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Liu Y, Xu Z, Chen L, Xun W, Shu X, Chen Y, Sun X, Wang Z, Ren Y, Shen Q, Zhang R. Root colonization by beneficial rhizobacteria. FEMS Microbiol Rev 2024; 48:fuad066. [PMID: 38093453 PMCID: PMC10786197 DOI: 10.1093/femsre/fuad066] [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: 09/12/2023] [Revised: 12/07/2023] [Accepted: 12/12/2023] [Indexed: 01/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Rhizosphere microbes play critical roles for plant's growth and health. Among them, the beneficial rhizobacteria have the potential to be developed as the biofertilizer or bioinoculants for sustaining the agricultural development. The efficient rhizosphere colonization of these rhizobacteria is a prerequisite for exerting their plant beneficial functions, but the colonizing process and underlying mechanisms have not been thoroughly reviewed, especially for the nonsymbiotic beneficial rhizobacteria. This review systematically analyzed the root colonizing process of the nonsymbiotic rhizobacteria and compared it with that of the symbiotic and pathogenic bacteria. This review also highlighted the approaches to improve the root colonization efficiency and proposed to study the rhizobacterial colonization from a holistic perspective of the rhizosphere microbiome under more natural conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yunpeng Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Efficient Utilization of Arid and Semi-Arid Arable Land in Northern China, The Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, 12 Zhongguancun South Street, Beijing 100081, P.R. China
| | - Zhihui Xu
- Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab for Organic Solid Waste Utilization, National Engineering Research Center for Organic-Based Fertilizers, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Solid Organic Waste Resource Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural University, 6 Tongwei Road, Nanjing 210095, P.R. China
| | - Lin Chen
- Experimental Center of Forestry in North China, Chinese Academy of Forestry, 1 Shuizha West Road, Beijing 102300, P.R. China
| | - Weibing Xun
- Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab for Organic Solid Waste Utilization, National Engineering Research Center for Organic-Based Fertilizers, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Solid Organic Waste Resource Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural University, 6 Tongwei Road, Nanjing 210095, P.R. China
| | - Xia Shu
- State Key Laboratory of Efficient Utilization of Arid and Semi-Arid Arable Land in Northern China, The Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, 12 Zhongguancun South Street, Beijing 100081, P.R. China
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, 1 Shizishan Street, Wuhan, P.R. China
| | - Yu Chen
- Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab for Organic Solid Waste Utilization, National Engineering Research Center for Organic-Based Fertilizers, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Solid Organic Waste Resource Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural University, 6 Tongwei Road, Nanjing 210095, P.R. China
| | - Xinli Sun
- Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab for Organic Solid Waste Utilization, National Engineering Research Center for Organic-Based Fertilizers, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Solid Organic Waste Resource Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural University, 6 Tongwei Road, Nanjing 210095, P.R. China
| | - Zhengqi Wang
- Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab for Organic Solid Waste Utilization, National Engineering Research Center for Organic-Based Fertilizers, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Solid Organic Waste Resource Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural University, 6 Tongwei Road, Nanjing 210095, P.R. China
| | - Yi Ren
- Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab for Organic Solid Waste Utilization, National Engineering Research Center for Organic-Based Fertilizers, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Solid Organic Waste Resource Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural University, 6 Tongwei Road, Nanjing 210095, P.R. China
| | - Qirong Shen
- Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab for Organic Solid Waste Utilization, National Engineering Research Center for Organic-Based Fertilizers, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Solid Organic Waste Resource Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural University, 6 Tongwei Road, Nanjing 210095, P.R. China
| | - Ruifu Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Efficient Utilization of Arid and Semi-Arid Arable Land in Northern China, The Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, 12 Zhongguancun South Street, Beijing 100081, P.R. China
- Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab for Organic Solid Waste Utilization, National Engineering Research Center for Organic-Based Fertilizers, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Solid Organic Waste Resource Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural University, 6 Tongwei Road, Nanjing 210095, P.R. China
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2
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Wang S, Liu M, Wang D, Li S, Yan W. Plasmid pND6-1 enhances the stability and conjugative transfer of co-resident companion plasmid pND6-2 in the naphthalene-degradative Pseudomonas putida strain ND6. ELECTRON J BIOTECHN 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ejbt.2022.08.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
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3
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Della-Felice F, de Andrade Bartolomeu A, Pilli RA. The phosphate ester group in secondary metabolites. Nat Prod Rep 2022; 39:1066-1107. [PMID: 35420073 DOI: 10.1039/d1np00078k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Covering: 2000 to mid-2021The phosphate ester is a versatile, widespread functional group involved in a plethora of biological activities. Its presence in secondary metabolites, however, is relatively rare compared to other functionalities and thus is part of a rather unexplored chemical space. Herein, the chemistry of secondary metabolites containing the phosphate ester group is discussed. The text emphasizes their structural diversity, biological and pharmacological profiles, and synthetic approaches employed in the phosphorylation step during total synthesis campaigns, covering the literature from 2000 to mid-2021.
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Affiliation(s)
- Franco Della-Felice
- Institute of Chemistry, University of Campinas (UNICAMP), P.O. Box 6154, CEP 13083-970 Campinas, Sao Paulo, Brazil.,Institute of Chemical Research of Catalonia (ICIQ), Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Av. Països Catalans 16, 43007 Tarragona, Spain.
