Pseudomonas aeruginosa R-bodies deliver an ADP deaminase toxin
Abstract
Diverse bacteria produce proteinaceous polymeric coils called R-bodies (refractile bodies), which extend into ~10 m-long needles in response to environmental triggers. It has been proposed that R-bodies deliver toxins intracellularly after such bacteria are ingested by eukaryotes, but intra-host extension of R-bodies has not been directly observed and these toxins remain unidentified. We use Pseudomonas aeruginosa PA14 and Dictyostelium discoideum to show that R-bodies extend within amoebae. We also identify a novel toxin, DeaR (deaminase associated with the R-body), which contributes to predation resistance and forms a near-megadalton dodecamer with ADP deaminase activity that alters purine metabolism. Our findings elucidate the molecular basis of R-body-mediated toxicity during PA14 infection and provide a paradigm for understanding the potential of cytotoxic effectors delivered by R-bodies (CEDRs) in interkingdom interactions.
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BibTeX
@misc{kingroberts2026pseudomonas,
title = {{Pseudomonas aeruginosa R-bodies deliver an ADP deaminase toxin}},
author = {Devin T. King-Roberts and Kiavash Garakani and Thomas Y. Tao and Hsin-Cheng Lin and Joshua Powell and Tongxin Wu and Eugenia J. Lee and Tiffany M. Yang and Mariia Serebriakova and Alexa Price-Whelan and Virginia W. Cornish and Liang Tong and Lars E.P. Dietrich},
howpublished = {bioRxiv},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.64898/2026.10.21.760852},
url = {https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.21.760852v1},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Pseudomonas aeruginosa R-bodies deliver an ADP deaminase toxin
AU - Devin T. King-Roberts
AU - Kiavash Garakani
AU - Thomas Y. Tao
AU - Hsin-Cheng Lin
AU - Joshua Powell
AU - Tongxin Wu
AU - Eugenia J. Lee
AU - Tiffany M. Yang
AU - Mariia Serebriakova
AU - Alexa Price-Whelan
AU - Virginia W. Cornish
AU - Liang Tong
AU - Lars E.P. Dietrich
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/21
PB - bioRxiv
DO - 10.64898/2026.10.21.760852
UR - https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.21.760852v1
AB - Diverse bacteria produce proteinaceous polymeric coils called R-bodies (refractile bodies), which extend into ~10 m-long needles in response to environmental triggers. It has been proposed that R-bodies deliver toxins intracellularly after such bacteria are ingested by eukaryotes, but intra-host extension of R-bodies has not been directly observed and these toxins remain unidentified. We use Pseudomonas aeruginosa PA14 and Dictyostelium discoideum to show that R-bodies extend within amoebae. We also identify a novel toxin, DeaR (deaminase associated with the R-body), which contributes to predation resistance and forms a near-megadalton dodecamer with ADP deaminase activity that alters purine metabolism. Our findings elucidate the molecular basis of R-body-mediated toxicity during PA14 infection and provide a paradigm for understanding the potential of cytotoxic effectors delivered by R-bodies (CEDRs) in interkingdom interactions.
SN - 2692-8205
ER -