For the first time, researchers have found a particular kind
of molecular switch in the food poisoning bacteria Salmonella Typhimurium under
infection-like conditions. This switch, using a process called S-thiolation,
appears to be used by the bacteria to respond to changes in the environment
during infection and might protect it from harm, researchers report this week
online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Early Edition.
S-thiolation protects proteins from irreversible chemical
changes when a cell is stressed. The newly discovered switch might regulate
when or how proteins work while offering protection, providing researchers
insight into Salmonella infection.