| | | | - Ronaldo Aloise Pilli
- Institute of Chemistry, University of Campinas (UNICAMP), P.O. Box 6154, CEP 13083-970 Campinas, Sao Paulo, Brazil
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4
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Zhou JW, Ji PC, Jiang H, Tan XJ, Jia AQ. Quorum Sensing Inhibition and Metabolic Intervention of 4-Hydroxycinnamic Acid Against Agrobacterium tumefaciens. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:830632. [PMID: 35330766 PMCID: PMC8940537 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.830632] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2021] [Accepted: 02/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The natural product 4-hydroxycinnamic acid (HA) was firstly isolated from the metabolites of Phomopsis liquidambari, one endophytic fungus from Punica granatum leaves. The anti-QS potential of HA was evaluated by β-galactosidase assay and acylated homoserine lactones (AHL) analysis. The MIC of HA was > 1.20 mM. Exposure to HA at sub-MIC concentrations (0.30-0.60 mM) remarkably reduced the β-galactosidase activity and AHL secretion. Transcriptional analysis by qRT-PCR and docking simulation indicated that HA functions as an anti-QS agent by inhibiting the transcriptional levels of traI and traR rather than signal mimicry. The blocked QS lead to suppressed biofilm formation, motilities, and flagella formation after exposure to HA at concentrations ranging from 0.30 to 0.80 mM. The dysfunctional QS also resulted in repressed antioxidant enzymes and intensified oxidative stress. The intensified oxidative stress destroyed membrane integrity, induced energy supply deficiency, resulted in disorder of protein and nuclear acid metabolism, and ultimately weakened pathogenicity of A. tumefaciens. HA may have promising potential for controlling A. tumefaciens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jin-Wei Zhou
- School of Food and Biological Engineering, Xuzhou University of Technology, Xuzhou, China
| | - Peng-Cheng Ji
- School of Food and Biological Engineering, Xuzhou University of Technology, Xuzhou, China
| | - Huan Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Marine Resource Utilization in South China Sea, School of Life and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hainan University, Haikou, China.,School of Environmental and Biological Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing, China
| | - Xiao-Juan Tan
- Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of Molecular Enzymology and Mechanism of Major Diseases, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu, China
| | - Ai-Qun Jia
- State Key Laboratory of Marine Resource Utilization in South China Sea, School of Life and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hainan University, Haikou, China
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5
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Weisberg AJ, Miller M, Ream W, Grünwald NJ, Chang JH. Diversification of plasmids in a genus of pathogenic and nitrogen-fixing bacteria. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2022; 377:20200466. [PMID: 34839700 PMCID: PMC8628075 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2020.0466] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Members of the agrobacteria-rhizobia complex (ARC) have multiple and diverse plasmids. The extent to which these plasmids are shared and the consequences of their interactions are not well understood. We extracted over 4000 plasmid sequences from 1251 genome sequences and constructed a network to reveal interactions that have shaped the evolutionary histories of oncogenic virulence plasmids. One newly discovered type of oncogenic plasmid is a mosaic with three incomplete, but complementary and partially redundant virulence loci. Some types of oncogenic plasmids recombined with accessory plasmids or acquired large regions not known to be associated with pathogenicity. We also identified two classes of partial virulence plasmids. One class is potentially capable of transforming plants, but not inciting disease symptoms. Another class is inferred to be incomplete and non-functional but can be found as coresidents of the same strain and together are predicted to confer pathogenicity. The modularity and capacity for some plasmids to be transmitted broadly allow them to diversify, convergently evolve adaptive plasmids and shape the evolution of genomes across much of the ARC. This article is part of the theme issue 'The secret lives of microbial mobile genetic elements'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra J. Weisberg
- Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA
| | - Marilyn Miller
- Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA
| | - Walt Ream
- Department of Microbiology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA
| | - Niklaus J. Grünwald
- Horticultural Crops Research Laboratory, United States Department of Agriculture and Agricultural Research Service, Corvallis, OR 97330, USA
| | - Jeff H. Chang
- Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA
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6
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Billane K, Harrison E, Cameron D, Brockhurst MA. Why do plasmids manipulate the expression of bacterial phenotypes? Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2022; 377:20200461. [PMID: 34839708 PMCID: PMC8628079 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2020.0461] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Conjugative plasmids play an important role in bacterial evolution by transferring niche-adaptive traits between lineages, thus driving adaptation and genome diversification. It is increasingly clear, however, that in addition to this evolutionary role, plasmids also manipulate the expression of a broad range of bacterial phenotypes. In this review, we argue that the effects that plasmids have on the expression of bacterial phenotypes may often represent plasmid adaptations, rather than mere deleterious side effects. We begin by summarizing findings from untargeted omics analyses, which give a picture of the global effects of plasmid acquisition on host cells. Thereafter, because many plasmids are capable of both vertical and horizontal transmission, we distinguish plasmid-mediated phenotypic effects into two main classes based upon their potential fitness benefit to plasmids: (i) those that promote the competitiveness of the host cell in a given niche and thereby increase plasmid vertical transmission, and (ii) those that promote plasmid conjugation and thereby increase plasmid horizontal transmission. Far from being mere vehicles for gene exchange, we propose that plasmids often act as sophisticated genetic parasites capable of manipulating their bacterial hosts for their own benefit. This article is part of the theme issue ‘The secret lives of microbial mobile genetic elements’.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathryn Billane
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK
| | - Ellie Harrison
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK
| | - Duncan Cameron
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK
| | - Michael A Brockhurst
- Division of Evolution and Genomic Sciences, School of Biological Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PT, UK
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7
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Lamparter T, Xue P, Elkurdi A, Kaeser G, Sauthof L, Scheerer P, Krauß N. Phytochromes in Agrobacterium fabrum. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2021; 12:642801. [PMID: 33995441 PMCID: PMC8117939 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2021.642801] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2020] [Accepted: 03/18/2021] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
The focus of this review is on the phytochromes Agp1 and Agp2 of Agrobacterium fabrum. These are involved in regulation of conjugation, gene transfer into plants, and other effects. Since crystal structures of both phytochromes are known, the phytochrome system of A. fabrum provides a tool for following the entire signal transduction cascade starting from light induced conformational changes to protein interaction and the triggering of DNA transfer processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tilman Lamparter
- Botanical Institute, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology KIT, Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - Peng Xue
- Botanical Institute, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology KIT, Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - Afaf Elkurdi
- Botanical Institute, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology KIT, Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - Gero Kaeser
- Botanical Institute, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology KIT, Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - Luisa Sauthof
- Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Institute of Medical Physics and Biophysics, Group Protein X-ray Crystallography and Signal Transduction, Berlin, Germany
| | - Patrick Scheerer
- Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Institute of Medical Physics and Biophysics, Group Protein X-ray Crystallography and Signal Transduction, Berlin, Germany
| | - Norbert Krauß
- Botanical Institute, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology KIT, Karlsruhe, Germany
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8
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Barton IS, Eagan JL, Nieves-Otero PA, Reynolds IP, Platt TG, Fuqua C. Co-dependent and Interdigitated: Dual Quorum Sensing Systems Regulate Conjugative Transfer of the Ti Plasmid and the At Megaplasmid in Agrobacterium tumefaciens 15955. Front Microbiol 2021; 11:605896. [PMID: 33552018 PMCID: PMC7856919 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.605896] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2020] [Accepted: 12/21/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Members of the Rhizobiaceae, often carry multiple secondary replicons in addition to the primary chromosome with compatible repABC-based replication systems. Unlike secondary chromosomes and chromids, repABC-based megaplasmids and plasmids can undergo copy number fluctuations and are capable of conjugative transfer in response to environmental signals. Several Agrobacterium tumefaciens lineages harbor three secondary repABC-based replicons, including a secondary chromosome (often linear), the Ti (tumor-inducing) plasmid and the At megaplasmid. The Ti plasmid is required for virulence and encodes a conjugative transfer (tra) system that is strictly regulated by a subset of plant-tumor released opines and a well-described acyl-homoserine lactone (AHL)-based quorum-sensing mechanism. The At plasmids are generally not required for virulence, but carry genes that enhance rhizosphere survival, and these plasmids are often conjugatively proficient. We report that the At megaplasmid of the octopine-type strain A. tumefaciens 15955 encodes a quorum-controlled conjugation system that directly interacts with the paralogous quorum sensing system on the co-resident Ti plasmid. Both the pAt15955 and pTi15955 plasmids carry homologs of a TraI-type AHL synthase, a TraR-type AHL-responsive transcription activator, and a TraM-type anti-activator. The traI genes from both pTi15955 and pAt15955 can direct production of the inducing AHL (3-octanoyl-L-homoserine lactone) and together contribute to the overall AHL pool. The TraR protein encoded on each plasmid activates AHL-responsive transcription of target tra gene promoters. The pAt15955 TraR can cross-activate tra genes on the Ti plasmid as strongly as its cognate tra genes, whereas the pTi15955 TraR is preferentially biased toward its own tra genes. Putative tra box elements are located upstream of target promoters, and comparing between plasmids, they are in similar locations and share an inverted repeat structure, but have distinct consensus sequences. The two AHL quorum sensing systems have a combinatorial effect on conjugative transfer of both plasmids. Overall, the interactions described here have implications for the horizontal transfer and evolutionary stability of both plasmids and, in a broad sense, are consistent with other repABC systems that often have multiple quorum-sensing controlled secondary replicons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ian S Barton
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, United States
| | - Justin L Eagan
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, United States
| | | | - Ian P Reynolds
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, United States
| | - Thomas G Platt
- Division of Biology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, United States
| | - Clay Fuqua
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, United States
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9
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Vial L, Hommais F. Plasmid-chromosome cross-talks. Environ Microbiol 2019; 22:540-556. [PMID: 31782608 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.14880] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2019] [Revised: 11/25/2019] [Accepted: 11/27/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Plasmids can be acquired by recipient bacteria at a significant cost while conferring them advantageous traits. To counterbalance the costs of plasmid carriage, both plasmids and host bacteria have developed a tight regulatory network that may involve a cross-talk between the chromosome and the plasmids. Although plasmid regulation by chromosomal regulators is generally well known, chromosome regulation by plasmid has been far less investigated. Yet, a growing number of studies have highlighted an impact of plasmids on their host bacteria. Here, we describe the plasmid-chromosome cross-talk from the plasmid point of view. We summarize data about the chromosomal adaptive mutations generated by plasmid carriage; the impact of the loss of a domesticated plasmid or the gain of a new plasmid. Then, we present the control of plasmid-encoded regulators on chromosomal gene expression. The involvement of regulators homologous to chromosome-encoded proteins is illustrated by the H-NS-like proteins, and by the Rap-Phr system. Finally, plasmid-specific regulators of chromosomal gene expression are presented, which highlight the involvement of transcription factors and sRNAs. A comprehensive analysis of the mechanisms that allow a given plasmid to impact the chromosome of bacterium will help to understand the tight cross-talk between plasmids and the chromosome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ludovic Vial
- Université de Lyon, 69622, Lyon, France.,Université Lyon 1, 69622, Villeurbanne, France.,CNRS, UMR 5557 Ecologie Microbienne, 69622, Villeurbanne, France.,INRA, UMR1418 Ecologie Microbienne, 69622, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Florence Hommais
- Université de Lyon, 69622, Lyon, France.,Université Lyon 1, 69622, Villeurbanne, France.,CNRS, UMR 5240 Microbiologie Adaptation et Pathogénie, 69622, Villeurbanne, France
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10
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Cervantes L, Miranda-Sánchez F, Torres Tejerizo G, Romero D, Brom S. Plasmid pSfr64a and the symbiotic plasmid pSfr64b of Sinorhizobium fredii GR64 control each other's conjugative transfer through quorum-sensing elements. Plasmid 2019; 106:102443. [PMID: 31689451 DOI: 10.1016/j.plasmid.2019.102443] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2019] [Revised: 08/29/2019] [Accepted: 09/17/2019] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Rhizobia are nitrogen-fixing symbionts of plants. Their genomes frequently contain large plasmids, some of which are able to perform conjugative transfer. Plasmid pSfr64a from Sinorhizobium fredii GR64 is a conjugative plasmid, whose transfer is regulated by quorum sensing genes encoded by itself (traR64a, traI64a), in the symbiotic plasmid pSfr64b (traR64b, traI64b), and in the chromosome (ngrI). Also, transfer of pSfr64b requires quorum sensing elements encoded in this plasmid (traR64b, traI64b), in pSfr64a (traR64a), and in the chromosome (ngrI). These results demonstrate that pSfr64a and the symbiotic plasmid depend on each other for conjugative transfer. Plasmid pSfr64a from S. fredii GR64 is unable to transfer from the genomic background of Rhizobium etli CFN42. Our results show that the relaxase of pRet42a is able to process the oriT of pSfr64a, and viceversa, underlining their functional similarity and suggesting that in addition to the external signals, the "cytoplasmic environment" may pose a barrier to plasmid dissemination, even if the plasmids are functional in other aspects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Cervantes
- Programa de Ingeniería Genómica, Centro de Ciencias Genómicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Cuernavaca, Mexico
| | - Fabiola Miranda-Sánchez
- Programa de Ingeniería Genómica, Centro de Ciencias Genómicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Cuernavaca, Mexico; Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Gonzalo Torres Tejerizo
- Programa de Ingeniería Genómica, Centro de Ciencias Genómicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Cuernavaca, Mexico; Instituto de Biotecnología y Biología Molecular (IBBM) - CCT-CONICET-La Plata, Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, La Plata, Argentina
| | - David Romero
- Programa de Ingeniería Genómica, Centro de Ciencias Genómicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Cuernavaca, Mexico
| | - Susana Brom
- Programa de Ingeniería Genómica, Centro de Ciencias Genómicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Cuernavaca, Mexico.
