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Holmes A, Humphris S, Jones S. Total mRNA sequence dataset from Pectobacterium atrosepticum colonising potato or radish roots. Data Brief 2024; 54:110372. [PMID: 38623551 PMCID: PMC11016960 DOI: 10.1016/j.dib.2024.110372] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2024] [Accepted: 03/22/2024] [Indexed: 04/17/2024] Open
Abstract
Pectobacterium atrosepticum (Pba) is a gram-negative bacterium that causes blackleg and tuber soft rot of potato but can also asymptomatically colonise other (non-host) plant species. The aim of this study was to investigate the molecular processes and responses involved in Pba-host (potato) and Pba-non-host (radish) interactions, under laboratory conditions. To achieve this, we used total mRNA-sequencing to measure the gene expression patterns from all three species: Pba, potato and radish. We employed an end-point dual transcriptome approach. We used hydroponically grown potato (Solanum tuberosum var. Estima) and oil radish (Raphanus sativa var. Bento) roots inoculated with Pba SCRI1039 for 14 days compared to un-inoculated control plants or cultured bacteria. Total RNA was extracted from replicates of the two plant species and the bacterium using a Macherey-Nagel Nucleospin Plant RNA kit. The RNA from the 17 samples was then subjected to total mRNA-sequencing (paired-end) on an Illumina NovaSeq 6000™ sequencing platform. This gave between 39.2-58.1M reads per sample. The high-quality reads obtained were mapped to the corresponding reference genomes using Bowtie2 and the percentages of bacterium and plant transcripts calculated. This dataset constitutes the raw read fastq files and can be used to inform on genes active in plant rhizosphere-microbe interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashleigh Holmes
- Cell and Molecular Sciences, The James Hutton Institute, Dundee, DD2 5DA, United Kingdom
| | - Sonia Humphris
- Cell and Molecular Sciences, The James Hutton Institute, Dundee, DD2 5DA, United Kingdom
| | - Susan Jones
- Information and Computer Sciences, The James Hutton Institute, Dundee, DD2 5DA, United Kingdom
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Monteagudo-Cascales E, Gavira JA, Xing J, Velando F, Matilla MA, Zhulin IB, Krell T. Bacterial sensor evolved by decreasing complexity. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.05.17.594639. [PMID: 38798610 PMCID: PMC11118575 DOI: 10.1101/2024.05.17.594639] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/29/2024]
Abstract
Bacterial receptors feed into multiple signal transduction pathways that regulate a variety of cellular processes including gene expression, second messenger levels and motility. Receptors are typically activated by signal binding to ligand binding domains (LBD). Cache domains are omnipresent LBDs found in bacteria, archaea, and eukaryotes, including humans. They form the predominant family of extracytosolic bacterial LBDs and were identified in all major receptor types. Cache domains are composed of either a single (sCache) or a double (dCache) structural module. The functional relevance of bimodular LBDs remains poorly understood. Here, we identify the PacF chemoreceptor in the phytopathogen Pectobacterium atrosepticum that recognizes formate at the membrane distal module of its dCache domain, triggering chemoattraction. We further demonstrate that a family of formate-specific sCache domains has evolved from a dCache domain, exemplified by PacF, by losing the membrane proximal module. By solving high-resolution structures of two family members in complex with formate, we show that the molecular basis for formate binding at sCache and dCache domains is highly similar, despite their low sequence identity. The apparent loss of the membrane proximal module may be related to the observation that dCache domains bind ligands typically at the membrane distal module, whereas the membrane proximal module is not involved in signal sensing. This work advances our understanding of signal sensing in bacterial receptors and suggests that evolution by reducing complexity may be a common trend shaping their diversity. Significance Many bacterial receptors contain multi-modular sensing domains indicative of complex sensory processes. The presence of more than one sensing module likely permits the integration of multiple signals, although, the molecular detail and functional relevance for these complex sensors remain poorly understood. Bimodular sensory domains are likely to have arisen from the fusion or duplication of monomodular domains. Evolution by increasing complexity is generally believed to be a dominant force. Here we reveal the opposite - how a monomodular sensing domain has evolved from a bimodular one. Our findings will thus motivate research to establish whether evolution by decreasing complexity is typical of other sensory domains.
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Kang J, Yoon HM, Jung J, Yu S, Choi SY, Bae HW, Cho YH, Chung EH, Lee Y. Pleiotropic effects of N-acylhomoserine lactone synthase ExpI on virulence, competition, and transmission in Pectobacterium carotovorum subsp. carotovorum Pcc21. PEST MANAGEMENT SCIENCE 2024; 80:687-697. [PMID: 37758685 DOI: 10.1002/ps.7797] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2023] [Revised: 09/18/2023] [Accepted: 09/28/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Pectobacterium species are necrotrophic phytopathogenic bacteria that cause soft rot disease in economically important crops. The successful infection of host plants relies on interactions among virulence factors, competition, and transmission within hosts. Pectobacteria primarily produce and secrete plant cell-wall degrading enzymes (PCWDEs) for virulence. The regulation of PCWDEs is controlled by quorum sensing (QS). Thus, the QS system is crucial for disease development in pectobacteria through PCWDEs. RESULTS In this study, we identified a Tn-insertion mutant, M2, in the expI gene from a transposon mutant library of P. carotovorum subsp. carotovorum Pcc21 (hereafter Pcc21). The mutant exhibited reduced production and secretion of PCWDEs, impaired flagellar motility, and increased sensitivity to hydrogen peroxide, resulting in attenuated soft rot symptoms in cabbage and potato tubers. Transcriptomic analysis revealed the down-regulation of genes involved in the production and secretion in the mutant, consistent with the observed phenotype. Furthermore, the Pcc21 wild-type transiently colonized in the gut of Drosophila melanogaster within 12 h after feeding, while the mutant compromised colonization phenotype. Interestingly, Pcc21 produces a bacteriocin, carocin D, to compete with other bacteria. The mutant exhibited up-regulation of carocin D-encoding genes (caroDK) and inhibited the growth of a closely related bacterium, P. wasabiae. CONCLUSION Our results demonstrated the significance of ExpI in the overall pathogenic lifestyle of Pcc21, including virulence, competition, and colonization in plant and insect hosts. These findings suggest that disease outcome is a result of complex interactions mediated by ExpI across multiple steps. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jihee Kang
- Department of Food Science and Biotechnology, CHA University, Pocheon, Republic of Korea
| | - Hye Min Yoon
- Department of Food Science and Biotechnology, CHA University, Pocheon, Republic of Korea
| | - Jaejoon Jung
- Department of Life Science, Chung-Ang University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Seonmi Yu
- Department of Food Science and Biotechnology, CHA University, Pocheon, Republic of Korea
| | - Shin-Yae Choi
- Department of Pharmacy, and Institutes of Pharmaceutical Sciences, CHA University, Seongnam, Republic of Korea
| | - Hee-Won Bae
- Department of Life Science, Chung-Ang University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - You-Hee Cho
- Department of Pharmacy, and Institutes of Pharmaceutical Sciences, CHA University, Seongnam, Republic of Korea
| | - Eui-Hwan Chung
- Department of Plant Biotechnology, Korea University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Yunho Lee
- Department of Food Science and Biotechnology, CHA University, Pocheon, Republic of Korea
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Petrova O, Semenova E, Parfirova O, Tsers I, Gogoleva N, Gogolev Y, Nikolaichik Y, Gorshkov V. RpoS-Regulated Genes and Phenotypes in the Phytopathogenic Bacterium Pectobacterium atrosepticum. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:17348. [PMID: 38139177 PMCID: PMC10743746 DOI: 10.3390/ijms242417348] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2023] [Revised: 12/04/2023] [Accepted: 12/08/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023] Open
Abstract
The alternative sigma factor RpoS is considered to be one of the major regulators providing stress resistance and cross-protection in bacteria. In phytopathogenic bacteria, the effects of RpoS have not been analyzed with regard to cross-protection, and genes whose expression is directly or indirectly controlled by RpoS have not been determined at the whole-transcriptome level. Our study aimed to determine RpoS-regulated genes and phenotypes in the phytopathogenic bacterium Pectobacterium atrosepticum. Knockout of the rpoS gene in P. atrosepticum affected the long-term starvation response, cross-protection, and virulence toward plants with enhanced immune status. The whole-transcriptome profiles of the wild-type P. atrosepticum strain and its ΔrpoS mutant were compared under different experimental conditions, and functional gene groups whose expression was affected by RpoS were determined. The RpoS promoter motif was inferred within the promoter regions of the genes affected by rpoS deletion, and the P. atrosepticum RpoS regulon was predicted. Based on RpoS-controlled phenotypes, transcriptome profiles, and RpoS regulon composition, the regulatory role of RpoS in P. atrosepticum is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olga Petrova
- Kazan Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Federal Research Center “Kazan Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences”, 420111 Kazan, Russia; (O.P.); (E.S.); (O.P.); (I.T.); (N.G.); (Y.G.)
| | - Elizaveta Semenova
- Kazan Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Federal Research Center “Kazan Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences”, 420111 Kazan, Russia; (O.P.); (E.S.); (O.P.); (I.T.); (N.G.); (Y.G.)
| | - Olga Parfirova
- Kazan Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Federal Research Center “Kazan Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences”, 420111 Kazan, Russia; (O.P.); (E.S.); (O.P.); (I.T.); (N.G.); (Y.G.)
| | - Ivan Tsers
- Kazan Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Federal Research Center “Kazan Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences”, 420111 Kazan, Russia; (O.P.); (E.S.); (O.P.); (I.T.); (N.G.); (Y.G.)
| | - Natalia Gogoleva
- Kazan Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Federal Research Center “Kazan Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences”, 420111 Kazan, Russia; (O.P.); (E.S.); (O.P.); (I.T.); (N.G.); (Y.G.)
| | - Yuri Gogolev
- Kazan Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Federal Research Center “Kazan Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences”, 420111 Kazan, Russia; (O.P.); (E.S.); (O.P.); (I.T.); (N.G.); (Y.G.)
- Institute of Fundamental Medicine and Biology, Kazan Federal University, 420008 Kazan, Russia
| | - Yevgeny Nikolaichik
- Department of Molecular Biology, Belarusian State University, 220030 Minsk, Belarus;
| | - Vladimir Gorshkov
- Kazan Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Federal Research Center “Kazan Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences”, 420111 Kazan, Russia; (O.P.); (E.S.); (O.P.); (I.T.); (N.G.); (Y.G.)
- Institute of Fundamental Medicine and Biology, Kazan Federal University, 420008 Kazan, Russia
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Tsers I, Parfirova O, Moruzhenkova V, Petrova O, Gogoleva N, Vorob’ev V, Gogolev Y, Gorshkov V. A Switch from Latent to Typical Infection during Pectobacterium atrosepticum-Tobacco Interactions: Predicted and True Molecular Players. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:13283. [PMID: 37686094 PMCID: PMC10487725 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241713283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2023] [Revised: 08/21/2023] [Accepted: 08/25/2023] [Indexed: 09/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Phytopathogenic microorganisms, being able to cause plant diseases, usually interact with hosts asymptomatically, resulting in the development of latent infections. Knowledge of the mechanisms that trigger a switch from latent to typical, symptomatic infection is of great importance from the perspectives of both fundamental science and disease management. No studies to date have compared, at the systemic molecular level, the physiological portraits of plants when different infection types (typical and latent) are developed. The only phytopathogenic bacterium for which latent infections were not only widely described but also at least fluently characterized at the molecular level is Pectobacterium atrosepticum (Pba). The present study aimed at the comparison of plant transcriptome responses during typical and latent infections caused by Pba in order to identify and then experimentally verify the key molecular players that act as switchers, turning peaceful plant-Pba coexistence into a typical infection. Based on RNA-Seq, we predicted plant cell wall-, secondary metabolism-, and phytohormone-related genes whose products contributed to the development of the disease or provided asymptomatic plant-Pba interactions. By treatment tests, we confirmed that a switch from latent to typical Pba-caused infection is determined by the plant susceptible responses mediated by the joint action of ethylene and jasmonates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivan Tsers
- Kazan Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Federal Research Center “Kazan Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences”, 420111 Kazan, Russia; (I.T.); (O.P.); (V.M.); (O.P.); (N.G.); (V.V.); (Y.G.)
| | - Olga Parfirova
- Kazan Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Federal Research Center “Kazan Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences”, 420111 Kazan, Russia; (I.T.); (O.P.); (V.M.); (O.P.); (N.G.); (V.V.); (Y.G.)
| | - Varvara Moruzhenkova
- Kazan Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Federal Research Center “Kazan Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences”, 420111 Kazan, Russia; (I.T.); (O.P.); (V.M.); (O.P.); (N.G.); (V.V.); (Y.G.)
| | - Olga Petrova
- Kazan Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Federal Research Center “Kazan Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences”, 420111 Kazan, Russia; (I.T.); (O.P.); (V.M.); (O.P.); (N.G.); (V.V.); (Y.G.)
| | - Natalia Gogoleva
- Kazan Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Federal Research Center “Kazan Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences”, 420111 Kazan, Russia; (I.T.); (O.P.); (V.M.); (O.P.); (N.G.); (V.V.); (Y.G.)
| | - Vladimir Vorob’ev
- Kazan Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Federal Research Center “Kazan Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences”, 420111 Kazan, Russia; (I.T.); (O.P.); (V.M.); (O.P.); (N.G.); (V.V.); (Y.G.)
- Institute of Fundamental Medicine and Biology, Kazan Federal University, 420008 Kazan, Russia
| | - Yuri Gogolev
- Kazan Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Federal Research Center “Kazan Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences”, 420111 Kazan, Russia; (I.T.); (O.P.); (V.M.); (O.P.); (N.G.); (V.V.); (Y.G.)
- Institute of Fundamental Medicine and Biology, Kazan Federal University, 420008 Kazan, Russia
| | - Vladimir Gorshkov
- Kazan Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Federal Research Center “Kazan Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences”, 420111 Kazan, Russia; (I.T.); (O.P.); (V.M.); (O.P.); (N.G.); (V.V.); (Y.G.)
