Structural basis for high specificity of octopine binding in the plant pathogen Agrobacterium tumefaciens

Opportunistic Bacteria of Grapevine Crown Galls Are Equipped with the Genomic Repertoire for Opine Utilization

Young grapevines (Vitis vinifera) suffer and eventually can die from the crown gall disease caused by the plant pathogen Allorhizobium vitis (Rhizobiaceae). Virulent members of A. vitis harbor a tumor-inducing plasmid and induce formation of crown galls due to the oncogenes encoded on the transfer DNA. The expression of oncogenes in transformed host cells induces unregulated cell proliferation and metabolic and physiological changes. The crown gall produces opines uncommon to plants, which provide an important nutrient source for A. vitis harboring opine catabolism enzymes. Crown galls host a distinct bacterial community, and the mechanisms establishing a crown gall-specific bacterial community are currently unknown. Thus, we were interested in whether genes homologous to those of the tumor-inducing plasmid coexist in the genomes of the microbial species coexisting in crown galls. We isolated 8 bacterial strains from grapevine crown galls, sequenced their genomes, and tested their virulence and opine utilization ability in bioassays. In addition, the 8 genome sequences were compared with 34 published bacterial genomes, including closely related plant-associated bacteria not from crown galls. Homologous genes for virulence and opine anabolism were only present in the virulent Rhizobiaceae. In contrast, homologs of the opine catabolism genes were present in all strains including the nonvirulent members of the Rhizobiaceae and non-Rhizobiaceae. Gene neighborhood and sequence identity of the opine degradation cluster of virulent and nonvirulent strains together with the results of the opine utilization assay support the important role of opine utilization for cocolonization in crown galls, thereby shaping the crown gall community.

Bacterial community dynamics of tomato hydroponic greenhouses infested with hairy root disease

The rhizosphere is a complex ecosystem consisting of microbes in the interface between growth medium and plant roots, which affects plant productivity and health. This is one of the few studies analysing bacterial communities present in the rhizosphere of hydroponically grown plants. Tomato grown under hydroponic conditions is prone to hairy root disease (HRD) that is caused by rhizogenic Agrobacterium biovar 1 strains. In this study, using high-throughput amplicon sequencing of partial ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes, we aimed to characterize bacterial communities in rockwool samples obtained from healthy or HRD-infested tomato during an entire growing season. Alpha diversity of rockwool increased in direct relation with time and samples obtained from healthy greenhouses presented a significantly lower alpha diversity than those from HRD-infested greenhouses. Beta diversity showed that bacterial community composition changed throughout the growing season. Amplicon Sequence Variants (ASVs) identified as rhizogenic Agrobacterium bv. 1 were more prevalent in HRD-infected greenhouses. Conversely, ASVs identified as Paenibacillus, previously identified as biocontrol organisms of rhizogenic agrobacteria, were more prevalent in healthy greenhouses. Altogether, our study greatly contributes to the knowledge of bacterial communities in rockwool hydroponics.

Reconstruction and analysis of a genome-scale metabolic model for Agrobacterium tumefaciens

The plant pathogen Agrobacterium tumefaciens causes crown gall disease and is a widely used tool for generating transgenic plants owing to its virulence. The pathogenic process involves a shift from an independent to a living form within a host plant. However, comprehensive analyses of metabolites, genes, and reactions contributing to this complex process are lacking. To gain new insights about the pathogenicity from the viewpoints of physiology and cellular metabolism, a genome-scale metabolic model (GSMM) was reconstructed for A. tumefaciens. The model, referred to as iNX1344, contained 1,344 genes, 1,441 reactions, and 1,106 metabolites. It was validated by analyses of in silico cell growth on 39 unique carbon or nitrogen sources and the flux distribution of carbon metabolism. A. tumefaciens metabolic characteristics under three ecological niches were modelled. A high capacity to access and metabolize nutrients is more important for rhizosphere colonization than in the soil, and substantial metabolic changes were detected during the shift from the rhizosphere to tumour environments. Furthermore, by integrating transcriptome data for tumour conditions, significant alterations in central metabolic pathways and secondary metabolite metabolism were identified. Overall, the GSMM and constraint-based analysis could decode the physiological and metabolic features of A. tumefaciens as well as interspecific interactions with hosts, thereby improving our understanding of host adaptation and infection mechanisms.