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11
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Barton IS, Platt TG, Rusch DB, Fuqua C. Destabilization of the Tumor-Inducing Plasmid from an Octopine-Type Agrobacterium tumefaciens Lineage Drives a Large Deletion in the Co-resident At Megaplasmid. G3 (BETHESDA, MD.) 2019; 9:3489-3500. [PMID: 31451548 PMCID: PMC6778807 DOI: 10.1534/g3.119.400554] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [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: 07/17/2019] [Accepted: 08/22/2019] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Bacteria with multi-replicon genome organizations, including members of the family Rhizobiaceae, often carry a variety of niche-associated functions on large plasmids. While evidence exists for cross-replicon interactions and co-evolution between replicons in many of these systems, remarkable strain-to-strain variation is also observed for extrachromosomal elements, suggesting increased genetic plasticity. Here, we show that curing of the tumor-inducing virulence plasmid (pTi) of an octopine-type Agrobacterium tumefaciens lineage leads to a large deletion in the co-resident At megaplasmid (pAt). The deletion event is mediated by a repetitive IS-element, IS66, and results in a variety of environment-dependent fitness consequences, including loss of independent conjugal transfer of the plasmid. Interestingly, a related and otherwise wild-type A. tumefaciens strain is missing exactly the same large pAt segment as the pAt deletion derivatives, suggesting a similar event over its natural history. Overall, the findings presented here uncover a novel genetic interaction between the two large plasmids of A. tumefaciens and provide evidence for cross-replicon integration and co-evolution of these plasmids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ian S Barton
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana
| | - Thomas G Platt
- Division of Biology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506, and
| | - Douglas B Rusch
- Center for Genomics and Bioinformatics, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405
| | - Clay Fuqua
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana
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12
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Diel B, Dequivre M, Wisniewski‐Dyé F, Vial L, Hommais F. A novel plasmid‐transcribed regulatory sRNA, QfsR, controls chromosomal polycistronic gene expression in
Agrobacterium fabrum. Environ Microbiol 2019; 21:3063-3075. [DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.14704] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2019] [Accepted: 06/04/2019] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Diel
- Université de Lyon F‐69622 Lyon France
- Université Lyon 1 F‐69622 Villeurbanne France
- CNRSUMR 5240 Microbiologie Adaptation et Pathogénie F‐69622 Villeurbanne France
- CNRSUMR 5557 Ecologie Microbienne F‐69622 Villeurbanne France
- INRAUMR1418 Ecologie Microbienne F‐69622 Villeurbanne France
| | - Magali Dequivre
- Université de Lyon F‐69622 Lyon France
- Université Lyon 1 F‐69622 Villeurbanne France
- CNRSUMR 5240 Microbiologie Adaptation et Pathogénie F‐69622 Villeurbanne France
| | - Florence Wisniewski‐Dyé
- Université de Lyon F‐69622 Lyon France
- Université Lyon 1 F‐69622 Villeurbanne France
- CNRSUMR 5557 Ecologie Microbienne F‐69622 Villeurbanne France
- INRAUMR1418 Ecologie Microbienne F‐69622 Villeurbanne France
| | - Ludovic Vial
- Université de Lyon F‐69622 Lyon France
- Université Lyon 1 F‐69622 Villeurbanne France
- CNRSUMR 5557 Ecologie Microbienne F‐69622 Villeurbanne France
- INRAUMR1418 Ecologie Microbienne F‐69622 Villeurbanne France
| | - Florence Hommais
- Université de Lyon F‐69622 Lyon France
- Université Lyon 1 F‐69622 Villeurbanne France
- CNRSUMR 5240 Microbiologie Adaptation et Pathogénie F‐69622 Villeurbanne France
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13
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Meyer T, Renoud S, Vigouroux A, Miomandre A, Gaillard V, Kerzaon I, Prigent-Combaret C, Comte G, Moréra S, Vial L, Lavire C. Regulation of Hydroxycinnamic Acid Degradation Drives Agrobacterium fabrum Lifestyles. MOLECULAR PLANT-MICROBE INTERACTIONS : MPMI 2018; 31:814-822. [PMID: 29460677 DOI: 10.1094/mpmi-10-17-0236-r] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
Regulatory factors are key components for the transition between different lifestyles to ensure rapid and appropriate gene expression upon perceiving environmental cues. Agrobacterium fabrum C58 (formerly called A. tumefaciens C58) has two contrasting lifestyles: it can interact with plants as either a rhizosphere inhabitant (rhizospheric lifestyle) or a pathogen that creates its own ecological niche in a plant tumor via its tumor-inducing plasmid (pathogenic lifestyle). Hydroxycinnamic acids are known to play an important role in the pathogenic lifestyle of Agrobacterium spp. but can be degraded in A. fabrum species. We investigated the molecular and ecological mechanisms involved in the regulation of A. fabrum species-specific genes responsible for hydroxycinnamic acid degradation. We characterized the effectors (feruloyl-CoA and p-coumaroyl-CoA) and the DNA targets of the MarR transcriptional repressor, which we named HcaR, which regulates hydroxycinnamic acid degradation. Using an hcaR-deleted strain, we further revealed that hydroxycinnamic acid degradation interfere with virulence gene expression. The HcaR deletion mutant shows a contrasting competitive colonization ability, being less abundant than the wild-type strain in tumors but more abundant in the rhizosphere. This supports the view that A. fabrum C58 HcaR regulation through ferulic and p-coumaric acid perception is important for the transition between lifestyles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thibault Meyer
