Negative chemotaxis of Ralstonia pseudosolanacearum to maleate and identification of the maleate chemosensory protein

Enhancement of Biological Nitrogen Removal System Resilience to Chronic Exposure of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles by Quorum Sensing Modulation: Physiochemical, Microbial, and Metabolic Insights

The effects of three typical N-acyl-homoserine lactones (AHLs) on the tolerance of biological nitrogen removal (BNR) system to chronic exposure of zinc oxide nanoparticles (NPs) were investigated. C4-HSL successfully delayed the crash time of nitrogen removal performances in the NP-stressed system, while C6-HSL and C10-HSL maintained total nitrogen removal efficiencies throughout the 90-day NP exposure. All three AHLs increased NPs' contents captured in extracellular polymeric substances, alleviating membrane damage and preserving floc structure. The activities of tricarboxylic acid cycle-related enzymes and the relative abundances of BNR-related functional genes and genera were significantly enhanced. Besides, C6-HSL and C10-HSL augmented antioxidant enzyme activities and the abundances of functional genes and metabolites related to antioxidation, flagellar assembly, and chemotaxis, which synergistically reduced the reactive oxygen species' excessive accumulation. The tested AHLs effectively enhanced BNR systems' tolerance to chronic NP exposure, providing inspiration for quorum sensing applications in emerging contaminant removal.

Oxidative stress under low oxygen conditions triggers hyperflagellation and motility in the Antarctic bacterium Pseudomonas extremaustralis

Reactive oxygen species and nitrogen species (ROS and RNS), produced in a wide range of physiological process even under low oxygen availability, are among the main stressors found in the environment. Strategies developed to combat them constitute key features in bacterial adaptability and survival. Pseudomonas extremaustralis is a metabolic versatile and stress resistant Antarctic bacterium, able to grow under different oxygen conditions. The present work explores the effect of oxidative stress under low oxygen conditions in P. extremaustralis, by combining RNA deep sequencing analysis and physiological studies. Cells grown under microaerobiosis exhibited more oxidative damage in macromolecules and lower survival rates than under aerobiosis. RNA-seq analysis showed an up-regulation of genes related with oxidative stress response, flagella, chemotaxis and biofilm formation while chaperones and cytochromes were down-regulated. Microaerobic cultures exposed to H₂O₂ also displayed a hyper-flagellated phenotype coupled with a high motility behavior. Moreover, cells that were subjected to oxidative stress presented increased biofilm formation. Altogether, our results suggest that a higher motile behavior and augmented capacity to form biofilm structures could work in addition to well-known antioxidant enzymes and non-enzymatic ROS scavenging mechanisms to cope with oxidative stress at low oxygen tensions.

Two citrate chemoreceptors involved in chemotaxis to citrate and/or citrate-metal complexes in Ralstonia pseudosolanacearum

The bacterial wilt pathogen Ralstonia pseudosolanacearum Ps29 exhibited chemotactic responses to citrate. This pathogen expresses 22 putative chemoreceptors. In screening a complete collection of mcp single-gene deletion mutants of Ps29, none showed a significant decrease in response to citrate compared with the wild-type strain. Analysis of a collection of stepwise- and multiple-deletion mutants of Ps29 revealed that the RS_RS07350 homolog (designated McpC) and McpP (chemoreceptor mediating both positive chemotaxis to phosphate and negative chemotaxis to maleate) are chemoreceptors for citrate. Double deletion of mcpC and mcpP markedly reduced the response to citrate, indicating that McpC and McpP are major chemoreceptors for citrate. Wild-type Ps29 was attracted to both free citrate and citrate complexed with divalent metal cations such as magnesium and calcium. The mcpC mcpP double-deletion mutant also showed significant reduction in chemotaxis to Mg²⁺- and Ca²⁺-citrate complexes. Introduction of a plasmid harboring the mcpC gene (but not the mcpP gene) restored the ability to respond to these citrate-metal complexes, demonstrating that McpC can sense complexes of citrate and metal ions such as Mg²⁺ and Ca²⁺ as well as free citrate. Thus, R. pseudosolanacearum Ps29 expresses two chemoreceptors for citrate. In plant infection assays using tomato seedlings, the mcpC and mcpP single- and double-deletion mutants of the highly virulent R. pseudosolanacearum MAFF106611 strain were as infectious as the wild-type strain, suggesting that citrate chemotaxis does not play an important role in infection of tomato plants in this assay system.