Development and validation of a UHPLC-ESI-QTOF mass spectrometry method to analyze opines, plant biomarkers of crown gall or hairy root diseases

Opines are low-molecular-weight metabolites specifically biosynthesized by agrobacteria-transformed plant cells when plants are struck by crown gall and hairy root diseases, which cause uncontrolled tissue overgrowth. Transferred DNA is sustainably incorporated into the genomes of the transformed plant cells, so that opines constitute a persistent biomarker of plant infection by pathogenic agrobacteria and can be targeted for crown gall/hairy root disease diagnosis. We developed a general, rapid, specific and sensitive analytical method for overall opine detection using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-ESI-MS-QTOF), with easy preparation of samples. Based on MS, MS/MS and chromatography data, the detection selectivity of a wide range of standard opines was validated in pure solution and in different plant extracts. The method was successfully used to detect different structural types of opines, including opines for which standard compounds are unavailable, in tumors or hairy roots induced by pathogenic strains. As the method can detect a wide range of opines in a single run, it represents a powerful tool for plant gall analysis and crown gall/hairy root disease diagnosis. Using an appropriate dilution of plant extract and a matrix-based calibration curve, the quantification ability of the method was validated for three opines belonging to different families (nopaline, octopine, mannopine), which were accurately quantified in plant tissue extracts.

Complete Genome Sequence of Allorhizobium vitis Strain K306, the Causal Agent of Grapevine Crown Gall

Here, we present the annotated complete genome sequence of Allorhizobium vitis K306, a phytopathogenic strain causing crown gall of grapevine. The A. vitis K306 genome is 5.79 Mb long with 5,199 predicted protein-coding genes and contains 2 circular chromosomes of 3.8 Mb and 1.1 Mb and 2 plasmids, namely, pTiK306 and pTrK306, that are 262 kb and 581 kb, respectively.

Here, we present the annotated complete genome sequence of Allorhizobium vitis K306, a phytopathogenic strain causing crown gall of grapevine. The A. vitis K306 genome is 5.79 Mb long with 5,199 predicted protein-coding genes and contains 2 circular chromosomes of 3.8 Mb and 1.1 Mb and 2 plasmids, namely, pTiK306 and pTrK306, that are 262 kb and 581 kb, respectively.

Automatic annotation of protein residues in published papers

This work presents an annotation tool that automatically locates mentions of particular amino-acid residues in published papers and identifies the protein concerned. These matches can be provided in context or in a searchable format in order for researchers to better use the existing and future literature.

Simple rules govern the diversity of bacterial nicotianamine-like metallophores

In metal-scarce environments, some pathogenic bacteria produce opine-type metallophores mainly to face the host's nutritional immunity. This is the case of staphylopine, pseudopaline and yersinopine, identified in Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Yersinia pestis, respectively. Depending on the species, these metallophores are synthesized by two (CntLM) or three enzymes (CntKLM), CntM catalyzing the last step of biosynthesis using diverse substrates (pyruvate or α-ketoglutarate), pathway intermediates (xNA or yNA) and cofactors (NADH or NADPH). Here, we explored the substrate specificity of CntM by combining bioinformatic and structural analysis with chemical synthesis and enzymatic studies. We found that NAD(P)H selectivity is mainly due to the amino acid at position 33 (S. aureus numbering) which ensures a preferential binding to NADPH when it is an arginine. Moreover, whereas CntM from P. aeruginosa preferentially uses yNA over xNA, the staphylococcal enzyme is not stereospecific. Most importantly, selectivity toward α-ketoacids is largely governed by a single residue at position 150 of CntM (S. aureus numbering): an aspartate at this position ensures selectivity toward pyruvate, whereas an alanine leads to the consumption of both pyruvate and α-ketoglutarate. Modifying this residue in P. aeruginosa led to a complete reversal of selectivity. Thus, the diversity of opine-type metallophore is governed by the absence/presence of a cntK gene encoding a histidine racemase, and the amino acid residue at position 150 of CntM. These two simple rules predict the production of a fourth metallophore by Paenibacillus mucilaginosus, which was confirmed in vitro and called bacillopaline.

The biotroph Agrobacterium tumefaciens thrives in tumors by exploiting a wide spectrum of plant host metabolites

Agrobacterium tumefaciens is a niche-constructing biotroph that exploits host plant metabolites. We combined metabolomics, transposon-sequencing (Tn-seq), transcriptomics, and reverse genetics to characterize A. tumefaciens pathways involved in the exploitation of resources from the Solanum lycopersicum host plant. Metabolomics of healthy stems and plant tumors revealed the common (e.g. sucrose, glutamate) and enriched (e.g. opines, γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), γ-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB), pyruvate) metabolites that A. tumefaciens could use as nutrients. Tn-seq and transcriptomics pinpointed the genes that are crucial and/or upregulated when the pathogen grew on either sucrose (pgi, kdgA, pycA, cisY) or GHB (blcAB, pckA, eno, gpsA) as a carbon source. While sucrose assimilation involved the Entner-Doudoroff and tricarboxylic acid (TCA) pathways, GHB degradation required the blc genes, TCA cycle, and gluconeogenesis. The tumor-enriched metabolite pyruvate is at the node connecting these pathways. Using reverse genetics, we showed that the blc, pckA, and pycA loci were important for aggressiveness (tumor weight), proliferation (bacterial charge), and/or fitness (competition between the constructed mutants and wild-type) of A. tumefaciens in plant tumors. This work highlighted how a biotroph mobilizes its central metabolism for exploiting a wide diversity of resources in a plant host. It further shows the complementarity of functional genome-wide scans by transcriptomics and Tn-seq to decipher the lifestyle of a plant pathogen.

