Titolo della tesi: About the cryptic prophage contribution to the OMV production of E.coli. Influences of intestinal metabolites on the virulence of Shigella
My PhD thesis was focused on two main projects. In the first we investigated the relationship between the lytic form of the DLP12 prophage, composed of the four SRRz/Rz1 genes, and the production of outer membrane vesicles (OMVs). Moreover, we functionally identified a new promoter responsible for lytic module transcription and provide evidence about the FIS involvement in its regulation. Finally, we studied the role of environmental stress in the modulation of the lytic module expression. Altogether, the results obtained provide a clearer picture of the functional and regulatory properties of the lytic module of DLP12 prophage confirming the genetic contribution of prophage and their functional modules to the evolution of bacteria.
In the second we investigated how several molecules product by the microbiota or by the intestinal mucosa (short-chain fatty acids, epinephrine and vitamin B12) influence the virulence of a well-adapted human enteropathogen, Shigella.