@article{PAR00008279,
  title = {{E}ffect of rickettsial toxin {V}ap{C} on its eukaryotic host},
  author = {{A}udoly, {G}. and {V}incentelli, {R}. and {E}douard, {S}. and {G}eorgiades, {K}. and {M}ediannikov, {O}leg and {G}imenez, {G}. and {S}ocolovschi, {C}. and {M}ege, {J}. {L}. and {C}ambillau, {C}. and {R}aoult, {D}.},
  editor = {},
  language = {{ENG}},
  abstract = {{R}ickettsia are intracellular bacteria typically associated with arthropods that can be transmitted to humans by infected vectors. {R}ickettsia spp. can cause mild to severe human disease with a possible protection effect of corticosteroids when antibiotic treatments are initiated. {W}e identified laterally transferred toxin-antitoxin ({TA}) genetic elements, including vap{B}/{C}, in several {R}ickettsia genomes and showed that they are functional in bacteria and eukaryotic cells. {W}e also generated a plaque assay to monitor the formation of lytic plaques over time and demonstrated that chloramphenicol accelerates host cell lysis of vap{B}/{C}-containing {R}ickettsia. {W}hole-genome expression, {TUNEL} and {FISH} assays on the infected cells following exposure to the antibiotic revealed early apoptosis of host cells, which was linked to over-transcription of bacterial vap{B}/{C} operons and subsequent cytoplasmic {V}ap{C} toxin release. {V}ap{C} that is expressed in {E}scherichia coli and {S}accharomyces cerevisiae or microinjected into mammalian cells is toxic through {RN}ase activity and is prevented by dexamethasone. {T}his study provides the first biological evidence that toxin-antitoxin elements act as pathogenic factors in bacterial host cells, confirming comparative genomic evidence of their role in bacterial pathogenicity. {O}ur results suggest that early mortality following antibiotic treatment of some bacterial infections can be prevented by administration of dexamethasone.},
  keywords = {},
  booktitle = {},
  journal = {{P}los {O}ne},
  volume = {6},
  numero = {10},
  pages = {e26528},
  ISSN = {1932-6203},
  year = {2011},
  DOI = {10.1371/journal.pone.0026528},
  URL = {https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/{PAR}00008279},
}