Importance of protein Ser/Thr/Tyr phosphorylation for bacterial pathogenesis

Protein phosphorylation regulates a large variety of biological processes in all living cells. In pathogenic bacteria, the study of serine, threonine and tyrosine (Ser/Thr/Tyr) phosphorylation has shed light on the course of infectious diseases, from adherence to host cells to pathogen virulence, replication and persistence. Mass spectrometry (MS)-based phosphoproteomics has provided global maps of Ser/Thr/Tyr phosphosites in bacterial pathogens. Despite recent developments, a quantitative and dynamic view of phosphorylation events that occur during bacterial pathogenesis is currently lacking. Temporal, spatial and sub-population resolution of phosphorylation data is required to identify key regulatory nodes underlying bacterial pathogenesis. Herein we discuss how technological improvements in sample handling, MS instrumentation, data processing and machine learning should improve bacterial phosphoproteomic datasets and the information extracted from them. Such information is expected to significantly extend the current knowledge of Ser/Thr/Tyr phosphorylation in pathogenic bacteria and should ultimately contribute to the design of novel strategies to combat bacterial infections.