- 1 Université de Lyon, F-69622, Lyon, France; Université Lyon 1, Villeurbanne, France; CNRS, UMR5557, Ecologie Microbienne, Villeurbanne, France; INRA, UMR1418, Villeurbanne, France; and
| | - Sébastien Renoud
- 1 Université de Lyon, F-69622, Lyon, France; Université Lyon 1, Villeurbanne, France; CNRS, UMR5557, Ecologie Microbienne, Villeurbanne, France; INRA, UMR1418, Villeurbanne, France; and
| | - Armelle Vigouroux
- 2 Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), CNRS CEA Univ. Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, Avenue de la Terrasse, Gif-sur-Yvette 91198, France
| | - Aurélie Miomandre
- 1 Université de Lyon, F-69622, Lyon, France; Université Lyon 1, Villeurbanne, France; CNRS, UMR5557, Ecologie Microbienne, Villeurbanne, France; INRA, UMR1418, Villeurbanne, France; and
| | - Vincent Gaillard
- 1 Université de Lyon, F-69622, Lyon, France; Université Lyon 1, Villeurbanne, France; CNRS, UMR5557, Ecologie Microbienne, Villeurbanne, France; INRA, UMR1418, Villeurbanne, France; and
| | - Isabelle Kerzaon
- 1 Université de Lyon, F-69622, Lyon, France; Université Lyon 1, Villeurbanne, France; CNRS, UMR5557, Ecologie Microbienne, Villeurbanne, France; INRA, UMR1418, Villeurbanne, France; and
| | - Claire Prigent-Combaret
- 1 Université de Lyon, F-69622, Lyon, France; Université Lyon 1, Villeurbanne, France; CNRS, UMR5557, Ecologie Microbienne, Villeurbanne, France; INRA, UMR1418, Villeurbanne, France; and
| | - Gilles Comte
- 1 Université de Lyon, F-69622, Lyon, France; Université Lyon 1, Villeurbanne, France; CNRS, UMR5557, Ecologie Microbienne, Villeurbanne, France; INRA, UMR1418, Villeurbanne, France; and
| | - Solange Moréra
- 2 Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), CNRS CEA Univ. Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, Avenue de la Terrasse, Gif-sur-Yvette 91198, France
| | - Ludovic Vial
- 1 Université de Lyon, F-69622, Lyon, France; Université Lyon 1, Villeurbanne, France; CNRS, UMR5557, Ecologie Microbienne, Villeurbanne, France; INRA, UMR1418, Villeurbanne, France; and
| | - Céline Lavire
- 1 Université de Lyon, F-69622, Lyon, France; Université Lyon 1, Villeurbanne, France; CNRS, UMR5557, Ecologie Microbienne, Villeurbanne, France; INRA, UMR1418, Villeurbanne, France; and
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González-Mula A, Lang J, Grandclément C, Naquin D, Ahmar M, Soulère L, Queneau Y, Dessaux Y, Faure D. Lifestyle of the biotroph Agrobacterium tumefaciens in the ecological niche constructed on its host plant. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2018; 219:350-362. [PMID: 29701262 DOI: 10.1111/nph.15164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2018] [Accepted: 03/13/2018] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
Agrobacterium tumefaciens constructs an ecological niche in its host plant by transferring the T-DNA from its Ti plasmid into the host genome and by diverting the host metabolism. We combined transcriptomics and genetics for understanding the A. tumefaciens lifestyle when it colonizes Arabidopsis thaliana tumors. Transcriptomics highlighted: a transition from a motile to sessile behavior that mobilizes some master regulators (Hfq, CtrA, DivK and PleD); a remodeling of some cell surface components (O-antigen, succinoglucan, curdlan, att genes, putative fasciclin) and functions associated with plant defense (Ef-Tu and flagellin pathogen-associated molecular pattern-response and glycerol-3-phosphate and nitric oxide signaling); and an exploitation of a wide variety of host resources, including opines, amino acids, sugars, organic acids, phosphate, phosphorylated compounds, and iron. In addition, construction of transgenic A. thaliana lines expressing a lactonase enzyme showed that Ti plasmid transfer could escape host-mediated quorum-quenching. Finally, construction of knock-out mutants in A. tumefaciens showed that expression of some At plasmid genes seemed more costly than the selective advantage they would have conferred in tumor colonization. We provide the first overview of A. tumefaciens lifestyle in a plant tumor and reveal novel signaling and trophic interplays for investigating host-pathogen interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Almudena González-Mula
- Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), CNRS CEA Univ. Paris-Sud, University Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, F-91190, France
| | - Julien Lang
- Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), CNRS CEA Univ. Paris-Sud, University Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, F-91190, France
| | - Catherine Grandclément
- Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), CNRS CEA Univ. Paris-Sud, University Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, F-91190, France
| | - Delphine Naquin
- Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), CNRS CEA Univ. Paris-Sud, University Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, F-91190, France
| | - Mohammed Ahmar
- Institut de Chimie et de Biochimie Moléculaires et Supramoléculaires (ICBMS), INSA-Lyon, Université Lyon 1, CNRS, CPE Lyon, ICBMS, UMR5246, INSA Lyon, Villeurbanne, F-69621, France
| | - Laurent Soulère
- Institut de Chimie et de Biochimie Moléculaires et Supramoléculaires (ICBMS), INSA-Lyon, Université Lyon 1, CNRS, CPE Lyon, ICBMS, UMR5246, INSA Lyon, Villeurbanne, F-69621, France
| | - Yves Queneau
- Institut de Chimie et de Biochimie Moléculaires et Supramoléculaires (ICBMS), INSA-Lyon, Université Lyon 1, CNRS, CPE Lyon, ICBMS, UMR5246, INSA Lyon, Villeurbanne, F-69621, France
