A genetic screen for colonization factors of the human stomach pathogen Helicobacter pylori took a surprising turn with the discovery that some colonization mutants had lost helical cell morphology. Further pursuit of direct morphology screens revealed a large H. pylori 'shapesome' complex consisting of peptidoglycan modification and precursor synthesis enzymes, a cytoskeletal element and putative scaffold or regulatory proteins that promote enhanced asymmetric cell wall growth. Functional characterization of H. pylori shape mutants indicates multiple roles for cell shape during colonization of mucosal surfaces. Conservation of both the molecular constituents of the H. pylori cell shape program and a newly appreciated enrichment of this morphotype at mucosal surface suggests that helical organisms may be particularly well poised to exploit host perturbations to become pathogens.

中文翻译：

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细胞形态作为毒力决定因素：幽门螺杆菌的教训。


对人胃病原体幽门螺杆菌定植因子的基因筛查发生了令人惊讶的转折，发现一些定植突变体已经失去了螺旋细胞形态。对直接形态学筛选的进一步追求揭示了一个大型幽门螺杆菌“形状体”复合物，由肽聚糖修饰和前体合成酶、细胞骨架元件和促进增强的不对称细胞壁生长的推定支架或调节蛋白组成。幽门螺杆菌形状突变体的功能表征表明细胞形状在粘膜表面定植过程中的多种作用。幽门螺杆菌细胞形状程序的分子成分的保守性和粘膜表面这种形态类型的新发现的丰富表明，螺旋生物可能特别容易利用宿主的扰动成为病原体。