VxrAB signaling in Vibrio cholerae is activated by diverse mechanical stimuli

VxrAB is a two component signaling system in Vibrio cholerae. Previous work has shown that VxrAB signaling is activated by cell wall damaging antibiotics, leading to increased cell wall synthesis. Antibiotic related cell wall damage impairs cell envelope stiffness, and we hypothesized that other methods of changing the mechanical stress in the cell wall may also activate VxrAB signaling. Here we determined the changes in VxrAB signaling following three distinct forms of mechanical stimuli: extrusion loading in a microfluidic device, growth within agarose hydrogel, and hydrostatic pressure.