ktr system is not crucial for the survival of in phagocytes. These findings advance our understanding of ’s pathophysiology, further delineating the intricate survival strategies of in hostile environments.

  • Received:
  • Accepted:
  • Published Online:
Keyword(s): Corynebacterium diphtheriae , Corynebacterium glutamicum , diphtheria , host–pathogen interaction , Mycobacterium , potassium transport , stress response and TraDIS
© 2025 The Authors
  • This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. This article was made open access via a Publish and Read agreement between the Microbiology Society and the corresponding author’s institution.
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2025-04-24
2026-03-13

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/content/journal/micro/10.1099/mic.0.001554
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Genome-wide high-throughput transposon mutagenesis unveils key factors for acidic pH adaptation of Corynebacterium diphtheriae
Microbiology 171, 001554 (2025); https://doi.org/10.1099/mic.0.001554
/content/journal/micro/10.1099/mic.0.001554
/content/journal/micro/10.1099/mic.0.001554
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