Structural basis for two efficient modes of agropinic acid opine import into the bacterial pathogen Agrobacterium tumefaciens

Agrobacterium tumefaciens pathogens genetically modify their host plants to drive the synthesis of opines in plant tumors. The mannityl-opine family encompasses mannopine, mannopinic acid, agropine and agropinic acid. These opines serve as nutrients and are imported into bacteria via periplasmic-binding proteins (PBPs) in association with ABC transporters. Structural and affinity data on agropine and agropinic acid opines bound to PBPs are currently lacking. Here, we investigated the molecular basis of AgtB and AgaA, proposed as the specific PBP for agropine and agropinic acid import, respectively. Using genetic approaches and affinity measurements, we identified AgtB and its transporter as responsible for agropine uptake in agropine-assimilating agrobacteria. Nonetheless, we showed that AgtB binds agropinic acid with a higher affinity than agropine, and we structurally characterized the agropinic acid-binding mode through three crystal structures at 1.4, 1.74 and 1.9 Å resolution. In the crystallization time course, obtaining a crystal structure of AgtB with agropine was unsuccessful due to the spontaneous lactamization of agropine into agropinic acid. AgaA binds agropinic acid only with a similar affinity in nanomolar range as AgtB. The structure of AgaA bound to agropinic acid at 1.65 Å resolution defines a different agropinic acid-binding signature. Our work highlights the structural and functional characteristics of two efficient agropinic acid assimilation pathways, of which one is also involved in agropine assimilation.

Integrative and deconvolution omics approaches to uncover the Agrobacterium tumefaciens lifestyle in plant tumors

Agrobacterium tumefaciens is a plant pathogen which provokes galls on roots and stems (crown-gall disease) and colonizes them. Two approaches combining omics were used to decipher the lifestyle of A. tumefaciens in plant tumors: an integrative approach when omics were used on A. tumefaciens cells collected from plant tumors, a deconvolution approach when omics were used on A. tumefaciens cells exploiting a single tumor metabolite in pure culture assay. This addendum highlights some recent results on the biotroph lifestyle of A. tumefaciens in plant tumors.

Quorum Sensing and Quorum Quenching in Agrobacterium: A "Go/No Go System"?

The pathogen Agrobacterium induces gall formation on a wide range of dicotyledonous plants. In this bacteria, most pathogenicity determinants are borne on the tumour inducing (Ti) plasmid. The conjugative transfer of this plasmid between agrobacteria is regulated by quorum sensing (QS). However, processes involved in the disturbance of QS also occur in this bacteria under the molecular form of a protein, TraM, inhibiting the sensing of the QS signals, and two lactonases BlcC (AttM) and AiiB that degrade the acylhomoserine lactone (AHL) QS signal. In the model Agrobacteriumfabrum strain C58, several data, once integrated, strongly suggest that the QS regulation may not be reacting only to cell concentration. Rather, these QS elements in association with the quorum quenching (QQ) activities may constitute an integrated and complex “go/no go system” that finely controls the biologically costly transfer of the Ti plasmid in response to multiple environmental cues. This decision mechanism permits the bacteria to sense whether it is in a gall or not, in a living or decaying tumor, in stressed plant tissues, etc. In this scheme, the role of the lactonases selected and maintained in the course of Ti plasmid and agrobacterial evolution appears to be pivotal.

Niche Construction and Exploitation by Agrobacterium: How to Survive and Face Competition in Soil and Plant Habitats

Agrobacterium populations live in different habitats (bare soil, rhizosphere, host plants), and hence face different environmental constraints. They have evolved the capacity to exploit diverse resources and to escape plant defense and competition from other microbiota. By modifying the genome of their host, Agrobacterium populations exhibit the remarkable ability to construct and exploit the ecological niche of the plant tumors that they incite. This niche is characterized by the accumulation of specific, low molecular weight compounds termed opines that play a critical role in Agrobacterium 's lifestyle. We present and discuss the functions, advantages, and costs associated with this niche construction and exploitation.