- Institute of Fundamental Medicine and Biology, Kazan Federal University, 420008 Kazan, Russia
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6
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Petrova O, Parfirova O, Gogoleva N, Vorob'ev V, Gogolev Y, Gorshkov V. The Role of Intercellular Signaling in the Regulation of Bacterial Adaptive Proliferation. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24087266. [PMID: 37108429 PMCID: PMC10138535 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24087266] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2023] [Revised: 04/11/2023] [Accepted: 04/12/2023] [Indexed: 04/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Bacterial adaptation is regulated at the population level with the involvement of intercellular communication (quorum sensing). When the population density is insufficient for adaptation under starvation, bacteria can adjust it to a quorum level through cell divisions at the expense of endogenous resources. This phenomenon has been described for the phytopathogenic bacterium Pectobacterium atrosepticum (Pba), and it is called, in our study, adaptive proliferation. An important attribute of adaptive proliferation is its timely termination, which is necessary to prevent the waste of endogenous resources when the required level of population density is achieved. However, metabolites that provide the termination of adaptive proliferation remained unidentified. We tested the hypothesis of whether quorum sensing-related autoinducers prime the termination of adaptive proliferation and assessed whether adaptive proliferation is a common phenomenon in the bacterial world. We showed that both known Pba quorum sensing-related autoinducers act synergistically and mutually compensatory to provide the timely termination of adaptive proliferation and formation of cross-protection. We also demonstrated that adaptive proliferation is implemented by bacteria of many genera and that bacteria with similar quorum sensing-related autoinducers have similar signaling backgrounds that prime the termination of adaptive proliferation, enabling the collaborative regulation of this adaptive program in multispecies communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olga Petrova
- Kazan Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Federal Research Center "Kazan Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences", 420111 Kazan, Tatarstan, Russia
| | - Olga Parfirova
- Kazan Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Federal Research Center "Kazan Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences", 420111 Kazan, Tatarstan, Russia
| | - Natalia Gogoleva
- Kazan Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Federal Research Center "Kazan Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences", 420111 Kazan, Tatarstan, Russia
- Institute of Fundamental Medicine and Biology, Kazan Federal University, 420008 Kazan, Tatarstan, Russia
| | - Vladimir Vorob'ev
- Kazan Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Federal Research Center "Kazan Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences", 420111 Kazan, Tatarstan, Russia
- Institute of Fundamental Medicine and Biology, Kazan Federal University, 420008 Kazan, Tatarstan, Russia
| | - Yuri Gogolev
- Kazan Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Federal Research Center "Kazan Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences", 420111 Kazan, Tatarstan, Russia
- Institute of Fundamental Medicine and Biology, Kazan Federal University, 420008 Kazan, Tatarstan, Russia
| | - Vladimir Gorshkov
- Kazan Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Federal Research Center "Kazan Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences", 420111 Kazan, Tatarstan, Russia
- Institute of Fundamental Medicine and Biology, Kazan Federal University, 420008 Kazan, Tatarstan, Russia
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Yu S, Kang J, Chung EH, Lee Y. Disruption of the metC Gene Affects Methionine Biosynthesis in Pectobacterium carotovorum subsp. carotovorum Pcc21 and Reduces Soft-Rot Disease. THE PLANT PATHOLOGY JOURNAL 2023; 39:62-74. [PMID: 36760050 PMCID: PMC9929172 DOI: 10.5423/ppj.oa.09.2022.0135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2022] [Revised: 11/28/2022] [Accepted: 11/28/2022] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Plant pathogenic Pectobacterium species cause severe soft rot/blackleg diseases in many economically important crops worldwide. Pectobacterium utilizes plant cell wall degrading enzymes (PCWDEs) as the main virulence determinants for its pathogenicity. In this study, we screened a random mutant, M29 is a transposon insertion mutation in the metC gene encoding cystathionine β-lyase that catalyzes cystathionine to homocysteine at the penultimate step in methionine biosynthesis. M29 became a methionine auxotroph and resulted in growth defects in methionine-limited conditions. Impaired growth was restored with exogenous methionine or homocysteine rather than cystathionine. The mutant exhibited reduced soft rot symptoms in Chinese cabbages and potato tubers, maintaining activities of PCWDEs and swimming motility. The mutant was unable to proliferate in both Chinese cabbages and potato tubers. The reduced virulence was partially restored by a complemented strain or 100 µM of methionine, whereas it was fully restored by the extremely high concentration (1 mM). Our transcriptomic analysis showed that genes involved in methionine biosynthesis or transporter were downregulated in the mutant. Our results demonstrate that MetC is important for methionine biosynthesis and transporter and influences its virulence through Pcc21 multiplication in plant hosts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seonmi Yu
- Department of Food Science and Biotechnology, CHA University, Pocheon 11160,
Korea
| | - Jihee Kang
- Department of Food Science and Biotechnology, CHA University, Pocheon 11160,
Korea
| | - Eui-Hwan Chung
- Department of Plant Biotechnology, Korea University, Seoul 02841,
Korea
| | - Yunho Lee
- Department of Food Science and Biotechnology, CHA University, Pocheon 11160,
Korea
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Tao Y, Ge Y, Yang J, Song W, Jin D, Lin H, Zheng H, Lu S, Luo W, Huang Y, Zhuang Z, Xu J. A novel phytopathogen Erwinia sorbitola sp. nov., isolated from the feces of ruddy shelducks. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2023; 13:1109634. [PMID: 36875519 PMCID: PMC9978198 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2023.1109634] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2022] [Accepted: 02/02/2023] [Indexed: 02/18/2023] Open
Abstract
The species in the genus Erwinia are Gram-stain-negative, facultatively anaerobic, motile, and rod-shaped. Most species in the genus Erwinia are phytopathogens. Also, Erwinia persicina was involved in several human infections. Based on the reverse microbial etiology principles, it is worth analyzing the pathogenicity of species in this genus. In this study, we isolated and sequenced two species of Erwinia. Phylogenetic, phenotypic, biochemical, and chemotaxonomic analyses were performed to identify its taxonomy position. The virulence tests on plant leaves and pear fruits were used to identify the plant pathogenicity of two species of Erwinia. Bioinformatic methods predicted the possible pathogenic determinants based on the genome sequence. Meanwhile, adhesion, invasion, and cytotoxicity assays on RAW 264.7 cells were applied to identify animal pathogenicity. We isolated two Gram-stain-negative, facultatively anaerobic, motile, and rod-shaped strains from the feces of ruddy shelducks in the Tibet Plateau of China, designated J780T and J316. Distinct phylogenetic, genomic, phenotypic, biochemical, and chemotaxonomic characters of J780T and J316 identified they were novel species and belonged to the genus Erwinia, for which the name Erwinia sorbitola sp. nov. was proposed, the type strain was J780T (= CGMCC 1.17334T = GDMCC 1.1666T = JCM 33839T). Virulence tests showed blight and rot on the leaves and pear fruits confirmed Erwinia sorbitola sp. nov. was a phytopathogen. Predicted gene clusters of motility, biofilm formation, exopolysaccharides, stress survival, siderophores, and Type VI secretion system might be the causes of pathogenicity. In addition, predicted polysaccharide biosynthesis gene clusters on the genome sequence, and the high capacity for adhesion, invasion, and cytotoxicity to animal cells confirmed it has pathogenicity on animals. In conclusion, we isolated and identified a novel phytopathogen Erwinia sorbitola sp. nov. in ruddy shelducks. A predefined pathogen is beneficial for preventing from suffering potential economic losses caused by this new pathogen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuanmeihui Tao
- State Key Laboratory of Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Changping, Beijing, China
| | - Yajun Ge
- State Key Laboratory of Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Changping, Beijing, China
- College of Basic Medicine, Gansu University of Chinese Medicine, Lanzhou, China
| | - Jing Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Changping, Beijing, China
- Research Units of Discovery of Unknown Bacteria and Function, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Weitao Song
- Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, Proteomic Research Center, and School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Dong Jin
- State Key Laboratory of Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Changping, Beijing, China
- Research Units of Discovery of Unknown Bacteria and Function, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Hong Lin
- Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, Proteomic Research Center, and School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Han Zheng
- State Key Laboratory of Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Changping, Beijing, China
- Research Units of Discovery of Unknown Bacteria and Function, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Shan Lu
- State Key Laboratory of Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Changping, Beijing, China
- Research Units of Discovery of Unknown Bacteria and Function, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Wenbo Luo
- State Key Laboratory of Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Changping, Beijing, China
| | - Yuyuan Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Changping, Beijing, China
| | - Zhenhong Zhuang
- Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, Proteomic Research Center, and School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
- *Correspondence: Zhenhong Zhuang, ; Jianguo Xu,
| | - Jianguo Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Changping, Beijing, China
- Research Units of Discovery of Unknown Bacteria and Function, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
- Research Institute of Public Health, Nankai University, Tianjin, China
- *Correspondence: Zhenhong Zhuang, ; Jianguo Xu,
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Cross-Over Pathogenic Bacteria Detected in Infected Tomatoes ( Solanum lycopersicum L.) and Peppers ( Capsicum annuum L.) in Bulgaria. Pathogens 2022; 11:pathogens11121507. [PMID: 36558841 PMCID: PMC9783152 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens11121507] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2022] [Revised: 12/02/2022] [Accepted: 12/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The ability of certain human pathogens to adapt to plants without losing their virulence toward people is a major concern today. Thus, the aim of the present work was the investigation of the presence of cross-over pathogenic bacteria in infected tomato and pepper plants. The objects of the study were 21 samples from seven different parts of the plants and three from tomato rhizosphere. In total, 26 strains were isolated, identified by MALDI-TOF, and phenotypically characterized. The PCR amplification of the rpoB gene was applied as an approach for the rapid detection of cross-over pathogens in plant samples. A great bacterial diversity was revealed from tomato samples as nine species were identified (Leclercia adecarboxylata, Pseudesherichia vulneris, Enterobacter cancerogenus, Enterobacter cloacae, Enterobacter bugandensis, Acinetobacter calcoaceticus, Pantoea agglomerans, Pantoea ananatis, and Pectobacterium carotovorum). Polymicrobial contaminations were observed in samples T2 (tomato flower) and T10 (tomato fruit). Five species were identified from pepper samples (P. agglomerans, L. adecarboxylata, Pseudomonas sp., Pseudomonas putida, and Enterococcus sp.). Antibiotic resistance patterns were assigned in accordance with EFSA recommendations. All isolates showed varying resistance to the tested antibiotics. The genetic basis for the phenotypic antibiotic resistance was not revealed. No genes for the virulence factors were found among the population. To our knowledge, this is the first overall investigation of tomato and pepper cross-over pathogenic bacterial populations in Bulgaria.
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Wasendorf C, Schmitz-Esser S, Eischeid CJ, Leyhe MJ, Nelson EN, Rahic-Seggerman FM, Sullivan KE, Peters NT. Genome analysis of Erwinia persicina reveals implications for soft rot pathogenicity in plants. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:1001139. [DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.1001139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2022] [Accepted: 10/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Soft rot disease causes devastating losses to crop plants all over the world, with up to 90% loss in tropical climates. To better understand this economically important disease, we isolated four soft rot-causing Erwinia persicina strains from rotted vegetables. Notably, E. persicina has only recently been identified as a soft rot pathogen and a comprehensive genomic analysis and comparison has yet to be conducted. Here, we provide the first genomic analysis of E. persicina, compared to Pectobacterium carotovorum, P. carotovorum, and associated Erwinia plant pathogens. We found that E. persicina shares common genomic features with other Erwinia species and P. carotovorum, while having its own unique characteristics as well. The E. persicina strains examined here lack Type II and Type III secretion systems, commonly used to secrete pectolytic enzymes and evade the host immune response, respectively. E. persicina contains fewer putative pectolytic enzymes than P. carotovorum and lacks the Out cluster of the Type II secretion system while harboring a siderophore that causes a unique pink pigmentation during soft rot infections. Interestingly, a putative phenolic acid decarboxylase is present in the E. persicina strains and some soft rot pathogens, but absent in other Erwinia species, thus potentially providing an important factor for soft rot. All four E. persicina isolates obtained here and many other E. persicina genomes contain plasmids larger than 100 kbp that encode proteins likely important for adaptation to plant hosts. This research provides new insights into the possible mechanisms of soft rot disease by E. persicina and potential targets for diagnostic tools and control measures.
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11
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Genomic analysis reveals the role of integrative and conjugative elements in plant pathogenic bacteria. Mob DNA 2022; 13:19. [PMID: 35962419 PMCID: PMC9373382 DOI: 10.1186/s13100-022-00275-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2021] [Accepted: 06/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Background ICEs are mobile genetic elements found integrated into bacterial chromosomes that can excise and be transferred to a new cell. They play an important role in horizontal gene transmission and carry accessory genes that may provide interesting phenotypes for the bacteria. Here, we seek to research the presence and the role of ICEs in 300 genomes of phytopathogenic bacteria with the greatest scientific and economic impact. Results Seventy-eight ICEs (45 distinct elements) were identified and characterized in chromosomes of Agrobacterium tumefaciens, Dickeya dadantii, and D. solani, Pectobacterium carotovorum and P. atrosepticum, Pseudomonas syringae, Ralstonia solanacearum Species Complex, and Xanthomonas campestris. Intriguingly, the co-occurrence of four ICEs was observed in some P. syringae strains. Moreover, we identified 31 novel elements, carrying 396 accessory genes with potential influence on virulence and fitness, such as genes coding for functions related to T3SS, cell wall degradation and resistance to heavy metals. We also present the analysis of previously reported data on the expression of cargo genes related to the virulence of P. atrosepticum ICEs, which evidences the role of these genes in the infection process of tobacco plants. Conclusions Altogether, this paper has highlighted the potential of ICEs to affect the pathogenicity and lifestyle of these phytopathogens and direct the spread of significant putative virulence genes in phytopathogenic bacteria. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13100-022-00275-1.
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12
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Toth IK. Microbe Profile: Pectobacterium atrosepticum: an enemy at the door. MICROBIOLOGY (READING, ENGLAND) 2022; 168. [PMID: 35917166 DOI: 10.1099/mic.0.001221] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Pectobacterium atrosepticum is part of a larger family of soft rot bacteria (Pectobacteriaceae) that cause disease on a wide range of crops worldwide. They are closely related to members of the Enterobacteriaceae and, as the plant pathogens and plant associated members of the group, form part of a continuum towards opportunistic and more devastating animal and human pathogens. Many of the horizontally acquired islands present in the genome of P. atrosepticum are directly responsible for life on plants. These include genes for a plethora of plant cell wall degrading enzymes, plant toxins, siderophores etc., which are exported by multiple secretion systems under a highly coordinated regulation system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ian K Toth
- Cell and Molecular Sciences, James Hutton Institute, Invergowrie, Dundee DD2 5DA, UK
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13
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Structure-Functional Characteristics of the Svx Protein—The Virulence Factor of the Phytopathogenic Bacterium Pectobacterium atrosepticum. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23136914. [PMID: 35805920 PMCID: PMC9266454 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23136914] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2022] [Revised: 06/17/2022] [Accepted: 06/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The Svx proteins are virulence factors of phytopathogenic bacteria of the Pectobacterium genus. The specific functions of these proteins are unknown. Here we show that most of the phytopathogenic species of Pectobacterium, Dickeya, and Xanthomonas genera have genes encoding Svx proteins, as well as some plant-non-associated species of different bacterial genera. As such, the Svx-like proteins of phytopathogenic species form a distinct clade, pointing to the directed evolution of these proteins to provide effective interactions with plants. To get a better insight into the structure and functions of the Svx proteins, we analyzed the Svx of Pectobacterium atrosepticum (Pba)—an extracellular virulence factor secreted into the host plant cell wall (PCW). Using in silico analyses and by obtaining and analyzing the recombinant Pba Svx and its mutant forms, we showed that this protein was a gluzincin metallopeptidase. The 3D structure model of the Pba Svx was built and benchmarked against the experimental overall secondary structure content. Structure-based substrate specificity analysis using molecular docking revealed that the Pba Svx substrate-binding pocket might accept α-glycosylated proteins represented in the PCW by extensins—proteins that strengthen the PCW. Thus, these results elucidate the way in which the Pba Svx may contribute to the Pba virulence.
