Host nutrient extraction

Ritesh Ranjan Pal, Amit K. Baidya, Gideon Mamou, Saurabh Bhattacharya, Yaakov Socol, Simi Kobi, Naama Katsowich, Sigal Ben-Yehuda and Ilan Rosenshine

Microbiota and intestinal epithelium restrict pathogen growth by rapid nutrient consumption. We investigated how pathogens circumvent this obstacle to colonize the host. Using enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC), we show that host-attached bacteria obtain nutrients directly from infected host cytoplasm, in a process we termed Host Nutrient Extraction-HNE. We further identified a conserved membranous protein complex, as necessary and sufficient for HNE. Our results support the notion that HNE is a widespread virulence strategy, enabling pathogens to thrive in competitive niches.