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Science 11 August 2006:
Vol. 313. no. 5788, pp. 848 - 851
DOI: 10.1126/science.1127059
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Reports

Escherichia coli Induces DNA Double-Strand Breaks in Eukaryotic Cells

Jean-Philippe Nougayrède,1 Stefan Homburg,2 Frédéric Taieb,1 Michèle Boury,1 Elzbieta Brzuszkiewicz,3 Gerhard Gottschalk,3 Carmen Buchrieser,4 Jörg Hacker,2 Ulrich Dobrindt,2 Eric Oswald1*

Transient infection of eukaryotic cells with commensal and extraintestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli of phylogenetic group B2 blocks mitosis and induces megalocytosis. This trait is linked to a widely spread genomic island that encodes giant modular nonribosomal peptide and polyketide synthases. Contact with E. coli expressing this gene cluster causes DNA double-strand breaks and activation of the DNA damage checkpoint pathway, leading to cell cycle arrest and eventually to cell death. Discovery of hybrid peptide-polyketide genotoxins in E. coli will change our view on pathogenesis and commensalism and open new biotechnological applications.

1 INRA, UMR1225, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire de Toulouse, Toulouse F-31076, France.
2 Institut für Molekulare Infektionsbiologie, Universität Würzburg, Würzburg D-97070, Germany.
3 Göttingen Genomics Laboratory, Universität Göttingen, Göttingen D-37077, Germany.
4 Institut Pasteur, Unité de Génomique des Microorganismes Pathogènes and CNRS URA 2171, Paris F-75724, France.

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: e.oswald{at}envt.fr

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