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14
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Zhou J, Hu M, Hu A, Li C, Ren X, Tao M, Xue Y, Chen S, Tang C, Xu Y, Zhang L, Zhou X. Isolation and Genome Analysis of Pectobacterium colocasium sp. nov. and Pectobacterium aroidearum, Two New Pathogens of Taro. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2022; 13:852750. [PMID: 35557713 PMCID: PMC9088014 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.852750] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2022] [Accepted: 03/28/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Bacterial soft rot is one of the most destructive diseases of taro (Colocasia esculenta) worldwide. In recent years, frequent outbreaks of soft rot disease have seriously affected taro production and became a major constraint to the development of taro planting in China. However, little is known about the causal agents of this disease, and the only reported pathogens are two Dickeya species and P. carotovorum. In this study, we report taro soft rot caused by two novel Pectobacterium strains, LJ1 and LJ2, isolated from taro corms in Ruyuan County, Shaoguan City, Guangdong Province, China. We showed that LJ1 and LJ2 fulfill Koch's postulates for taro soft rot. The two pathogens can infect taro both individually and simultaneously, and neither synergistic nor antagonistic interaction was observed between the two pathogens. Genome sequencing of the two strains indicated that LJ1 represents a novel species of the genus Pectobacterium, for which the name "Pectobacterium colocasium sp. nov." is proposed, while LJ2 belongs to Pectobacterium aroidearum. Pan-genome analysis revealed multiple pathogenicity-related differences between LJ1, LJ2, and other Pectobacterium species, including unique virulence factors, variation in the copy number and organization of Type III, IV, and VI secretion systems, and differential production of plant cell wall degrading enzymes. This study identifies two new soft rot Pectobacteriaceae (SRP) pathogens causing taro soft rot in China, reports a new case of co-infection of plant pathogens, and provides valuable resources for further investigation of the pathogenic mechanisms of SRP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianuan Zhou
- Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Microbial Signals and Disease Control, Integrative Microbiology Research Centre, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Ming Hu
- Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Microbial Signals and Disease Control, Integrative Microbiology Research Centre, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Anqun Hu
- Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Microbial Signals and Disease Control, Integrative Microbiology Research Centre, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Chuhao Li
- Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Microbial Signals and Disease Control, Integrative Microbiology Research Centre, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xinyue Ren
- Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Microbial Signals and Disease Control, Integrative Microbiology Research Centre, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Min Tao
- Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Microbial Signals and Disease Control, Integrative Microbiology Research Centre, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yang Xue
- Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Microbial Signals and Disease Control, Integrative Microbiology Research Centre, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Shanshan Chen
- Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Microbial Signals and Disease Control, Integrative Microbiology Research Centre, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Chongzhi Tang
- Guangdong Tianhe Agricultural Means of Production Co., Ltd., Guangzhou, China
| | - Yiwu Xu
- Guangdong Tianhe Agricultural Means of Production Co., Ltd., Guangzhou, China
- Qingyuan Agricultural Science and Technology Service Co., Ltd., Qingyuan, China
| | - Lianhui Zhang
- Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Microbial Signals and Disease Control, Integrative Microbiology Research Centre, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xiaofan Zhou
- Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Microbial Signals and Disease Control, Integrative Microbiology Research Centre, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
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15
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Gorshkov VY, Toporkova YY, Tsers ID, Smirnova EO, Ogorodnikova AV, Gogoleva NE, Parfirova OI, Petrova OE, Gogolev YV. Differential modulation of the lipoxygenase cascade during typical and latent Pectobacterium atrosepticum infections. ANNALS OF BOTANY 2022; 129:271-286. [PMID: 34417794 PMCID: PMC8835645 DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcab108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2021] [Accepted: 08/18/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Plant diseases caused by Pectobacterium atrosepticum are often accompanied by extensive rot symptoms. In addition, these bacteria are able to interact with host plants without causing disease for long periods, even throughout several host plant generations. There is, to date, no information on the comparative physiology/biochemistry of symptomatic and asymptomatic plant-P. atrosepticum interactions. Typical (symptomatic) P. atrosepticum infections are associated with the induction of plant responses mediated by jasmonates, which are one of the products of the lipoxygenase cascade that gives origin to many other oxylipins with physiological activities. In this study, we compared the functioning of the lipoxygenase cascade following typical and latent (asymptomatic) infections to gain better insight into the physiological basis of the asymptomatic and antagonistic coexistence of plants and pectobacteria. METHODS Tobacco plants were mock-inoculated (control) or infected with the wild type P. atrosepticum (typical infection) or its coronafacic acid-deficient mutant (latent infection). The expression levels of the target lipoxygenase cascade-related genes were assessed by Illumina RNA sequencing. Oxylipin profiles were analysed by GC-MS. With the aim of revising the incorrect annotation of one of the target genes, its open reading frame was cloned to obtain the recombinant protein, which was further purified and characterized using biochemical approaches. KEY RESULTS The obtained data demonstrate that when compared to the typical infection, latent asymptomatic P. atrosepticum infection is associated with (and possibly maintained due to) decreased levels of 9-lipoxygenase branch products and jasmonic acid and increased level of cis-12-oxo-10,15-phytodienoic acid. The formation of 9-oxononanoic acid and epoxyalcohols in tobacco plants was based on the identification of the first tobacco hydroperoxide lyase (HPL) with additional epoxyalcohol synthase (EAS) activity. CONCLUSIONS Our results contribute to the hypothesis of the oxylipin signature, indicating that different types of plant interactions with a particular pathogen are characterized by the different oxylipin profiles of the host plant. In addition, the tobacco LOC107825278 gene was demonstrated to encode an NtHPL (CYP74C43) enzyme yielding volatile aldehydes and aldoacids (HPL products) as well as oxiranyl carbinols (EAS products).
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Affiliation(s)
- Vladimir Y Gorshkov
- Kazan Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Federal Research Center Kazan Scientific Center of Russian Academy of Sciences, 420111 Kazan, Russia
- Laboratory of Plant Infectious Diseases, Federal Research Center Kazan Scientific Center of Russian Academy of Sciences, 420111 Kazan, Russia
- Kazan Federal University, 420111 Kazan, Russia
| | - Yana Y Toporkova
- Kazan Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Federal Research Center Kazan Scientific Center of Russian Academy of Sciences, 420111 Kazan, Russia
| | - Ivan D Tsers
- Laboratory of Plant Infectious Diseases, Federal Research Center Kazan Scientific Center of Russian Academy of Sciences, 420111 Kazan, Russia
- Kazan Federal University, 420111 Kazan, Russia
| | - Elena O Smirnova
- Kazan Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Federal Research Center Kazan Scientific Center of Russian Academy of Sciences, 420111 Kazan, Russia
| | - Anna V Ogorodnikova
- Kazan Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Federal Research Center Kazan Scientific Center of Russian Academy of Sciences, 420111 Kazan, Russia
| | - Natalia E Gogoleva
- Kazan Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Federal Research Center Kazan Scientific Center of Russian Academy of Sciences, 420111 Kazan, Russia
- Laboratory of Plant Infectious Diseases, Federal Research Center Kazan Scientific Center of Russian Academy of Sciences, 420111 Kazan, Russia
- Kazan Federal University, 420111 Kazan, Russia
| | - Olga I Parfirova
- Kazan Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Federal Research Center Kazan Scientific Center of Russian Academy of Sciences, 420111 Kazan, Russia
- Laboratory of Plant Infectious Diseases, Federal Research Center Kazan Scientific Center of Russian Academy of Sciences, 420111 Kazan, Russia
| | - Olga E Petrova
- Kazan Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Federal Research Center Kazan Scientific Center of Russian Academy of Sciences, 420111 Kazan, Russia
- Laboratory of Plant Infectious Diseases, Federal Research Center Kazan Scientific Center of Russian Academy of Sciences, 420111 Kazan, Russia
| | - Yuri V Gogolev
- Kazan Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Federal Research Center Kazan Scientific Center of Russian Academy of Sciences, 420111 Kazan, Russia
- Laboratory of Plant Infectious Diseases, Federal Research Center Kazan Scientific Center of Russian Academy of Sciences, 420111 Kazan, Russia
- Kazan Federal University, 420111 Kazan, Russia
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16
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Jonca J, Waleron M, Czaplewska P, Bogucka A, Steć A, Dziomba S, Jasiecki J, Rychłowski M, Waleron K. Membrane Vesicles of Pectobacterium as an Effective Protein Secretion System. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms222212574. [PMID: 34830459 PMCID: PMC8623790 DOI: 10.3390/ijms222212574] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2021] [Revised: 11/18/2021] [Accepted: 11/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Bacteria of genus Pectobacterium are Gram-negative rods of the family Pectobacteriaceae. They are the causative agent of soft rot diseases of crops and ornamental plants. However, their virulence mechanisms are not yet fully elucidated. Membrane vesicles (MVs) are universally released by bacteria and are believed to play an important role in the pathogenicity and survival of bacteria in the environment. Our study investigates the role of MVs in the virulence of Pectobacterium. The results indicate that the morphology and MVs production depend on growth medium composition. In polygalacturonic acid (PGA) supplemented media, Pectobacterium produces large MVs (100–300 nm) and small vesicles below 100 nm. Proteomic analyses revealed the presence of pectate degrading enzymes in the MVs. The pectate plate test and enzymatic assay proved that those enzymes are active and able to degrade pectates. What is more, the pathogenicity test indicated that the MVs derived from Pectobacterium were able to induce maceration of Zantedeschia sp. leaves. We also show that the MVs of β-lactamase producing strains were able to suppress ampicillin activity and permit the growth of susceptible bacteria. Those findings indicate that the MVs of Pectobacterium play an important role in host-pathogen interactions and niche competition with other bacteria. Our research also sheds some light on the mechanism of MVs production. We demonstrate that the MVs production in Pectobacterium strains, which overexpress a green fluorescence protein (GFP), is higher than in wild-type strains. Moreover, proteomic analysis revealed that the GFP was present in the MVs. Therefore, it is possible that protein sequestration into MVs might not be strictly limited to periplasmic proteins. Our research highlights the importance of MVs production as a mechanism of cargo delivery in Pectobacterium and an effective secretion system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanna Jonca
- Laboratory of Plant Protection and Biotechnology, Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology UG and MUG, University of Gdansk, Abrahama 58, 80-307 Gdansk, Poland;
| | - Malgorzata Waleron
- Laboratory of Plant Protection and Biotechnology, Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology UG and MUG, University of Gdansk, Abrahama 58, 80-307 Gdansk, Poland;
- Correspondence: (M.W.); (K.W.)
| | - Paulina Czaplewska
- Laboratory of Mass Spectrometry-Core Facility Laboratories, Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology UG and MUG, University of Gdansk, Abrahama 58, 80-307 Gdansk, Poland; (P.C.); (A.B.)
| | - Aleksandra Bogucka
- Laboratory of Mass Spectrometry-Core Facility Laboratories, Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology UG and MUG, University of Gdansk, Abrahama 58, 80-307 Gdansk, Poland; (P.C.); (A.B.)
| | - Aleksandra Steć
- Department of Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Medical University of Gdansk, 107 Hallera Street, 80-416 Gdansk, Poland; (A.S.); (S.D.)
| | - Szymon Dziomba
- Department of Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Medical University of Gdansk, 107 Hallera Street, 80-416 Gdansk, Poland; (A.S.); (S.D.)
| | - Jacek Jasiecki
- Department of Pharmaceutical Microbiology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Medical University of Gdansk, Al. Gen. Hallera 107, 80-416 Gdansk, Poland;
| | - Michał Rychłowski
- Laboratory of Virus Molecular Biology, Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology UG and MUG, University of Gdansk, Abrahama 58, 80-307 Gdansk, Poland;
| | - Krzysztof Waleron
- Department of Pharmaceutical Microbiology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Medical University of Gdansk, Al. Gen. Hallera 107, 80-416 Gdansk, Poland;
- Correspondence: (M.W.); (K.W.)
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17
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Czajkowski R, Rabalski L, Kosinski M, de Neergaard E, Harding S. High-Quality Complete Genome Resource of Pathogenic Bacterium Pectobacterium atrosepticum Strain Green1 Isolated from Potato ( Solanum tuberosum L.) in Greenland. MOLECULAR PLANT-MICROBE INTERACTIONS : MPMI 2021; 34:1328-1333. [PMID: 34353114 DOI: 10.1094/mpmi-06-21-0130-a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Pectobacterium atrosepticum is a narrow-host-range, pectinolytic, plant-pathogenic bacterium causing blackleg of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) worldwide. Till present, several P. atrosepticum genomes have been sequenced and characterized in detail; however, all of these genomes have come from P. atrosepticum isolates from plants grown in temperate zones, not from hosts cultivated under different climatic conditions. Herewith, we present the first complete, high-quality genome of the P. atrosepticum strain Green1 isolated from potato plants grown under a subarctic climate in Greenland. The genome of P. atrosepticum strain Green1 consists of one chromosome of 4,959,719 bp, with a GC content of 51% and no plasmids. The genome contains 4,531 annotated features, including 4,179 protein-coding genes, 22 ribosomal RNA genes, 70 transfer RNA genes, 8 noncoding RNA genes, 2 CRISPRs, and 126 pseudogenes. We believe that the information in this first high-quality, complete, closed genome of P. atrosepticum strains isolated from host plants grown in a subarctic agricultural region will provide resources for comparative genomic studies and for analyses targeting climatic adaptation and ecological fitness mechanisms present in P. atrosepticum.[Formula: see text] Copyright © 2021 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert Czajkowski
- Laboratory of Biologically Active Compounds, Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology UG and MUG, University of Gdansk, Antoniego Abrahama 58, 80-307 Gdansk, Poland
| | - Lukasz Rabalski
- Laboratory of Recombinant Vaccines, Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology UG and MUG, University of Gdansk, Antoniego Abrahama 58, 80-307 Gdansk, Poland
| | - Maciej Kosinski
- Laboratory of Recombinant Vaccines, Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology UG and MUG, University of Gdansk, Antoniego Abrahama 58, 80-307 Gdansk, Poland
| | | | - Susanne Harding
- Plant Health in Greenland, Strandgade 39, DK-3000 Helsingør, Denmark
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18
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Campa AR, Smith LM, Hampton HG, Sharma S, Jackson SA, Bischler T, Sharma CM, Fineran PC. The Rsm (Csr) post-transcriptional regulatory pathway coordinately controls multiple CRISPR-Cas immune systems. Nucleic Acids Res 2021; 49:9508-9525. [PMID: 34403463 PMCID: PMC8450108 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkab704] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2021] [Revised: 07/29/2021] [Accepted: 08/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
CRISPR-Cas systems provide bacteria with adaptive immunity against phages and plasmids; however, pathways regulating their activity are not well defined. We recently developed a high-throughput genome-wide method (SorTn-seq) and used this to uncover CRISPR-Cas regulators. Here, we demonstrate that the widespread Rsm/Csr pathway regulates the expression of multiple CRISPR-Cas systems in Serratia (type I-E, I-F and III-A). The main pathway component, RsmA (CsrA), is an RNA-binding post-transcriptional regulator of carbon utilisation, virulence and motility. RsmA binds cas mRNAs and suppresses type I and III CRISPR-Cas interference in addition to adaptation by type I systems. Coregulation of CRISPR-Cas and flagella by the Rsm pathway allows modulation of adaptive immunity when changes in receptor availability would alter susceptibility to flagella-tropic phages. Furthermore, we show that Rsm controls CRISPR-Cas in other genera, suggesting conservation of this regulatory strategy. Finally, we identify genes encoding RsmA homologues in phages, which have the potential to manipulate the physiology of host bacteria and might provide an anti-CRISPR activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aroa Rey Campa
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand.,Bio-Protection Research Centre, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand
| | - Leah M Smith
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand
| | - Hannah G Hampton
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand
| | - Sahil Sharma
- Chair of Molecular Infection Biology II, Institute of Molecular Infection Biology (IMIB), University of Würzburg, 97080 Würzburg, Germany
| | - Simon A Jackson
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand.,Genetics Otago, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Thorsten Bischler
- Core Unit Systems Medicine, University of Würzburg, 97080 Würzburg, Germany
| | - Cynthia M Sharma
- Chair of Molecular Infection Biology II, Institute of Molecular Infection Biology (IMIB), University of Würzburg, 97080 Würzburg, Germany
| | - Peter C Fineran
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand.,Bio-Protection Research Centre, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand.,Genetics Otago, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
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19
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Gorshkov V, Parfirova O, Petrova O, Gogoleva N, Kovtunov E, Vorob’ev V, Gogolev Y. The Knockout of Enterobactin-Related Gene in Pectobacterium atrosepticum Results in Reduced Stress Resistance and Virulence towards the Primed Plants. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22179594. [PMID: 34502502 PMCID: PMC8431002 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22179594] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2021] [Revised: 08/31/2021] [Accepted: 09/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Siderophores produced by microorganisms to scavenge iron from the environment have been shown to contribute to virulence and/or stress resistance of some plant pathogenic bacteria. Phytopathogenic bacteria of Pectobacterium genus possess genes for the synthesis of siderophore enterobactin, which role in plant-pathogen interactions has not been elucidated. In the present study we characterized the phenotype of the mutant strain of Pba deficient for the enterobactin-biosynthetic gene entA. We showed that enterobactin may be considered as a conditionally beneficial virulence factor of Pba. The entA knockout did not reduce Pba virulence on non-primed plants; however, salicylic acid-primed plants were more resistant to ΔentA mutant than to the wild type Pba. The reduced virulence of ΔentA mutant towards the primed plants is likely explained by its compromised resistance to oxidative stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vladimir Gorshkov
- Kazan Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, FRC Kazan Scientific Center of RAS, 420111 Kazan, Russia; (O.P.); (O.P.); (N.G.); (E.K.); (V.V.); (Y.G.)
