Uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) is responsible for the majority of uncomplicated urinary tract infections (UTI) and represents the most common bacterial infection in adults. UPEC utilizes a wide range of virulence factors to colonize the host, including the novel repeat-in-toxin (RTX) protein TosA, which is specifically expressed in the host urinary tract and contributes significantly to the virulence and survival of UPEC. tosA, found in strains within the B2 phylogenetic subgroup of E. coli, serves as a marker for strains that also contain a large number of well-characterized UPEC virulence factors. The presence of tosA in an E. coli isolate predicts successful colonization of the murine model of ascending UTI, regardless of the source of the isolate. Here, a detailed analysis of the function of tosA revealed that this gene is transcriptionally linked to genes encoding a conserved type 1 secretion system similar to other RTX family members. TosA localized to the cell surface and was found to mediate (i) adherence to host cells derived from the upper urinary tract and (ii) survival in disseminated infections and (iii) to enhance lethality during sepsis (as assessed in two different animal models of infection). An experimental vaccine, using purified TosA, protected vaccinated animals against urosepsis. From this work, it was concluded that TosA belongs to a novel group of RTX proteins that mediate adherence and host damage during UTI and urosepsis and could be a novel target for the development of therapeutics to treat ascending UTIs. R epeat-in-toxin (RTX) proteins are widespread among Gramnegative bacteria, with more than 1,000 family members detected in a survey of genome sequences from 251 bacterial species (21). Two common features present in known RTX family members are a characteristic glycine-and aspartate-rich repeat near the C terminus of the protein and a conserved type 1 secretion system (T1SS) that exports the protein into the extracellular environment, bypassing the periplasmic space (21, 37). The model protein for the RTX family, alpha-hemolysin, inserts into host membranes and forms pores that allow an influx of Ca 2ϩ into host cells, altering host physiology or leading to cell death (37). Additional RTX family members have displayed a wide array of functions in bacterial pathogens; secreted proteases (24, 29) and lipases (9, 40), cross-linkers of cellular actin that cause host cell rounding (28), and surface-associated coats of protein that form the bacterial S-layer (26, 30) represent a few examples of these diverse functions. However, most RTX family members remain uncharacterized. Given the widespread distribution and diverse roles that known family members contribute to bacterial pathogenesis, the identification and characterization of novel RTX family members remains an important area of research.One of the best characterized RTX family members, alphahemolysin, enhances host damage in the urinary tract during an Escherichia coli infection (32). In addition, this protein contributes to...