Glutathione is ubiquitously distributed in gram-negative bacteria at concentrations in the millimolar range. It plays a variety of roles in virulence, activating the expression of virulence genes and promoting optimal biofilm formation. Glutathione is also converted to hydrogen sulfide (H2S), which is essential for the pathogenesis of some bacteria. In addition to glutathione, other low-molecular-weight thiols, such as mold and bacillus mercaptans, which affect bacterial virulence, can also be caused.
A research team from the National University of Singapore (NUS) has conducted in-depth research on the function of regulating the host immune system and regulating the pathogenesis of bacteria. This study addresses the mechanisms associated with glutathione in viruses, which directly control bacterial virulence through translational modificationsUnder acidic conditions, glutathione damages and lyses dsDNA, causing damage to biofilmsIn some bacteria, glutathione can be catabolized to produce H2S and become vilocent;In addition, MSH and BSH are glutathione functional equivalents in some bacteria that do not produce glutathione;Research analyses have shown that even though glutathione is not directly related to bacterial infections, glutathione can have a broader impact on the immune system, which can interfere with immune function when attacked by pathogens, and thus become an immunomodulator.
Mechanism of action of glutathione in bacteria.
Glutathione is a key redox system in many bacteria that maintains metabolism and stability, and plays a role in bacterial pathogenicity by maintaining optimal bacterial growth and survival. However, it is not well understood how some bacteria use glutathione as a reduction or allosteric regulator of transcription factors to directly upregulate toxicity.
Some bacteria can alter many post-translational responses through glutathioneylation of bacterial virulence factors. In addition, glutathione can modify redox-sensitive transcription factors in bacteria and host cells, which in turn can affect transcriptional changes. Many of these changes may be due to glutathioneylation by enzymes and transcription factors, and changes in energy metabolism.
These complex changes affect how infection progresses in mammalian hosts. The scientific direction of how glutathione regulates the immune response to infection has not been fully studied. Scientists estimate that more cases will be found at a deeper level to test how different bacterial pathogens use glutathione to control their virulence, or how hosts use glutathione to modulate their response to these bacterial infections.