- Institute of Fundamental Medicine and Biology, Kazan Federal University, 420008 Kazan, Russia
- Correspondence:
| | - Olga Parfirova
- Kazan Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, FRC Kazan Scientific Center of RAS, 420111 Kazan, Russia; (O.P.); (O.P.); (N.G.); (E.K.); (V.V.); (Y.G.)
| | - Olga Petrova
- Kazan Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, FRC Kazan Scientific Center of RAS, 420111 Kazan, Russia; (O.P.); (O.P.); (N.G.); (E.K.); (V.V.); (Y.G.)
| | - Natalia Gogoleva
- Kazan Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, FRC Kazan Scientific Center of RAS, 420111 Kazan, Russia; (O.P.); (O.P.); (N.G.); (E.K.); (V.V.); (Y.G.)
- Institute of Fundamental Medicine and Biology, Kazan Federal University, 420008 Kazan, Russia
| | - Evgeny Kovtunov
- Kazan Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, FRC Kazan Scientific Center of RAS, 420111 Kazan, Russia; (O.P.); (O.P.); (N.G.); (E.K.); (V.V.); (Y.G.)
| | - Vladimir Vorob’ev
- Kazan Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, FRC Kazan Scientific Center of RAS, 420111 Kazan, Russia; (O.P.); (O.P.); (N.G.); (E.K.); (V.V.); (Y.G.)
- Institute of Fundamental Medicine and Biology, Kazan Federal University, 420008 Kazan, Russia
| | - Yuri Gogolev
- Kazan Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, FRC Kazan Scientific Center of RAS, 420111 Kazan, Russia; (O.P.); (O.P.); (N.G.); (E.K.); (V.V.); (Y.G.)
- Institute of Fundamental Medicine and Biology, Kazan Federal University, 420008 Kazan, Russia
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Gorshkov V, Tsers I. Plant susceptible responses: the underestimated side of plant-pathogen interactions. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2021; 97:45-66. [PMID: 34435443 PMCID: PMC9291929 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12789] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2021] [Revised: 08/12/2021] [Accepted: 08/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Plant susceptibility to pathogens is usually considered from the perspective of the loss of resistance. However, susceptibility cannot be equated with plant passivity since active host cooperation may be required for the pathogen to propagate and cause disease. This cooperation consists of the induction of reactions called susceptible responses that transform a plant from an autonomous biological unit into a component of a pathosystem. Induced susceptibility is scarcely discussed in the literature (at least compared to induced resistance) although this phenomenon has a fundamental impact on plant-pathogen interactions and disease progression. This review aims to summarize current knowledge on plant susceptible responses and their regulation. We highlight two main categories of susceptible responses according to their consequences and indicate the relevance of susceptible response-related studies to agricultural practice. We hope that this review will generate interest in this underestimated aspect of plant-pathogen interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vladimir Gorshkov
- Kazan Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Federal Research Center Kazan Scientific Center of Russian Academy of Sciences, Kazan, 420111, Russia.,Laboratory of Plant Infectious Diseases, Federal Research Center Kazan Scientific Center of Russian Academy of Sciences, Kazan, 420111, Russia
| | - Ivan Tsers
- Laboratory of Plant Infectious Diseases, Federal Research Center Kazan Scientific Center of Russian Academy of Sciences, Kazan, 420111, Russia
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21
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Species of Dickeya and Pectobacterium Isolated during an Outbreak of Blackleg and Soft Rot of Potato in Northeastern and North Central United States. Microorganisms 2021; 9:microorganisms9081733. [PMID: 34442812 PMCID: PMC8401272 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms9081733] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2021] [Revised: 08/09/2021] [Accepted: 08/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
An outbreak of bacterial soft rot and blackleg of potato has occurred since 2014 with the epicenter being in the northeastern region of the United States. Multiple species of Pectobacterium and Dickeya are causal agents, resulting in losses to commercial and seed potato production over the past decade in the Northeastern and North Central United States. To clarify the pathogen present at the outset of the epidemic in 2015 and 2016, a phylogenetic study was made of 121 pectolytic soft rot bacteria isolated from symptomatic potato; also included were 27 type strains of Dickeya and Pectobacterium species, and 47 historic reference strains. Phylogenetic trees constructed based on multilocus sequence alignments of concatenated dnaJ, dnaX and gyrB fragments revealed the epidemic isolates to cluster with type strains of D. chrysanthemi, D. dianthicola, D. dadantii, P. atrosepticum, P. brasiliense, P. carotovorum, P. parmentieri, P. polaris, P. punjabense, and P. versatile. Genetic diversity within D. dianthicola strains was low, with one sequence type (ST1) identified in 17 of 19 strains. Pectobacterium parmentieri was more diverse, with ten sequence types detected among 37 of the 2015–2016 strains. This study can aid in monitoring future shifts in potato soft rot pathogens within the U.S. and inform strategies for disease management.
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Boluk G, Arizala D, Dobhal S, Zhang J, Hu J, Alvarez AM, Arif M. Genomic and Phenotypic Biology of Novel Strains of Dickeya zeae Isolated From Pineapple and Taro in Hawaii: Insights Into Genome Plasticity, Pathogenicity, and Virulence Determinants. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2021; 12:663851. [PMID: 34456933 PMCID: PMC8386352 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2021.663851] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2021] [Accepted: 06/30/2021] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Dickeya zeae, a bacterial plant pathogen of the family Pectobacteriaceae, is responsible for a wide range of diseases on potato, maize, rice, banana, pineapple, taro, and ornamentals and significantly reduces crop production. D. zeae causes the soft rot of taro (Colocasia esculenta) and the heart rot of pineapple (Ananas comosus). In this study, we used Pacific Biosciences single-molecule real-time (SMRT) sequencing to sequence two high-quality complete genomes of novel strains of D. zeae: PL65 (size: 4.74997 MB; depth: 701x; GC: 53.6%) and A5410 (size: 4.7792 MB; depth: 558x; GC: 53.5%) isolated from economically important Hawaiian crops, taro, and pineapple, respectively. Additional complete genomes of D. zeae representing three additional hosts (philodendron, rice, and banana) and other species used for a taxonomic comparison were retrieved from the NCBI GenBank genome database. Genomic analyses indicated the truncated type III and IV secretion systems (T3SS and T4SS) in the taro strain, which only harbored one and two genes of T3SS and T4SS, respectively, and showed high heterogeneity in the type VI secretion system (T6SS). Unlike strain EC1, which was isolated from rice and recently reclassified as D. oryzae, neither the genome PL65 nor A5410 harbors the zeamine biosynthesis gene cluster, which plays a key role in virulence of other Dickeya species. The percentages of average nucleotide identity (ANI) and digital DNA-DNA hybridization (dDDH) between the two genomes were 94.47 and 57.00, respectively. In this study, we compared the major virulence factors [plant cell wall-degrading extracellular enzymes and protease (Prt)] produced by D. zeae strains and evaluated the virulence on taro corms and pineapple leaves. Both strains produced Prts, pectate lyases (Pels), and cellulases but no significant quantitative differences were observed (p > 0.05) between the strains. All the strains produced symptoms on taro corms and pineapple leaves, but the strain PL65 produced symptoms more rapidly than others. Our study highlights the genetic constituents of pathogenicity determinants and genomic heterogeneity that will help to understand the virulence mechanisms and aggressiveness of this plant pathogen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gamze Boluk
- Department of Plant and Environmental Protection Sciences, University of Hawai’i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI, United States
| | - Dario Arizala
- Department of Plant and Environmental Protection Sciences, University of Hawai’i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI, United States
| | - Shefali Dobhal
- Department of Plant and Environmental Protection Sciences, University of Hawai’i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI, United States
| | - Jingxin Zhang
- Institute of Plant Protection, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - John Hu
- Department of Plant and Environmental Protection Sciences, University of Hawai’i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI, United States
| | - Anne M. Alvarez
- Department of Plant and Environmental Protection Sciences, University of Hawai’i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI, United States
| | - Mohammad Arif
- Department of Plant and Environmental Protection Sciences, University of Hawai’i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI, United States
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Bartnik P, Jafra S, Narajczyk M, Czaplewska P, Czajkowski R. Pectobacterium parmentieri SCC 3193 Mutants with Altered Synthesis of Cell Surface Polysaccharides Are Resistant to N4-Like Lytic Bacteriophage ϕA38 (vB_Ppp_A38) but Express Decreased Virulence in Potato ( Solanum tuberosum L.) Plants. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:7346. [PMID: 34298965 PMCID: PMC8304393 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22147346] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2021] [Revised: 07/02/2021] [Accepted: 07/06/2021] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Pectobacterium parmentieri is a Gram-negative plant-pathogenic bacterium able to infect potato (Solanum tuberosum L.). Little is known about lytic bacteriophages infecting P. parmentieri and how phage-resistance influences the environmental fitness and virulence of this species. A lytic phage vB_Ppp_A38 (ϕA38) has been previously isolated and characterized as a potential biological control agent for the management of P. parmentieri. In this study, seven P. parmentieri SCC 3193 Tn5 mutants were identified that exhibited resistance to infection caused by vB_Ppp_A38 (ϕA38). The genes disrupted in these seven mutants encoded proteins involved in the assembly of O-antigen, sugar metabolism, and the production of bacterial capsule exopolysaccharides. The potential of A38-resistant P. parmentieri mutants for plant colonization and pathogenicity as well as other phenotypes expected to contribute to the ecological fitness of P. parmentieri, including growth rate, use of carbon and nitrogen sources, production of pectinolytic enzymes, proteases, cellulases, and siderophores, swimming and swarming motility, presence of capsule and flagella as well as the ability to form biofilm were assessed. Compared to the wild-type P. parmentieri strain, all phage-resistant mutants exhibited a reduced ability to colonize and to cause symptoms in growing potato (S. tuberosum L.) plants. The implications of bacteriophage resistance on the ecological fitness of P. parmentieri are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Przemyslaw Bartnik
- Laboratory of Biologically Active Compounds, Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology UG and MUG, University of Gdansk, Antoniego Abrahama 58, 80-307 Gdansk, Poland;
| | - Sylwia Jafra
- Laboratory of Plant Microbiology, Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology UG and MUG, University of Gdansk, Antoniego Abrahama 58, 80-307 Gdansk, Poland;
| | - Magdalena Narajczyk
- Laboratory of Electron Microscopy, Faculty of Biology, University of Gdansk, Wita Stwosza 59, 80-308 Gdansk, Poland;
| | - Paulina Czaplewska
- Laboratory of Mass Spectrometry-Core Facility Laboratories, Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology UG and MUG, University of Gdansk, Antoniego Abrahama 58, 80-307 Gdansk, Poland;
| | - Robert Czajkowski
- Laboratory of Biologically Active Compounds, Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology UG and MUG, University of Gdansk, Antoniego Abrahama 58, 80-307 Gdansk, Poland;
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24
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Crozier L, Marshall J, Holmes A, Wright KM, Rossez Y, Merget B, Humphris S, Toth I, Jackson RW, Holden NJ. The role of l-arabinose metabolism for Escherichia coli O157:H7 in edible plants. MICROBIOLOGY (READING, ENGLAND) 2021; 167:001070. [PMID: 34319868 PMCID: PMC8489885 DOI: 10.1099/mic.0.001070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2021] [Accepted: 06/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Arabinose is a major plant aldopentose in the form of arabinans complexed in cell wall polysaccharides or glycoproteins (AGP), but comparatively rare as a monosaccharide. l-arabinose is an important bacterial metabolite, accessed by pectolytic micro-organisms such as Pectobacterium atrosepticum via pectin and hemicellulose degrading enzymes. However, not all plant-associated microbes encode cell-wall-degrading enzymes, yet can metabolize l-arabinose, raising questions about their use of and access to the glycan in plants. Therefore, we examined l-arabinose metabolism in the food-borne pathogen Escherichia coli O157:H7 (isolate Sakai) during its colonization of plants. l-arabinose metabolism (araBA) and transport (araF) genes were activated at 18 °C in vitro by l-arabinose and expressed over prolonged periods in planta. Although deletion of araBAD did not impact the colonization ability of E. coli O157:H7 (Sakai) on spinach and lettuce plants (both associated with STEC outbreaks), araA was induced on exposure to spinach cell-wall polysaccharides. Furthermore, debranched and arabinan oligosaccharides induced ara metabolism gene expression in vitro, and stimulated modest proliferation, while immobilized pectin did not. Thus, E. coli O157:H7 (Sakai) can utilize pectin/AGP-derived l-arabinose as a metabolite. Furthermore, it differs fundamentally in ara gene organization, transport and regulation from the related pectinolytic species P. atrosepticum, reflective of distinct plant-associated lifestyles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Louise Crozier
- The James Hutton Institute, Cell & Molecular Sciences, Dundee, DD2 5DA, UK
| | | | - Ashleigh Holmes
- The James Hutton Institute, Cell & Molecular Sciences, Dundee, DD2 5DA, UK
| | | | - Yannick Rossez
- The James Hutton Institute, Cell & Molecular Sciences, Dundee, DD2 5DA, UK
- Université de Technologie de Compiègne, CNRS-FRE 3580, Centre de Recherche de Royallieu, 60203 COMPIEGNE CEDEX, France
| | - Bernhard Merget
- The James Hutton Institute, Cell & Molecular Sciences, Dundee, DD2 5DA, UK
| | - Sonia Humphris
- The James Hutton Institute, Cell & Molecular Sciences, Dundee, DD2 5DA, UK
| | - Ian Toth
- The James Hutton Institute, Cell & Molecular Sciences, Dundee, DD2 5DA, UK
| | - Robert Wilson Jackson
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Reading, Reading, UK
- Birmingham Institute of Forest Research and School of Biosciences University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
| | - Nicola Jean Holden
- The James Hutton Institute, Cell & Molecular Sciences, Dundee, DD2 5DA, UK
- SRUC, Department of Rural Land Use, Aberdeen, AB21 9YA, UK
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25
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Bergkessel M, Delavaine L. Diversity in Starvation Survival Strategies and Outcomes among Heterotrophic Proteobacteria. Microb Physiol 2021; 31:146-162. [PMID: 34058747 DOI: 10.1159/000516215] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2021] [Accepted: 03/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Heterotrophic Proteobacteria are versatile opportunists that have been extensively studied as model organisms in the laboratory, as both pathogens and beneficial symbionts of plants and animals, and as ubiquitous organisms found free-living in many environments. Succeeding in these niches requires an ability to persist for potentially long periods of time in growth-arrested states when essential nutrients become limiting. The tendency of these bacteria to grow in dense biofilm communities frequently leads to the development of steep nutrient gradients and deprivation of interior cells even when the environment is nutrient rich. Surviving within host environments also likely requires tolerating growth arrest due to the host limiting access to nutrients and transitioning between hosts may require a period of survival in a nutrient-poor environment. Interventions to maximise plant-beneficial activities and minimise infections by bacteria will require a better understanding of metabolic and regulatory networks that contribute to starvation survival, and how these networks function in diverse organisms. Here we focus on carbon starvation as a growth-arresting condition that limits availability not only of substrates for biosynthesis but also of energy for ongoing maintenance of the electrochemical gradient across the cell envelope and cellular integrity. We first review models for studying bacterial starvation and known strategies that contribute to starvation survival. We then present the results of a survey of carbon starvation survival strategies and outcomes in ten bacterial strains, including representatives from the orders Enterobacterales and Pseudomonadales (both Gammaproteobacteria) and Burkholderiales (Betaproteobacteria). Finally, we examine differences in gene content between the highest and lowest survivors to identify metabolic and regulatory adaptations that may contribute to differences in starvation survival.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megan Bergkessel
