Nitric oxide stimulates type IV MSHA pilus retraction in Vibrio cholerae via activation of the phosphodiesterase CdpA

Significance All organisms sense and respond to their environments. One way bacteria interact with their surroundings is by dynamically extending and retracting filamentous appendages from their surface called pili. While pili are critical for many functions, such as attachment, motility, and DNA uptake, the factors that regulate their dynamic activity are poorly understood. Here, we describe how an environmental signal induces a signaling pathway to promote the retraction of mannose-sensitive hemagglutinin pili in Vibrio cholerae . The retraction of these pili promotes the detachment of V. cholerae from a surface and may provide a means by which V. cholerae can respond to changes in its environment.