| | - Yves Dessaux
- Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), CNRS CEA Univ. Paris-Sud, University Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, F-91190, France
| | - Denis Faure
- Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), CNRS CEA Univ. Paris-Sud, University Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, F-91190, France
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15
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Dessaux Y, Faure D. Quorum Sensing and Quorum Quenching in Agrobacterium: A "Go/No Go System"? Genes (Basel) 2018; 9:genes9040210. [PMID: 29659511 PMCID: PMC5924552 DOI: 10.3390/genes9040210] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2018] [Revised: 04/08/2018] [Accepted: 04/09/2018] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
The pathogen Agrobacterium induces gall formation on a wide range of dicotyledonous plants. In this bacteria, most pathogenicity determinants are borne on the tumour inducing (Ti) plasmid. The conjugative transfer of this plasmid between agrobacteria is regulated by quorum sensing (QS). However, processes involved in the disturbance of QS also occur in this bacteria under the molecular form of a protein, TraM, inhibiting the sensing of the QS signals, and two lactonases BlcC (AttM) and AiiB that degrade the acylhomoserine lactone (AHL) QS signal. In the model Agrobacteriumfabrum strain C58, several data, once integrated, strongly suggest that the QS regulation may not be reacting only to cell concentration. Rather, these QS elements in association with the quorum quenching (QQ) activities may constitute an integrated and complex “go/no go system” that finely controls the biologically costly transfer of the Ti plasmid in response to multiple environmental cues. This decision mechanism permits the bacteria to sense whether it is in a gall or not, in a living or decaying tumor, in stressed plant tissues, etc. In this scheme, the role of the lactonases selected and maintained in the course of Ti plasmid and agrobacterial evolution appears to be pivotal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yves Dessaux
- Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), CEA, CNRS, Univ. Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, Avenue de la terrasse, 91198 Gif sur Yvette CEDEX, France.
| | - Denis Faure
- Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), CEA, CNRS, Univ. Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, Avenue de la terrasse, 91198 Gif sur Yvette CEDEX, France.
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16
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Meyer T, Vigouroux A, Aumont-Nicaise M, Comte G, Vial L, Lavire C, Moréra S. The plant defense signal galactinol is specifically used as a nutrient by the bacterial pathogen Agrobacterium fabrum. J Biol Chem 2018; 293:7930-7941. [PMID: 29602905 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.ra118.001856] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2018] [Revised: 03/27/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The bacterial plant pathogen Agrobacterium fabrum uses periplasmic-binding proteins (PBPs) along with ABC transporters to import a wide variety of plant molecules as nutrients. Nonetheless, how A. fabrum acquires plant metabolites is incompletely understood. Using genetic approaches and affinity measurements, we identified here the PBP MelB and its transporter as being responsible for the uptake of the raffinose family of oligosaccharides (RFO), which are the most widespread d-galactose-containing oligosaccharides in higher plants. We also found that the RFO precursor galactinol, recently described as a plant defense molecule, is imported into Agrobacterium via MelB with nanomolar range affinity. Structural analyses and binding mode comparisons of the X-ray structures of MelB in complex with raffinose, stachyose, galactinol, galactose, and melibiose (a raffinose degradation product) revealed how MelB recognizes the nonreducing end galactose common to all these ligands and that MelB has a strong preference for a two-unit sugar ligand. Of note, MelB conferred a competitive advantage to A. fabrum in colonizing the rhizosphere of tomato plants. Our integrative work highlights the structural and functional characteristics of melibiose and galactinol assimilation by A. fabrum, leading to a competitive advantage for these bacteria in the rhizosphere. We propose that the PBP MelB, which is highly conserved among both symbionts and pathogens from Rhizobiace family, is a major trait in these bacteria required for early steps of plant colonization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thibault Meyer
- UMR Ecologie Microbienne, CNRS, INRA, VetAgro Sup, UCBL, Université de Lyon, F-69622, Villeurbanne, Lyon, France
| | - Armelle Vigouroux
- CNRS CEA Université Paris Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), Avenue de la Terrasse, 91198 Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Magali Aumont-Nicaise
- CNRS CEA Université Paris Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), Avenue de la Terrasse, 91198 Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Gilles Comte
- UMR Ecologie Microbienne, CNRS, INRA, VetAgro Sup, UCBL, Université de Lyon, F-69622, Villeurbanne, Lyon, France
| | - Ludovic Vial
- UMR Ecologie Microbienne, CNRS, INRA, VetAgro Sup, UCBL, Université de Lyon, F-69622, Villeurbanne, Lyon, France
| | - Céline Lavire
- UMR Ecologie Microbienne, CNRS, INRA, VetAgro Sup, UCBL, Université de Lyon, F-69622, Villeurbanne, Lyon, France.
| | - Solange Moréra
- CNRS CEA Université Paris Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), Avenue de la Terrasse, 91198 Gif-sur-Yvette, France.