- Division of Molecular Microbiology, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, United Kingdom
| | - Laurent Delavaine
- Division of Molecular Microbiology, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, United Kingdom
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Genome-Wide Analyses of the Temperature-Responsive Genetic Loci of the Pectinolytic Plant Pathogenic Pectobacterium atrosepticum. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22094839. [PMID: 34063632 PMCID: PMC8125463 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22094839] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2021] [Revised: 04/23/2021] [Accepted: 04/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Temperature is one of the critical factors affecting gene expression in bacteria. Despite the general interest in the link between bacterial phenotypes and environmental temperature, little is known about temperature-dependent gene expression in plant pathogenic Pectobacterium atrosepticum, a causative agent of potato blackleg and tuber soft rot worldwide. In this study, twenty-nine P. atrosepticum SCRI1043 thermoregulated genes were identified using Tn5-based transposon mutagenesis coupled with an inducible promotorless gusA gene as a reporter. From the pool of 29 genes, 14 were up-regulated at 18 °C, whereas 15 other genes were up-regulated at 28 °C. Among the thermoregulated loci, genes involved in primary bacterial metabolism, membrane-related proteins, fitness-corresponding factors, and several hypothetical proteins were found. The Tn5 mutants were tested for their pathogenicity in planta and for features that are likely to remain important for the pathogen to succeed in the (plant) environment. Five Tn5 mutants expressed visible phenotypes differentiating these mutants from the phenotype of the SCRI1043 wild-type strain. The gene disruptions in the Tn5 transposon mutants caused alterations in bacterial generation time, ability to form a biofilm, production of lipopolysaccharides, and virulence on potato tuber slices. The consequences of environmental temperature on the ability of P. atrosepticum to cause disease symptoms in potato are discussed.
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27
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Lu Q, Yan F, Liu Y, Li Q, Yang M, Liu P. Comparative Genomic Analyses Reveal Functional Insights Into Key Determinants of the Pathogenesis of Pectobacterium actinidiae in Kiwifruit. PHYTOPATHOLOGY 2021; 111:789-798. [PMID: 33245255 DOI: 10.1094/phyto-07-20-0287-r] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The Gram-negative bacterial species Pectobacterium actinidiae causes summer canker in kiwifruit plants. However, little is known about its virulence factors and mechanisms of genetic adaptation. We aimed to identify the key determinants that control the virulence of P. actinidiae in kiwifruit by genomic and functional analyses. Analysis of four P. actinidiae isolates indicated low genetic variability with an average of 98.7% genome-level sequence similarity and 82% shared protein-coding gene content. Phylogenetic analysis, based on both bulk single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and single-copy genes, revealed that P. actinidiae strains cluster into a single clade, which is closely related to the clades of P. odoriferum (species with a completely different host range). Through comparison between these two clades of strains, 746 unique core orthologs/genes were clustered in the clades of P. actinidiae, especially key virulence determinants involved in the biosynthesis of secretion systems (type III, IV, and VI), iron, flagellar structure, and the quorum-sensing system. Our results provide insights into the pathogenomics underlying the genetic diversification and evolution of pathogenicity in P. actinidiae species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qi Lu
- School of Horticulture, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, People's Republic of China
| | - Fuhua Yan
- Lishui Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences, Lishui 323000, People's Republic of China
| | - Yuanyuan Liu
- School of Horticulture, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, People's Republic of China
| | - Qiaohong Li
- Kiwifruit Breeding and Utilization Key Laboratory, Sichuan Provincial Academy of Natural Resource Sciences, Chengdu 610015, People's Republic of China
| | - Meng Yang
- School of Horticulture, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding 071001, People's Republic of China
| | - Pu Liu
- School of Horticulture, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, People's Republic of China
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28
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Winn M, Rowlinson M, Wang F, Bering L, Francis D, Levy C, Micklefield J. Discovery, characterization and engineering of ligases for amide synthesis. Nature 2021; 593:391-398. [PMID: 34012085 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-021-03447-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2020] [Accepted: 03/11/2021] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Coronatine and related bacterial phytotoxins are mimics of the hormone jasmonyl-L-isoleucine (JA-Ile), which mediates physiologically important plant signalling pathways1-4. Coronatine-like phytotoxins disrupt these essential pathways and have potential in the development of safer, more selective herbicides. Although the biosynthesis of coronatine has been investigated previously, the nature of the enzyme that catalyses the crucial coupling of coronafacic acid to amino acids remains unknown1,2. Here we characterize a family of enzymes, coronafacic acid ligases (CfaLs), and resolve their structures. We found that CfaL can also produce JA-Ile, despite low similarity with the Jar1 enzyme that is responsible for ligation of JA and L-Ile in plants5. This suggests that Jar1 and CfaL evolved independently to catalyse similar reactions-Jar1 producing a compound essential for plant development4,5, and the bacterial ligases producing analogues toxic to plants. We further demonstrate how CfaL enzymes can be used to synthesize a diverse array of amides, obviating the need for protecting groups. Highly selective kinetic resolutions of racemic donor or acceptor substrates were achieved, affording homochiral products. We also used structure-guided mutagenesis to engineer improved CfaL variants. Together, these results show that CfaLs can deliver a wide range of amides for agrochemical, pharmaceutical and other applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Winn
- Department of Chemistry, Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Michael Rowlinson
- Department of Chemistry, Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Fanghua Wang
- Department of Chemistry, Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
- School of Food Science and Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, China
| | - Luis Bering
- Department of Chemistry, Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Daniel Francis
- Department of Chemistry, Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Colin Levy
- Department of Chemistry, Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Jason Micklefield
- Department of Chemistry, Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.
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29
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Lukianova AA, Evseev PV, Stakheev AA, Kotova IB, Zavriev SK, Ignatov AN, Miroshnikov KA. Development of qPCR Detection Assay for Potato Pathogen Pectobacterium atrosepticum Based on a Unique Target Sequence. PLANTS 2021; 10:plants10020355. [PMID: 33668425 PMCID: PMC7918688 DOI: 10.3390/plants10020355] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2020] [Revised: 01/29/2021] [Accepted: 02/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The recent taxonomic diversification of bacterial genera Pectobacterium and Dickeya, which cause soft rot in plants, focuses attention on the need for improvement of existing methods for the detection and differentiation of these phytopathogens. This research presents a whole genome-based approach to the selection of marker sequences unique to particular species of Pectobacterium. The quantitative real-time PCR assay developed is selective in the context of all tested Pectobacterium atrosepticum strains and is able to detect fewer than 102 copies of target DNA per reaction. The presence of plant DNA extract did not affect the sensitivity of the assay.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna A. Lukianova
- Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, 117997 Moscow, Russia; (A.A.L.); (P.V.E.); (A.A.S.); (S.K.Z.)
- Department of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 119234 Moscow, Russia;
| | - Peter V. Evseev
- Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, 117997 Moscow, Russia; (A.A.L.); (P.V.E.); (A.A.S.); (S.K.Z.)
| | - Alexander A. Stakheev
- Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, 117997 Moscow, Russia; (A.A.L.); (P.V.E.); (A.A.S.); (S.K.Z.)
| | - Irina B. Kotova
- Department of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 119234 Moscow, Russia;
| | - Sergey K. Zavriev
- Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, 117997 Moscow, Russia; (A.A.L.); (P.V.E.); (A.A.S.); (S.K.Z.)
| | | | - Konstantin A. Miroshnikov
- Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, 117997 Moscow, Russia; (A.A.L.); (P.V.E.); (A.A.S.); (S.K.Z.)
- Correspondence:
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30
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Evidence for Pentapeptide-Dependent and Independent CheB Methylesterases. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21228459. [PMID: 33187094 PMCID: PMC7698151 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21228459] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2020] [Revised: 11/03/2020] [Accepted: 11/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Many bacteria possess multiple chemosensory pathways that are composed of homologous signaling proteins. These pathways appear to be functionally insulated from each other, but little information is available on the corresponding molecular basis. We report here a novel mechanism that contributes to pathway insulation. We show that, of the four CheB paralogs of Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1, only CheB2 recognizes a pentapeptide at the C-terminal extension of the McpB (Aer2) chemoreceptor (KD = 93 µM). McpB is the sole chemoreceptor that stimulates the Che2 pathway, and CheB2 is the methylesterase of this pathway. Pectobacterium atrosepticum SCRI1043 has a single CheB, CheB_Pec, and 19 of its 36 chemoreceptors contain a C-terminal pentapeptide. The deletion of cheB_Pec abolished chemotaxis, but, surprisingly, none of the pentapeptides bound to CheB_Pec. To determine the corresponding structural basis, we solved the 3D structure of CheB_Pec. Its structure aligned well with that of the pentapeptide-dependent enzyme from Salmonella enterica. However, no electron density was observed in the CheB_Pec region corresponding to the pentapeptide-binding site in the Escherichia coli CheB. We hypothesize that this structural disorder is associated with the failure to bind pentapeptides. Combined data show that CheB methylesterases can be divided into pentapeptide-dependent and independent enzymes.
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31
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Pinilla-Redondo R, Shehreen S, Marino ND, Fagerlund RD, Brown CM, Sørensen SJ, Fineran PC, Bondy-Denomy J. Discovery of multiple anti-CRISPRs highlights anti-defense gene clustering in mobile genetic elements. Nat Commun 2020; 11:5652. [PMID: 33159058 PMCID: PMC7648647 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-19415-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2020] [Accepted: 10/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Many prokaryotes employ CRISPR-Cas systems to combat invading mobile genetic elements (MGEs). In response, some MGEs have developed strategies to bypass immunity, including anti-CRISPR (Acr) proteins; yet the diversity, distribution and spectrum of activity of this immune evasion strategy remain largely unknown. Here, we report the discovery of new Acrs by assaying candidate genes adjacent to a conserved Acr-associated (Aca) gene, aca5, against a panel of six type I systems: I-F (Pseudomonas, Pectobacterium, and Serratia), I-E (Pseudomonas and Serratia), and I-C (Pseudomonas). We uncover 11 type I-F and/or I-E anti-CRISPR genes encoded on chromosomal and extrachromosomal MGEs within Enterobacteriaceae and Pseudomonas, and an additional Aca (aca9). The acr genes not only associate with other acr genes, but also with genes encoding inhibitors of distinct bacterial defense systems. Thus, our findings highlight the potential exploitation of acr loci neighborhoods for the identification of previously undescribed anti-defense systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rafael Pinilla-Redondo
- Section of Microbiology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
- University College Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Saadlee Shehreen
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Nicole D Marino
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Robert D Fagerlund
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
- Genetics Otago, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Chris M Brown
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
- Genetics Otago, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Søren J Sørensen
- Section of Microbiology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Peter C Fineran
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.
- Genetics Otago, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.
- Bio-protection Research Centre, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.
| | - Joseph Bondy-Denomy
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA.
- Quantitative Biosciences Institute, UCSF, San Francisco, CA, USA.
- Innovative Genomics Institute, Berkeley, CA, USA.
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Genomic divergence between Dickeya zeae strain EC2 isolated from rice and previously identified strains, suggests a different rice foot rot strain. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0240908. [PMID: 33079956 PMCID: PMC7575072 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0240908] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2020] [Accepted: 10/06/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Rice foot rot caused by Dickeya zeae is an important bacterial disease of rice worldwide. In this study, we identified a new strain EC2 from rice in Guangdong province, China. This strain differed from the previously identified strain from rice in its biochemical characteristics, pathogenicity, and genomic constituents. To explore genomic discrepancies between EC2 and previously identified strains from rice, a complete genome sequence of EC2 was obtained and used for comparative genomic analyses. The complete genome sequence of EC2 is 4,575,125 bp in length. EC2 was phylogenetically closest to previously identified Dickeya strains from rice, but not within their subgroup. In terms of secretion systems, genomic comparisons revealed that EC2 harbored only type I (T1SS), typeⅡ (T2SS), and type VI (T6SS) secretion systems. The flagella cluster of this strain possessed specific genomic characteristics like other D. zeae strains from Guangdong and from rice; within this locus, the genetic diversity among strains from rice was much lower than that of within strains from non-rice hosts. Unlike other strains from rice, EC2 lost the zeamine cluster, but retained the clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats-1 (CRISPR-1) array. Compared to the other D. zeae strains containing both exopolysaccharide (EPS) and capsular polysaccharide (CPS) clusters, EC2 harbored only the CPS cluster, while the other strains from rice carried only the EPS cluster. Furthermore, we found strain MS1 from banana, carrying both EPS and CPS clusters, produced significantly more EPS than the strains from rice, and exhibited different biofilm-associated phenotypes. Comparative genomics analyses suggest EC2 likely evolved through a pathway different from the other D. zeae strains from rice, producing a new type of rice foot rot pathogen. These findings emphasize the emergence of a new type of D. zeae strain causing rice foot rot, an essential step in the early prevention of this rice bacterial disease.
