The TorR/TorS two-component system mediated mechanisms of extreme acid resistance in Escherichia coli

Bacterial two-component systems could sense and respond the external environmentalchanges through regulating the expressions of genes. We found that the deletion ofTorRS in cells led to the growth defect in extreme acid condition. TorS coulddirectly sense the extreme acid condition and phosphorylate TorR. TorR regulatedmultiple acid-resistant (AR) genes expression. The activated TorR regulated theexpressions of AR genes and then initiated the AR pathway. The AR pathway mediatedby TorRS could help bacteria to pass through the gastric acid barrier and tomaintain virulence and intestinal colonization. And then we searched for AR genes that regulated by TorR through RNA-Seq technologies.