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17
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Niche Construction and Exploitation by Agrobacterium: How to Survive and Face Competition in Soil and Plant Habitats. Curr Top Microbiol Immunol 2018; 418:55-86. [PMID: 29556826 DOI: 10.1007/82_2018_83] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Agrobacterium populations live in different habitats (bare soil, rhizosphere, host plants), and hence face different environmental constraints. They have evolved the capacity to exploit diverse resources and to escape plant defense and competition from other microbiota. By modifying the genome of their host, Agrobacterium populations exhibit the remarkable ability to construct and exploit the ecological niche of the plant tumors that they incite. This niche is characterized by the accumulation of specific, low molecular weight compounds termed opines that play a critical role in Agrobacterium 's lifestyle. We present and discuss the functions, advantages, and costs associated with this niche construction and exploitation.
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18
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Vigouroux A, El Sahili A, Lang J, Aumont-Nicaise M, Dessaux Y, Faure D, Moréra S. Structural basis for high specificity of octopine binding in the plant pathogen Agrobacterium tumefaciens. Sci Rep 2017; 7:18033. [PMID: 29269740 PMCID: PMC5740067 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-18243-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2017] [Accepted: 12/07/2017] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Agrobacterium pathogens of octopine- and nopaline-types force host plants to produce either octopine or nopaline compounds, which they use as nutrients. Two Agrobacterium ABC-transporters and their cognate periplasmic binding proteins (PBPs) OccJ and NocT import octopine and nopaline/octopine, respectively. Here, we show that both octopine transport and degradation confer a selective advantage to octopine-type A. tumefaciens when it colonizes plants. We report the X-ray structures of the unliganded PBP OccJ and its complex with octopine as well as a structural comparison with NocT and the related PBP LAO from Salmonella enterica, which binds amino acids (lysine, arginine and ornithine). We investigated the specificity of OccJ, NocT and LAO using several ligands such as amino acids, octopine, nopaline and octopine analogues. OccJ displays a high selectivity and nanomolar range affinity for octopine. Altogether, the structural and affinity data allowed to define an octopine binding signature in PBPs and to construct a OccJ mutant impaired in octopine binding, a selective octopine-binding NocT and a non-selective octopine-binding LAO by changing one single residue in these PBPs. We proposed the PBP OccJ as a major trait in the ecological specialization of octopine-type Agrobacterium pathogens when they colonize and exploit the plant host.
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Affiliation(s)
- Armelle Vigouroux
- Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), CNRS CEA Univ. Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, Avenue de la Terrasse, Gif-sur-Yvette, 91198, France
| | - Abbas El Sahili
- Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), CNRS CEA Univ. Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, Avenue de la Terrasse, Gif-sur-Yvette, 91198, France.,NTU Institute for Structural Biology, Nanyang Technological University, Experimental Medicine Building, Singapore, 636921, Singapore
| | - Julien Lang
- Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), CNRS CEA Univ. Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, Avenue de la Terrasse, Gif-sur-Yvette, 91198, France.,IPS2, INRA, 91 190, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Magali Aumont-Nicaise
- Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), CNRS CEA Univ. Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, Avenue de la Terrasse, Gif-sur-Yvette, 91198, France
| | - Yves Dessaux
- Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), CNRS CEA Univ. Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, Avenue de la Terrasse, Gif-sur-Yvette, 91198, France
| | - Denis Faure
- Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), CNRS CEA Univ. Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, Avenue de la Terrasse, Gif-sur-Yvette, 91198, France.
| | - Solange Moréra
- Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), CNRS CEA Univ. Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, Avenue de la Terrasse, Gif-sur-Yvette, 91198, France.
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19
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Sivapragasam S, Deochand DK, Meariman JK, Grove A. The Stringent Response Induced by Phosphate Limitation Promotes Purine Salvage in Agrobacterium fabrum. Biochemistry 2017; 56:5831-5843. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.7b00844] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Smitha Sivapragasam
- Department of Biological
Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803, United States
| | - Dinesh K. Deochand
- Department of Biological
Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803, United States
| | - Jacob K. Meariman
- Department of Biological
Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803, United States
| | - Anne Grove
- Department of Biological
Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803, United States
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20
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Quorum-quenching limits quorum-sensing exploitation by signal-negative invaders. Sci Rep 2017; 7:40126. [PMID: 28054641 PMCID: PMC5215187 DOI: 10.1038/srep40126] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2016] [Accepted: 12/02/2016] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Some bacteria produce and perceive quorum-sensing (QS) signals that coordinate several behaviours, including the costly processes that are exoenzyme production and plasmid transfer. In the case of plasmid transfer, the emergence of QS signal-altered invaders and their policing are poorly documented. In Agrobacterium tumefaciens, the virulence Ti-plasmid encodes both synthesis and sensing of QS-signals, which promote its transfer from a donor to a recipient cell. Here, we reported that QS-altered A. tumefaciens mutants arose during experimental evolution. All showed improved growth compared to their ancestor. Genome sequencing revealed that, though some had lost the Ti-plasmid, most were defective for QS-signal synthesis and Ti-plasmid conjugation (traR mutations) and one exhibited a QS-signal exploitation behaviour, using signal produced by other cells to enhance its own Ti-plasmid transfer. We explored mechanisms that can limit this QS-hijacking. We showed that the A. tumefaciens capacity to inactivate QS-signals by expressing QS-degrading enzyme could attenuate dissemination of the QS signal-negative Ti-plasmids. This work shows that enzymatic QS-disruption whether encoded by the QS-producing Ti-plasmid itself, by a companion plasmid in the same donor cells, or by one in the recipient cells, in all cases can serve as a mechanism for controlling QS exploitation by QS signal-negative mutants.