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Tsers I, Gorshkov V, Gogoleva N, Parfirova O, Petrova O, Gogolev Y. Plant Soft Rot Development and Regulation from the Viewpoint of Transcriptomic Profiling. PLANTS 2020; 9:plants9091176. [PMID: 32927917 PMCID: PMC7570247 DOI: 10.3390/plants9091176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2020] [Revised: 09/05/2020] [Accepted: 09/07/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Soft rot caused by Pectobacterium species is a devastating plant disease poorly characterized in terms of host plant responses. In this study, changes in the transcriptome of tobacco plants after infection with Pectobacterium atrosepticum (Pba) were analyzed using RNA-Seq. To draw a comprehensive and nontrivially itemized picture of physiological events in Pba-infected plants and to reveal novel potential molecular "players" in plant-Pba interactions, an original functional gene classification was performed. The classifications present in various databases were merged, enriched by "missed" genes, and divided into subcategories. Particular changes in plant cell wall-related processes, perturbations in hormonal and other regulatory systems, and alterations in primary, secondary, and redox metabolism were elucidated in terms of gene expression. Special attention was paid to the prediction of transcription factors (TFs) involved in the disease's development. Herewith, gene expression was analyzed within the predicted TF regulons assembled at the whole-genome level based on the presence of particular cis-regulatory elements (CREs) in gene promoters. Several TFs, whose regulons were enriched by differentially expressed genes, were considered to be potential master regulators of Pba-induced plant responses. Differential regulation of genes belonging to a particular multigene family and encoding cognate proteins was explained by the presence/absence of the particular CRE in gene promoters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivan Tsers
- Laboratory of plant infectious diseases, Federal Research Center Kazan Scientific Center of Russian Academy of Sciences, 420111 Kazan, Russia;
| | - Vladimir Gorshkov
- Laboratory of plant infectious diseases, Federal Research Center Kazan Scientific Center of Russian Academy of Sciences, 420111 Kazan, Russia;
- Kazan Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Federal Research Center Kazan Scientific Center of Russian Academy of Sciences, 420111 Kazan, Russia; (N.G.); (O.P.); (O.P.); (Y.G.)
- Correspondence:
| | - Natalia Gogoleva
- Kazan Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Federal Research Center Kazan Scientific Center of Russian Academy of Sciences, 420111 Kazan, Russia; (N.G.); (O.P.); (O.P.); (Y.G.)
| | - Olga Parfirova
- Kazan Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Federal Research Center Kazan Scientific Center of Russian Academy of Sciences, 420111 Kazan, Russia; (N.G.); (O.P.); (O.P.); (Y.G.)
| | - Olga Petrova
- Kazan Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Federal Research Center Kazan Scientific Center of Russian Academy of Sciences, 420111 Kazan, Russia; (N.G.); (O.P.); (O.P.); (Y.G.)
| | - Yuri Gogolev
- Kazan Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Federal Research Center Kazan Scientific Center of Russian Academy of Sciences, 420111 Kazan, Russia; (N.G.); (O.P.); (O.P.); (Y.G.)
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Finney AJ, Buchanan G, Palmer T, Coulthurst SJ, Sargent F. Activation of a [NiFe]-hydrogenase-4 isoenzyme by maturation proteases. MICROBIOLOGY (READING, ENGLAND) 2020; 166:854-860. [PMID: 32731905 PMCID: PMC7654741 DOI: 10.1099/mic.0.000963] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2020] [Accepted: 07/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Maturation of [NiFe]-hydrogenases often involves specific proteases responsible for cleavage of the catalytic subunits. Escherichia coli HycI is the protease dedicated to maturation of the Hydrogenase-3 isoenzyme, a component of formate hydrogenlyase-1. In this work, it is demonstrated that a Pectobacterium atrosepticum HycI homologue, HyfK, is required for hydrogenase-4 activity, a component of formate hydrogenlyase-2, in that bacterium. The P. atrosepticum ΔhyfK mutant phenotype could be rescued by either P. atrosepticum hyfK or E. coli hycI on a plasmid. Conversely, an E. coli ΔhycI mutant was complemented by either E. coli hycI or P. atrosepticum hyfK in trans. E. coli is a rare example of a bacterium containing both hydrogenase-3 and hydrogenase-4, however the operon encoding hydrogenase-4 has no maturation protease gene. This work suggests HycI should be sufficient for maturation of both E. coli formate hydrogenlyases, however no formate hydrogenlyase-2 activity was detected in any E. coli strains tested here.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander J. Finney
- School of Natural & Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science, Agriculture & Engineering, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RU, UK
- School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 5EH, Scotland
| | - Grant Buchanan
- School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 5EH, Scotland
- Institute of Biosciences, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RU, UK
| | - Tracy Palmer
- School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 5EH, Scotland
- Institute of Biosciences, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RU, UK
| | | | - Frank Sargent
- School of Natural & Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science, Agriculture & Engineering, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RU, UK
- School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 5EH, Scotland
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Doonan JM, Broberg M, Denman S, McDonald JE. Host-microbiota-insect interactions drive emergent virulence in a complex tree disease. Proc Biol Sci 2020; 287:20200956. [PMID: 32811286 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2020.0956] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Forest declines caused by climate disturbance, insect pests and microbial pathogens threaten the global landscape, and tree diseases are increasingly attributed to the emergent properties of complex ecological interactions between the host, microbiota and insects. To address this hypothesis, we combined reductionist approaches (single and polyspecies bacterial cultures) with emergentist approaches (bacterial inoculations in an oak infection model with the addition of insect larvae) to unravel the gene expression landscape and symptom severity of host-microbiota-insect interactions in the acute oak decline (AOD) pathosystem. AOD is a complex decline disease characterized by predisposing abiotic factors, inner bark lesions driven by a bacterial pathobiome, and larval galleries of the bark-boring beetle Agrilus biguttatus. We identified expression of key pathogenicity genes in Brenneria goodwinii, the dominant member of the AOD pathobiome, tissue-specific gene expression profiles, cooperation with other bacterial pathobiome members in sugar catabolism, and demonstrated amplification of pathogenic gene expression in the presence of Agrilus larvae. This study highlights the emergent properties of complex host-pathobiota-insect interactions that underlie the pathology of diseases that threaten global forest biomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- James M Doonan
- School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Deiniol Road, Bangor, Gwynedd LL57 2UW, UK.,Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, University of Copenhagen, Rolighedsvej 23, 1958 Frederiksberg C, Denmark
| | - Martin Broberg
- School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Deiniol Road, Bangor, Gwynedd LL57 2UW, UK.,Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Finland
| | - Sandra Denman
- Forest Research, Centre for Forestry and Climate Change, Alice Holt Lodge, Farnham, Surrey GU10 4LH, UK
| | - James E McDonald
- School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Deiniol Road, Bangor, Gwynedd LL57 2UW, UK
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Buttimer C, Lynch C, Hendrix H, Neve H, Noben JP, Lavigne R, Coffey A. Isolation and Characterization of Pectobacterium Phage vB_PatM_CB7: New Insights into the Genus Certrevirus. Antibiotics (Basel) 2020; 9:E352. [PMID: 32575906 PMCID: PMC7344957 DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics9060352] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2020] [Revised: 06/18/2020] [Accepted: 06/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
To date, Certrevirus is one of two genera of bacteriophage (phage), with phages infecting Pectobacterium atrosepticum, an economically important phytopathogen that causes potato blackleg and soft rot disease. This study provides a detailed description of Pectobacterium phage CB7 (vB_PatM_CB7), which specifically infects P. atrosepticum. Host range, morphology, latent period, burst size and stability at different conditions of temperature and pH were examined. Analysis of its genome (142.8 kbp) shows that the phage forms a new species of Certrevirus, sharing sequence similarity with other members, highlighting conservation within the genus. Conserved elements include a putative early promoter like that of the Escherichia coli sigma70 promoter, which was found to be shared with other genus members. A number of dissimilarities were observed, relating to DNA methylation and nucleotide metabolism. Some members do not have homologues of a cytosine methylase and anaerobic nucleotide reductase subunits NrdD and NrdG, respectively. Furthermore, the genome of CB7 contains one of the largest numbers of homing endonucleases described in a single phage genome in the literature to date, with a total of 23 belonging to the HNH and LAGLIDADG families. Analysis by RT-PCR of the HNH homing endonuclease residing within introns of genes for the large terminase, DNA polymerase, ribonucleotide reductase subunits NrdA and NrdB show that they are splicing competent. Electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry (ESI-MS/MS) was also performed on the virion of CB7, allowing the identification of 26 structural proteins-20 of which were found to be shared with the type phages of the genera of Vequintavirus and Seunavirus. The results of this study provide greater insights into the phages of the Certrevirus genus as well as the subfamily Vequintavirinae.
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Affiliation(s)
- Colin Buttimer
- Department of Biological Sciences, Cork Institute of Technology, T12 P928 Cork, Ireland; (C.B.); (C.L.)
- APC Microbiome Institute, University College, T12 YT20 Cork, Ireland
| | - Caoimhe Lynch
- Department of Biological Sciences, Cork Institute of Technology, T12 P928 Cork, Ireland; (C.B.); (C.L.)
| | - Hanne Hendrix
- Laboratory of Gene Technology, KU Leuven, 3001 Leuven, Belgium; (H.H.); (R.L.)
| | - Horst Neve
- Department of Microbiology and Biotechnology, Max Rubner-Institut, 24103 Kiel, Germany;
| | - Jean-Paul Noben
- Biomedical Research Institute and Transnational University Limburg, Hasselt University, 3590 Hasselt, Belgium;
| | - Rob Lavigne
- Laboratory of Gene Technology, KU Leuven, 3001 Leuven, Belgium; (H.H.); (R.L.)
| | - Aidan Coffey
- Department of Biological Sciences, Cork Institute of Technology, T12 P928 Cork, Ireland; (C.B.); (C.L.)
- APC Microbiome Institute, University College, T12 YT20 Cork, Ireland
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Fan J, Ma L, Zhao C, Yan J, Che S, Zhou Z, Wang H, Yang L, Hu B. Transcriptome of Pectobacterium carotovorum subsp. carotovorum PccS1 infected in calla plants in vivo highlights a spatiotemporal expression pattern of genes related to virulence, adaptation, and host response. MOLECULAR PLANT PATHOLOGY 2020; 21:871-891. [PMID: 32267092 PMCID: PMC7214478 DOI: 10.1111/mpp.12936] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2019] [Revised: 02/14/2020] [Accepted: 02/29/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Bacterial pathogens from the genus Pectobacterium cause soft rot in various plants, and result in important economic losses worldwide. We understand much about how these pathogens digest their hosts and protect themselves against plant defences, as well as some regulatory networks in these processes. However, the spatiotemporal expression of genome-wide infection of Pectobacterium remains unclear, although researchers analysed this in some phytopathogens. In the present work, comparing the transcriptome profiles from cellular infection with growth in minimal and rich media, RNA-Seq analyses revealed that the differentially expressed genes (log2 -fold ratio ≥ 1.0) in the cells of Pectobacterium carotovorum subsp. carotovorum PccS1 recovered at a series of time points after inoculation in the host in vivo covered approximately 50% of genes in the genome. Based on the dynamic expression changes in infection, the significantly differentially expressed genes (log2 -fold ratio ≥ 2.0) were classified into five types, and the main expression pattern of the genes for carbohydrate metabolism underlying the processes of infection was identified. The results are helpful to our understanding of the inducement of host plant and environmental adaption of Pectobacterium. In addition, our results demonstrate that maceration caused by PccS1 is due to the depression of callose deposition in the plant for resistance by the pathogenesis-related genes and the superlytic ability of pectinolytic enzymes produced in PccS1, rather than the promotion of plant cell death elicited by the T3SS of bacteria as described in previous work.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiaqin Fan
- Laboratory of BacteriologyDepartment of Plant PathologyNanjing Agricultural UniversityNanjingChina
| | - Lin Ma
- Laboratory of BacteriologyDepartment of Plant PathologyNanjing Agricultural UniversityNanjingChina
| | - Chendi Zhao
- Laboratory of BacteriologyDepartment of Plant PathologyNanjing Agricultural UniversityNanjingChina
| | - Jingyuan Yan
- Laboratory of BacteriologyDepartment of Plant PathologyNanjing Agricultural UniversityNanjingChina
| | - Shu Che
- Laboratory of BacteriologyDepartment of Plant PathologyNanjing Agricultural UniversityNanjingChina
| | - Zhaowei Zhou
- Laboratory of BacteriologyDepartment of Plant PathologyNanjing Agricultural UniversityNanjingChina
| | - Huan Wang
- Laboratory of BacteriologyDepartment of Plant PathologyNanjing Agricultural UniversityNanjingChina
| | - Liuke Yang
- Laboratory of BacteriologyDepartment of Plant PathologyNanjing Agricultural UniversityNanjingChina
| | - Baishi Hu
- Laboratory of BacteriologyDepartment of Plant PathologyNanjing Agricultural UniversityNanjingChina
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38
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Maciag T, Krzyzanowska DM, Jafra S, Siwinska J, Czajkowski R. The Great Five-an artificial bacterial consortium with antagonistic activity towards Pectobacterium spp. and Dickeya spp.: formulation, shelf life, and the ability to prevent soft rot of potato in storage. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2020; 104:4547-4561. [PMID: 32215712 PMCID: PMC7190590 DOI: 10.1007/s00253-020-10550-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2020] [Revised: 02/17/2020] [Accepted: 03/15/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Abstract “The Great Five” (GF) is an artificial bacterial consortium developed to protect potato tubers from soft rot caused by Pectobacterium spp. and Dickeya spp. To investigate the commercialization potential of the GF, we developed liquid and powder formulations of the consortium and of each of the comprising strains (Serratia plymuthica strain A294, Enterobacter amnigenus strain A167, Rahnella aquatilis strain H145, Serratia rubidaea strain H440, and S. rubidaea strain H469). To form powders, the cells were lyophilized using a newly developed lyoprotectant: Reagent PS. The shelf life of the formulations stored at 8 and 22 °C was monitored for a period of 12 months. The longest shelf life was obtained for formulations stored at 8 °C; however, the viability of all formulations was negatively affected at 22 °C. For the consortium, a 2.5 log10 cfu (colony forming units) drop in cell number was recorded for the liquid formulation after 6 months, while in case of powders, the drop remained below 1 log10 cfu following 12 months. The ability of the powder formulations to preserve biocontrol activity of the consortium was tested on potato tubers treated with the formulations and a mixture of the soft rot pathogens. The inoculated tubers were stored for 6 months at 8 °C to mimic commercial storage conditions. Soft rot severity and incidence on potato tubers treated with formulations were significantly reduced (62–75% and 48–61%, respectively) in comparison to positive control with pathogens alone. The potential use of the newly developed formulations of “The Great Five” for the biocontrol of soft rot is discussed. Key Points • An innovative reagent to protect bacterial cells during lyophilization was developed. • Powder formulations of “The Great Five” prolonged its shelf life. • The powder-formulated “The Great Five” was active against soft rot bacteria on potato tubers. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1007/s00253-020-10550-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomasz Maciag
- Division of Biological Plant Protection, Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology, University of Gdansk and Medical University of Gdansk, Gdansk, Poland
| | - Dorota M Krzyzanowska
- Division of Biological Plant Protection, Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology, University of Gdansk and Medical University of Gdansk, Gdansk, Poland
| | - Sylwia Jafra
- Division of Biological Plant Protection, Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology, University of Gdansk and Medical University of Gdansk, Gdansk, Poland
| | - Joanna Siwinska
- Division of Plant Protection and Biotechnology, Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology, University of Gdansk and Medical University of Gdansk, Gdansk, Poland
| | - Robert Czajkowski
- Division of Biologically Active Compounds, Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology, University of Gdansk and Medical University of Gdansk, Gdansk, Poland.
