In this section
@article{MATANZA:2026,
author = {MATANZA, X and Leung, PB and Torraca, V and Watson, J and dorman, M and Thomson, N and Clements, A},
journal = {mSystems},
title = {Genome-wide analysis exploring mechanisms used by Shigella sonnei to survive long-term nutrient starvation},
year = {2026}
}
TY - JOUR
AB - Shigella is a major cause of severe diarrhea, with Shigella flexneri and Shigella sonnei accounting for over 90% of infections. Progressive economic growth worldwide correlates with the replacement of S. flexneri by S. sonnei as the dominant cause of shigellosis. The basis of the epidemiological shift remains unclear, but it highlights the urgent need for further studies on the increasingly prevalent, but less well-studied, S. sonnei. Here, we investigated whether S. sonnei is better equipped to survive nutrient starvation, a crucial condition for persistence both outside the host and within the colonic lumen. S. sonnei exhibited greater survival under long-term nutrient starvation (LTNS) than S. flexneri, rapidly activating survival mechanisms. We interrogated the genome of S. sonnei using transposon-directed insertion-site sequencing (TraDIS), revealing that metabolic pathways (ATP, nucleotide, and amino acid synthesis) and envelope homeostasis systems (e.g., Tol-Pal complex, Bam complex, peptidoglycan recycling, and RpoE stress response) are conditionally essential for LTNS. TraDIS findings were validated by non-competitive and competitive survival of wild-type and deletion mutant strains. We compared the homology of conditionally essential genes between S. sonnei and S. flexneri to identify genes potentially involved in differential LTNS survival between the species. However, S. sonnei strains in which a single gene was replaced with the S. !exneri allele showed wild-type survival phenotypes. This suggests that the divergent survival of these two species may be more complex than a monogenic difference. Together, these data define the molecular adaptations of starvation resistance in S. sonnei and provide insights into its epidemiological dominance in high-income countries.
AU - MATANZA,X
AU - Leung,PB
AU - Torraca,V
AU - Watson,J
AU - dorman,M
AU - Thomson,N
AU - Clements,A
PY - 2026///
SN - 2379-5077
TI - Genome-wide analysis exploring mechanisms used by Shigella sonnei to survive long-term nutrient starvation
T2 - mSystems
ER -
Interested in studying a PhD at the Department of Life Sciences? Find out more about postgraduate research opportunties.