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Khan T, Ali GS. Variation in surface properties, metabolic capping, and antibacterial activity of biosynthesized silver nanoparticles: comparison of bio-fabrication potential in phytohormone-regulated cell cultures and naturally grown plants. RSC Adv 2020; 10:38831-38840. [PMID: 35518444 PMCID: PMC9057356 DOI: 10.1039/d0ra08419k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2020] [Revised: 11/09/2020] [Accepted: 10/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
We compared surface properties, metabolic capping and antibacterial activity of silver nanoparticles, synthesized through extracts of cell cultures of Fagonia indica and its naturally grown form. Extracts from cell cultures (produced with thidiazuron (TDZ) or melatonin (MLN)) were compared to the naturally grown whole plant extracts (WPEs) for their reducing potential, and their effects on physical and biochemical properties of the biosynthesized silver nanoparticles. UV-Vis spectroscopy revealed that the surface plasmon resonance peaked at λ = 415 nm for MLN-AgNPs, λ = 430 nm for TDZ-AgNPs and λ = 460–465 nm for WPE-AgNPs. Transmission electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-rays of AgNPs showed that compared to WPE-AgNPs (mean diameter = 22 nm), extracts from MLN- and TDZ-induced cell cultures produced particles with spherical shapes and smaller diameters (i.e. mean diameter = 15 nm and 19 nm, respectively). Size distribution analysis also showed that TDZ-AgNPs were nearer to a symmetric distribution in terms of diameter (skewness = 0.80) as compared to WPE-AgNPs (skewness = 0.9) and MLN-AgNPs (skewness = 1.4). Furthermore, MLN-induced cell culture extracts produced AgNPs in higher concentration (210 μg mL−1) compared to AgNPs from TDZ-induced cell culture extracts (160 μg mL−1) and WPE (138 μg mL−1). Two-way comparisons of LC-MS/MS profiles of TDZ-AgNPs, MLN-AgNPs, and WPE-AgNPs revealed differences in their secondary metabolite profiles, which might account for differences in their differential response in bio-fabrication, and size distribution. Activity against different pathogenic bacterial strains, Escherichia coli, Bacillus cereus, Xanthomonas citri, Agrobacterium tumefaciens, Streptomyces griseus, and Erwinia carotovora suggested that MLN-AgNPs were more effective compared to TDZ- and WPE-AgNPs. These results indicated that phytohormones induced cell cultures can enhance the production, physical and biochemical properties of AgNPs. We compared surface properties, metabolic capping and antibacterial activity of biosynthesized silver nanoparticles, synthesized through extracts of cell cultures of Fagonia indica and its naturally grown form.![]()
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Affiliation(s)
- Tariq Khan
- Department of Biotechnology
- University of Malakand
- Pakistan
- Plant Molecular and Cell Biology
- Department of Plant Pathology
| | - Gul Shad Ali
- Plant Molecular and Cell Biology
- Department of Plant Pathology
- Mid-Florida Research and Education Center
- University of Florida/Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences
- Apopka
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40
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Watson BNJ, Vercoe RB, Salmond GPC, Westra ER, Staals RHJ, Fineran PC. Type I-F CRISPR-Cas resistance against virulent phages results in abortive infection and provides population-level immunity. Nat Commun 2019; 10:5526. [PMID: 31797922 PMCID: PMC6892833 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-13445-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2019] [Accepted: 10/30/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Type I CRISPR-Cas systems are abundant and widespread adaptive immune systems in bacteria and can greatly enhance bacterial survival in the face of phage infection. Upon phage infection, some CRISPR-Cas immune responses result in bacterial dormancy or slowed growth, which suggests the outcomes for infected cells may vary between systems. Here we demonstrate that type I CRISPR immunity of Pectobacterium atrosepticum leads to suppression of two unrelated virulent phages, ɸTE and ɸM1. Immunity results in an abortive infection response, where infected cells do not survive, but viral propagation is severely decreased, resulting in population protection due to the reduced phage epidemic. Our findings challenge the view of CRISPR-Cas as a system that protects the individual cell and supports growing evidence of abortive infection by some types of CRISPR-Cas systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bridget N J Watson
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Otago, Dunedin, 9054, New Zealand
- ESI, Biosciences, University of Exeter, Cornwall Campus, Penryn, TR10 9FE, UK
| | - Reuben B Vercoe
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Otago, Dunedin, 9054, New Zealand
| | - George P C Salmond
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1QW, UK
| | - Edze R Westra
- ESI, Biosciences, University of Exeter, Cornwall Campus, Penryn, TR10 9FE, UK
| | - Raymond H J Staals
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Otago, Dunedin, 9054, New Zealand
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Wageningen University and Research, 6708, WE, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Peter C Fineran
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Otago, Dunedin, 9054, New Zealand.
- Bio-Protection Research Centre, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.
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Genome-Wide Analyses Revealed Remarkable Heterogeneity in Pathogenicity Determinants, Antimicrobial Compounds, and CRISPR-Cas Systems of Complex Phytopathogenic Genus Pectobacterium. Pathogens 2019; 8:pathogens8040247. [PMID: 31756888 PMCID: PMC6963963 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens8040247] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2019] [Revised: 11/12/2019] [Accepted: 11/18/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The Pectobacterium genus comprises pectolytic enterobacteria defined as the causal agents of soft rot, blackleg, and aerial stem rot diseases of potato and economically important crops. In this study, we undertook extensive genome-wide comparative analyses of twelve species that conform the Pectobacterium genus. Bioinformatics approaches outlined a low nucleotide identity of P. parmentieri and P. wasabiae with other species, while P. carotovorum subsp. odoriferum was shown to harbor numerous pseudogenes, which suggests low coding capacity and genomic degradation. The genome atlases allowed for distinguishing distinct DNA structures and highlighted suspicious high transcription zones. The analyses unveiled a noteworthy heterogeneity in the pathogenicity determinants. Specifically, phytotoxins, polysaccharides, iron uptake systems, and the type secretion systems III-V were observed in just some species. Likewise, a comparison of gene clusters encoding antimicrobial compounds put in evidence for high conservation of carotovoricin, whereas a few species possessed the phenazine, carbapenem, and carocins. Moreover, three clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats-Cas (CRISPR-Cas) systems: I-E, I-F, and III-A were identified. Surrounding some CRISPR-Cas regions, different toxin and antitoxin systems were found, which suggests bacterial suicide in the case of an immune system failure. Multiple whole-genome alignments shed light on to the presence of a novel cellobiose phosphotransferase system (PTS) exclusive to P. parmenteri, and an unreported T5SS conserved in almost all species. Several regions that were associated with virulence, microbe antagonism, and adaptive immune systems were predicted within genomic islands, which underscored the essential role that horizontal gene transfer has imparted in the dynamic evolution and speciation of Pectobacterium species. Overall, the results decipher the different strategies that each species has developed to infect their hosts, outcompete for food resources, and defend against bacteriophages. Our investigation provides novel genetic insights that will assist in understanding the pathogenic lifestyle of Pectobacterium, a genus that jeopardizes the agriculture sustainability of important crops worldwide.
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Finney AJ, Lowden R, Fleszar M, Albareda M, Coulthurst SJ, Sargent F. The plant pathogen Pectobacterium atrosepticum contains a functional formate hydrogenlyase-2 complex. Mol Microbiol 2019; 112:1440-1452. [PMID: 31420965 PMCID: PMC7384014 DOI: 10.1111/mmi.14370] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/13/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Pectobacterium atrosepticum SCRI1043 is a phytopathogenic Gram-negative enterobacterium. Genomic analysis has identified that genes required for both respiration and fermentation are expressed under anaerobic conditions. One set of anaerobically expressed genes is predicted to encode an important but poorly understood membrane-bound enzyme termed formate hydrogenlyase-2 (FHL-2), which has fascinating evolutionary links to the mitochondrial NADH dehydrogenase (Complex I). In this work, molecular genetic and biochemical approaches were taken to establish that FHL-2 is fully functional in P. atrosepticum and is the major source of molecular hydrogen gas generated by this bacterium. The FHL-2 complex was shown to comprise a rare example of an active [NiFe]-hydrogenase-4 (Hyd-4) isoenzyme, itself linked to an unusual selenium-free formate dehydrogenase in the final complex. In addition, further genetic dissection of the genes encoding the predicted membrane arm of FHL-2 established surprisingly that the majority of genes encoding this domain are not required for physiological hydrogen production activity. Overall, this study presents P. atrosepticum as a new model bacterial system for understanding anaerobic formate and hydrogen metabolism in general, and FHL-2 function and structure in particular.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander J Finney
- School of Natural & Environmental Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE1 7RU, UK.,School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, DD1 5EH, UK
| | - Rebecca Lowden
- School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, DD1 5EH, UK
| | - Michal Fleszar
- School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, DD1 5EH, UK
| | - Marta Albareda
- School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, DD1 5EH, UK.,Centro de Biotecnología y Genómica de Plantas (C.B.G.P.) UPM-INIA, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Campus de Montegancedo, Pozuelo de Alarcón, 28223, Spain
| | | | - Frank Sargent
- School of Natural & Environmental Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE1 7RU, UK.,School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, DD1 5EH, UK
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Stringlis IA, Zhang H, Pieterse CMJ, Bolton MD, de Jonge R. Microbial small molecules - weapons of plant subversion. Nat Prod Rep 2019; 35:410-433. [PMID: 29756135 DOI: 10.1039/c7np00062f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Covering: up to 2018 Plants live in close association with a myriad of microbes that are generally harmless. However, the minority of microbes that are pathogens can severely impact crop quality and yield, thereby endangering food security. By contrast, beneficial microbes provide plants with important services, such as enhanced nutrient uptake and protection against pests and diseases. Like pathogens, beneficial microbes can modulate host immunity to efficiently colonize the nutrient-rich niches within and around the roots and aerial tissues of a plant, a phenomenon mirroring the establishment of commensal microbes in the human gut. Numerous ingenious mechanisms have been described by which pathogenic and beneficial microbes in the plant microbiome communicate with their host, including the delivery of immune-suppressive effector proteins and the production of phytohormones, toxins and other bioactive molecules. Plants signal to their associated microbes via exudation of photosynthetically fixed carbon sources, quorum-sensing mimicry molecules and selective secondary metabolites such as strigolactones and flavonoids. Molecular communication thus forms an integral part of the establishment of both beneficial and pathogenic plant-microbe relations. Here, we review the current knowledge on microbe-derived small molecules that can act as signalling compounds to stimulate plant growth and health by beneficial microbes on the one hand, but also as weapons for plant invasion by pathogens on the other. As an exemplary case, we used comparative genomics to assess the small molecule biosynthetic capabilities of the Pseudomonas genus; a genus rich in both plant pathogenic and beneficial microbes. We highlight the biosynthetic potential of individual microbial genomes and the population at large, providing evidence for the hypothesis that the distinction between detrimental and beneficial microbes is increasingly fading. Knowledge on the biosynthesis and molecular activity of microbial small molecules will aid in the development of successful biological agents boosting crop resiliency in a sustainable manner and could also provide scientific routes to pathogen inhibition or eradication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ioannis A Stringlis
- Plant-Microbe Interactions, Department of Biology, Science4Life, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
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Li L, Yuan L, Shi Y, Xie X, Chai A, Wang Q, Li B. Comparative genomic analysis of Pectobacterium carotovorum subsp. brasiliense SX309 provides novel insights into its genetic and phenotypic features. BMC Genomics 2019; 20:486. [PMID: 31195968 PMCID: PMC6567464 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-019-5831-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2018] [Accepted: 05/23/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Pectobacterium carotovorum subsp. brasiliense is a broad host range bacterial pathogen, which causes blackleg of potatoes and bacterial soft rot of vegetables worldwide. Production of plant cell wall degrading enzymes is usually critical for Pectobacterium infection. However, other virulence factors and the mechanisms of genetic adaptation still need to be studied in detail. Results In this study, the complete genome of P. carotovorum subsp. brasiliense strain SX309 isolated from cucumber was compared with eight other pathogenic bacteria belonging to the Pectobacterium genus, which were isolated from various host plants. Genome comparison revealed that most virulence genes are highly conserved in the Pectobacterium strains, especially for the key virulence determinants involved in the biosynthesis of extracellular enzymes and others including the type II and III secretion systems, quorum sensing system, flagellar and chemotactic genes. Nevertheless, some variable regions of the T6SS and the CRISP-Cas immune system are unique for P. carotovorum subsp. brasiliense. Conclusions The extensive comparative genomics analysis revealed highly conserved virulence genes in the Pectobacterium strains. However, several variable regions of type VI secretion system and two subtype Cas mechanism-Cas immune systems possibly contribute to the process of Pectobacterium infection and adaptive immunity. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12864-019-5831-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lei Li
- Institute of Vegetables and Flowers, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100081, China
| | - Lifang Yuan
- Institute of Vegetables and Flowers, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100081, China.,Department of Plant Pathology, College of Plant Protection, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, China
| | - Yanxia Shi
- Institute of Vegetables and Flowers, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100081, China
| | - Xuewen Xie
- Institute of Vegetables and Flowers, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100081, China
| | - Ali Chai
- Institute of Vegetables and Flowers, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100081, China
| | - Qi Wang
- Department of Plant Pathology, College of Plant Protection, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, China
| | - Baoju Li
- Institute of Vegetables and Flowers, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100081, China.
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Krzyzanowska DM, Maciag T, Siwinska J, Krychowiak M, Jafra S, Czajkowski R. Compatible Mixture of Bacterial Antagonists Developed to Protect Potato Tubers from Soft Rot Caused by Pectobacterium spp. and Dickeya spp. PLANT DISEASE 2019; 103:1374-1382. [PMID: 30908126 DOI: 10.1094/pdis-10-18-1866-re] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Possibilities to protect potato tubers from rotting caused by Soft Rot Pectobacteriaceae (SRP) under disease favoring conditions were investigated using compatible mixtures of bacterial antagonists and tested with a newly developed stepwise efficacy-based screening protocol. Twenty-two bacterial antagonists were evaluated against a combination of five Pectobacterium and Dickeya strains representing species and subspecies most often associated with potato soft rot in Europe. To enable potential synergistic activity, the antagonists were initially tested against the combination of pathogens in 15 random mixtures containing up to 5 antagonists each. Three mixtures (M2, M4, and M14) out of 15 tested reduced tuber tissue maceration due to soft rot. The individual antagonists derived from M2, M4, and M14 mixtures were tested on potato slices and whole tuber injection assays. These five strains (S. plymuthica strain A294, E. amnigenus strain A167, R. aquatilis strain H145, S. rubidaea strain H440, and S. rubidaea strain H469) were combined to develop a tailored biological control mixture against potato soft rot. The new mixture, designated the Great Five (GF), was tested on seed potato tubers vacuum infiltrated with antagonists and subsequently with the combination of five SRP pathogens. In these experiments, the GF mixture provided stable protection of inoculated potato tubers, reducing soft rot by 46% (P = 0.0016) under high disease pressure conditions. The A294, A167, H145, H440, and H469 antagonists were characterized for features important for viable commercial applications including growth at different temperatures, resistance to antibiotics, and potential toxicity toward Caenorhabditis elegans. The implications for control of soft rot caused by SRP with the use of the GF mixture of antagonists are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dorota M Krzyzanowska
- 1 Laboratory of Biological Plant Protection, Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology, University of Gdansk and Medical University of Gdansk, Gdansk, Poland
| | - Tomasz Maciag
- 1 Laboratory of Biological Plant Protection, Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology, University of Gdansk and Medical University of Gdansk, Gdansk, Poland
| | - Joanna Siwinska
- 2 Laboratory of Plant Protection and Biotechnology, Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology, University of Gdansk and Medical University of Gdansk, Gdansk, Poland; and
| | - Marta Krychowiak
- 3 Laboratory of Biologically Active Compounds, Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology, University of Gdansk and Medical University of Gdansk, Gdansk, Poland
| | - Sylwia Jafra
- 1 Laboratory of Biological Plant Protection, Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology, University of Gdansk and Medical University of Gdansk, Gdansk, Poland
| | - Robert Czajkowski
- 3 Laboratory of Biologically Active Compounds, Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology, University of Gdansk and Medical University of Gdansk, Gdansk, Poland
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Watson BNJ, Easingwood RA, Tong B, Wolf M, Salmond GPC, Staals RHJ, Bostina M, Fineran PC. Different genetic and morphological outcomes for phages targeted by single or multiple CRISPR-Cas spacers. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2019; 374:20180090. [PMID: 30905290 PMCID: PMC6452268 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2018.0090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/07/2018] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
CRISPR-Cas systems provide bacteria and archaea with adaptive immunity against genetic invaders, such as bacteriophages. The systems integrate short sequences from the phage genome into the bacterial CRISPR array. These 'spacers' provide sequence-specific immunity but drive natural selection of evolved phage mutants that escape the CRISPR-Cas defence. Spacer acquisition occurs by either naive or primed adaptation. Naive adaptation typically results in the incorporation of a single spacer. By contrast, priming is a positive feedback loop that often results in acquisition of multiple spacers, which occurs when a pre-existing spacer matches the invading phage. We predicted that single and multiple spacers, representative of naive and primed adaptation, respectively, would cause differing outcomes after phage infection. We investigated the response of two phages, ϕTE and ϕM1, to the Pectobacterium atrosepticum type I-F CRISPR-Cas system and observed that escape from single spacers typically occurred via point mutations. Alternatively, phages escaped multiple spacers through deletions, which can occur in genes encoding structural proteins. Cryo-EM analysis of the ϕTE structure revealed shortened tails in escape mutants with tape measure protein deletions. We conclude that CRISPR-Cas systems can drive phage genetic diversity, altering morphology and fitness, through selective pressures arising from naive and primed acquisition events. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue 'The ecology and evolution of prokaryotic CRISPR-Cas adaptive immune systems'.
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Affiliation(s)
- B. N. J. Watson
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand
| | - R. A. Easingwood
- Otago Centre for Electron Microscopy, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand
| | - B. Tong
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand
| | - M. Wolf
- Molecular Cryo-Electron Microscopy Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, Graduate University, Onna, Okinawa, Japan
| | - G. P. C. Salmond
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1QW, UK
| | - R. H. J. Staals
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Department of Agrotechnology and Food Sciences, Wageningen University, 6708 HB Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - M. Bostina
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand
- Otago Centre for Electron Microscopy, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand
| | - P. C. Fineran
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand
- Bio-Protection Research Centre, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
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47
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Wei C, Ding T, Chang C, Yu C, Li X, Liu Q. Global Regulator PhoP is Necessary for Motility, Biofilm Formation, Exoenzyme Production and Virulence of Xanthomonas citri Subsp. citri on Citrus Plants. Genes (Basel) 2019; 10:genes10050340. [PMID: 31064142 PMCID: PMC6562643 DOI: 10.3390/genes10050340] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2019] [Revised: 04/28/2019] [Accepted: 05/02/2019] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Citrus canker caused by Xanthomonas citri subsp. citri is one of the most important bacterial diseases of citrus, impacting both plant growth and fruit quality. Identifying and elucidating the roles of genes associated with pathogenesis has aided our understanding of the molecular basis of citrus-bacteria interactions. However, the complex virulence mechanisms of X. citri subsp. citri are still not well understood. In this study, we characterized the role of PhoP in X. citri subsp. citri using a phoP deletion mutant, ΔphoP. Compared with wild-type strain XHG3, ΔphoP showed reduced motility, biofilm formation, as well as decreased production of cellulase, amylase, and polygalacturonase. In addition, the virulence of ΔphoP on citrus leaves was significantly decreased. To further understand the virulence mechanisms of X. citri subsp. citri, high-throughput RNA sequencing technology (RNA-Seq) was used to compare the transcriptomes of the wild-type and mutant strains. Analysis revealed 1017 differentially-expressed genes (DEGs), of which 614 were up-regulated and 403 were down-regulated in ΔphoP. Gene ontology functional enrichment and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway analyses suggested that the DEGs were enriched in flagellar assembly, two-component systems, histidine metabolism, bacterial chemotaxis, ABC transporters, and bacterial secretion systems. Our results showed that PhoP activates the expression of a large set of virulence genes, including 22 type III secretion system genes and 15 type III secretion system effector genes, as well as several genes involved in chemotaxis, and flagellar and histidine biosynthesis. Two-step reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction analysis targeting 17 genes was used to validate the RNA-seq data, and confirmed that the expression of all 17 genes, except for that of virB1, decreased significantly. Our results suggest that PhoP interacts with a global signaling network to co-ordinate the expression of multiple virulence factors involved in modification and adaption to the host environment during infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chudan Wei
- College of Agriculture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China.
| | - Tian Ding
- Guangzhou Airport Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau, Guangzhou 510800, China.
| | - Changqing Chang
- College of Agriculture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China.
- State Key Laboratory of Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-bioresources, Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Microbial Signals and Disease Control, Guangzhou 510642, China.
| | - Chengpeng Yu
- College of Agriculture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China.
| | - Xingwei Li
- College of Agriculture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China.
| | - Qiongguang Liu
- College of Agriculture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China.
- State Key Laboratory of Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-bioresources, Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Microbial Signals and Disease Control, Guangzhou 510642, China.
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48
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Fineran PC. Resistance is not futile: bacterial 'innate' and CRISPR-Cas 'adaptive' immune systems. MICROBIOLOGY-SGM 2019; 165:834-841. [PMID: 30958259 DOI: 10.1099/mic.0.000802] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Bacteria are under a constant pressure from their viruses (phages) and other mobile genetic elements. They protect themselves through a range of defence strategies, which can be broadly classified as 'innate' and 'adaptive'. The bacterial innate immune systems include defences provided by restriction modification and abortive infection, among others. Bacterial adaptive immunity is elicited by a diverse range of CRISPR-Cas systems. Here, I discuss our research on both innate and adaptive phage resistance mechanisms and some of the evasion strategies employed by phages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter C Fineran
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand
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49
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Monson RE, Apagyi K, Bowden SD, Simpson N, Williamson NR, Cubitt MF, Harris S, Toth IK, Salmond GPC. The rsmS (ybaM) mutation causes bypass suppression of the RsmAB post-transcriptional virulence regulation system in enterobacterial phytopathogens. Sci Rep 2019; 9:4525. [PMID: 30872786 PMCID: PMC6418279 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-40970-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2018] [Accepted: 02/22/2019] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Plant cell wall degrading enzymes (PCWDEs) are the primary virulence determinants of soft rotting bacteria such as the potato pathogen, Pectobacterium atrosepticum. The regulation of secondary metabolite (Rsm) system controls production of PCWDEs in response to changing nutrient conditions. This work identified a new suppressor of an rsmB mutation - ECA1172 or rsmS (rsmB suppressor). Mutants defective in rsmB (encoding a small regulatory RNA), show reduced elaboration of the quorum sensing molecule (N-3-oxohexanoyl-homoserine lactone; OHHL) and PCWDEs. However, OHHL and PCWDE production were partially restored in an rsmB, rsmS double mutant. Single rsmS mutants, overproduced PCWDEs and OHHL relative to wild type P. atrosepticum and exhibited hypervirulence in potato. RsmS overproduction also resulted in increased PCWDEs and OHHL. Homology searches revealed rsmS conservation across pathogens such as Escherichia coli (ybaM), Dickeya solani, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Shigella flexneri. An rsmS mutant of Pectobacterium carotovorum ATCC39048 showed bypass of rsmB-dependent repression of PCWDEs and OHHL production. P. carotovorum ATCC39048 produces the β-lactam antibiotic, 1-carbapen-2-em-3-carboxylic acid (a carbapenem). Production of the antibiotic was repressed in an rsmB mutant but partially restored in an rsmB, rsmS double mutant. This work highlights the importance of RsmS, as a conserved pleiotropic regulator of virulence and antibiotic biosynthesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rita E Monson
- Department of Biochemistry, Hopkins Building, Tennis Court Road, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1QW, UK
| | - Katinka Apagyi
- Department of Biochemistry, Hopkins Building, Tennis Court Road, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1QW, UK
- Faculty of Medicine, School of Public Health, Imperial College, London, St Mary's Campus, Norfolk Place, W2 1PG, UK
| | - Steven D Bowden
- Department of Biochemistry, Hopkins Building, Tennis Court Road, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1QW, UK
- Department of Food Science and Nutrition, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
| | - Natalie Simpson
- Department of Biochemistry, Hopkins Building, Tennis Court Road, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1QW, UK
| | - Neil R Williamson
- Department of Biochemistry, Hopkins Building, Tennis Court Road, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1QW, UK
| | - Marion F Cubitt
- Department of Biochemistry, Hopkins Building, Tennis Court Road, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1QW, UK
| | - Steve Harris
- Department of Biochemistry, Hopkins Building, Tennis Court Road, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1QW, UK
- School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences, Loughborough University, Loughborough, LE11 3TU, UK
| | - Ian K Toth
- Cell and Molecular Sciences, James Hutton Institute, Invergowrie, Dundee, DD2 5DA, UK
| | - George P C Salmond
- Department of Biochemistry, Hopkins Building, Tennis Court Road, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1QW, UK.
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50
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Martín-Mora D, Ortega Á, Matilla MA, Martínez-Rodríguez S, Gavira JA, Krell T. The Molecular Mechanism of Nitrate Chemotaxis via Direct Ligand Binding to the PilJ Domain of McpN. mBio 2019; 10:e02334-18. [PMID: 30782655 PMCID: PMC6381276 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.02334-18] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2018] [Accepted: 01/07/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Chemotaxis and energy taxis permit directed bacterial movements in gradients of environmental cues. Nitrate is a final electron acceptor for anaerobic respiration and can also serve as a nitrogen source for aerobic growth. Previous studies indicated that bacterial nitrate taxis is mediated by energy taxis mechanisms, which are based on the cytosolic detection of consequences of nitrate metabolism. Here we show that Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 mediates nitrate chemotaxis on the basis of specific nitrate sensing by the periplasmic PilJ domain of the PA2788/McpN chemoreceptor. The presence of nitrate reduced mcpN transcript levels, and McpN-mediated taxis occurred only under nitrate starvation conditions. In contrast to the NarX and NarQ sensor kinases, McpN bound nitrate specifically and showed no affinity for other ligands such as nitrite. We report the three-dimensional structure of the McpN ligand binding domain (LBD) at 1.3-Å resolution in complex with nitrate. Although structurally similar to 4-helix bundle domains, the ligand binding mode differs since a single nitrate molecule is bound to a site on the dimer symmetry axis. As for 4-helix bundle domains, ligand binding stabilized the McpN-LBD dimer. McpN homologues showed a wide phylogenetic distribution, indicating that nitrate chemotaxis is a widespread phenotype. These homologues were particularly abundant in bacteria that couple sulfide/sulfur oxidation with nitrate reduction. This work expands the range of known chemotaxis effectors and forms the basis for the exploration of nitrate chemotaxis in other bacteria and for the study of its physiological role.IMPORTANCE Nitrate is of central importance in bacterial physiology. Previous studies indicated that movements toward nitrate are due to energy taxis, which is based on the cytosolic sensing of consequences of nitrate metabolism. Here we present the first report on nitrate chemotaxis. This process is initiated by specific nitrate binding to the periplasmic ligand binding domain (LBD) of McpN. Nitrate chemotaxis is highly regulated and occurred only under nitrate starvation conditions, which is helpful information to explore nitrate chemotaxis in other bacteria. We present the three-dimensional structure of the McpN-LBD in complex with nitrate, which is the first structure of a chemoreceptor PilJ-type domain. This structure reveals striking similarities to that of the abundant 4-helix bundle domain but employs a different sensing mechanism. Since McpN homologues show a wide phylogenetic distribution, nitrate chemotaxis is likely a widespread phenomenon with importance for the life cycle of ecologically diverse bacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Martín-Mora
- Estación Experimental del Zaidín, Department of Environmental Protection, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Granada, Spain
| | - Álvaro Ortega
- Estación Experimental del Zaidín, Department of Environmental Protection, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Granada, Spain
| | - Miguel A Matilla
- Estación Experimental del Zaidín, Department of Environmental Protection, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Granada, Spain
| | - Sergio Martínez-Rodríguez
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular III e Inmunología, Universidad de Granada, Melilla, Spain
- Laboratorio de Estudios Cristalográficos, IACT, Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC) y la Universidad de Granada (UGR), Armilla, Spain
| | - José A Gavira
- Laboratorio de Estudios Cristalográficos, IACT, Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC) y la Universidad de Granada (UGR), Armilla, Spain
| | - Tino Krell
- Estación Experimental del Zaidín, Department of Environmental Protection, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Granada, Spain
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