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21
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Fitness costs restrict niche expansion by generalist niche-constructing pathogens. ISME JOURNAL 2016; 11:374-385. [PMID: 27801902 DOI: 10.1038/ismej.2016.137] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2016] [Revised: 08/04/2016] [Accepted: 09/07/2016] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
We investigated the molecular and ecological mechanisms involved in niche expansion, or generalism, versus specialization in sympatric plant pathogens. Nopaline-type and octopine-type Agrobacterium tumefaciens engineer distinct niches in their plant hosts that provide different nutrients: nopaline or octopine, respectively. Previous studies revealed that nopaline-type pathogens may expand their niche to also assimilate octopine in the presence of nopaline, but consequences of this phenomenon on pathogen dynamics in planta were not known. Here, we provided molecular insight into how the transport protein NocT can bind octopine as well as nopaline, contributing to niche expansion. We further showed that despite the ability for niche expansion, nopaline-type pathogens had no competitive advantage over octopine-type pathogens in co-infected plants. We also demonstrated that a single nucleotide polymorphism in the nocR gene was sufficient to allow octopine assimilation by nopaline-type strains even in absence of nopaline. The evolved nocR bacteria had higher fitness than their ancestor in octopine-rich transgenic plants but lower fitness in tumors induced by octopine-type pathogens. Overall, this work elucidates the specialization of A. tumefaciens to particular opine niches and explains why generalists do not always spread despite the advantage associated with broader nutritional niches.
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22
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Mhedbi-Hajri N, Yahiaoui N, Mondy S, Hue N, Pélissier F, Faure D, Dessaux Y. Transcriptome analysis revealed that a quorum sensing system regulates the transfer of the pAt megaplasmid in Agrobacterium tumefaciens. BMC Genomics 2016; 17:661. [PMID: 27543103 PMCID: PMC4992315 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-016-3007-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2016] [Accepted: 08/10/2016] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Agrobacterium tumefaciens strain P4 is atypical, as the strain is not pathogenic and produces a for this species unusual quorum sensing signal, identified as N-(3-hydroxy-octanoyl)-homoserine lactone (3OH,C8-HSL). Results By sequence analysis and cloning, a functional luxI-like gene, named cinI, has been identified on the At plasmid of A. tumefaciens strain P4. Insertion mutagenesis in the cinI gene and transcriptome analyses permitted the identification of 32 cinI-regulated genes in this strain, most of them encoding proteins responsible for the conjugative transfer of pAtP4. Among these genes were the avhB genes that encode a type 4 secretion system (T4SS) involved in the formation of the conjugation apparatus, the tra genes that encode the DNA transfer and replication (Dtr) machinery and cinI and two luxR orthologs. These last two genes, cinR and cinX, exhibit an unusual organization, with the cinI gene surrounded by the two luxR orthologs. Conjugation experiments confirmed that the conjugative transfer of pAtP4 is regulated by 3OH,C8-HSL. Root colonization experiments indicated that the quorum sensing regulation of the conjugation of the pAtP4 does not confer a gain or a loss of fitness to the bacterial host in the tomato plant rhizosphere. Conclusion This work is the first identification of the occurrence of a quorum sensing regulation of the pAt conjugation phenomenon in Agrobacterium. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12864-016-3007-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nadia Mhedbi-Hajri
- Institut for integrative biology of the cell, CEA, CNRS, Université Paris-sud, Université Paris-Saclay, 91198, Gif sur Yvette, CEDEX, France
| | - Noura Yahiaoui
- Institut for integrative biology of the cell, CEA, CNRS, Université Paris-sud, Université Paris-Saclay, 91198, Gif sur Yvette, CEDEX, France.,Present address: CIRAD, 7 chemin de l'IRAT, ligne Paradis, 97410, Saint Pierre de la Réunion, France
| | - Samuel Mondy
- Institut for integrative biology of the cell, CEA, CNRS, Université Paris-sud, Université Paris-Saclay, 91198, Gif sur Yvette, CEDEX, France.,Present address: UMR1347 Agroécologie, INRA, Centre de Dijon, 17 rue Sully, BP 86510, 21065, Dijon, CEDEX, France
| | - Nathalie Hue
- Institut de chimie des substances naturelles, CNRS, Avenue de la terrasse, 91198, Gif sur Yvette, France
| | - Franck Pélissier
- Institut de chimie des substances naturelles, CNRS, Avenue de la terrasse, 91198, Gif sur Yvette, France
| | - Denis Faure
- Institut for integrative biology of the cell, CEA, CNRS, Université Paris-sud, Université Paris-Saclay, 91198, Gif sur Yvette, CEDEX, France
| | - Yves Dessaux
- Institut for integrative biology of the cell, CEA, CNRS, Université Paris-sud, Université Paris-Saclay, 91198, Gif sur Yvette, CEDEX, France.
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23
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Bai Y, Rottwinkel G, Feng J, Liu Y, Lamparter T. Bacteriophytochromes control conjugation in Agrobacterium fabrum. JOURNAL OF PHOTOCHEMISTRY AND PHOTOBIOLOGY B-BIOLOGY 2016; 161:192-9. [PMID: 27261700 DOI: 10.1016/j.jphotobiol.2016.05.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2016] [Accepted: 05/11/2016] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Bacterial conjugation, the transfer of single stranded plasmid DNA from donor to recipient cell, is mediated through the type IV secretion system. We performed conjugation assays using a transmissible artificial plasmid as reporter. With this assay, conjugation in Agrobacterium fabrum was modulated by the phytochromes Agp1 and Agp2, photoreceptors that are most sensitive in the red region of visible light. In conjugation studies with wild-type donor cells carrying a pBIN-GUSINT plasmid as reporter that lacked the Ti (tumor inducing) plasmid, no conjugation was observed. When either agp1(-) or agp2(-) knockout donor strains were used, plasmid DNA was delivered to the recipient, indicating that both phytochromes suppress conjugation in the wild type donor. In the recipient strains, the loss of Agp1 or Agp2 led to diminished conjugation. When wild type cells with Ti plasmid and pBIN-GUS reporter plasmid were used as donor, a high rate of conjugation was observed. The DNA transfer was down regulated by red or far-red light by a factor of 3.5. With agp1(-) or agp2(-) knockout donor cells, conjugation in the dark was about 10 times lower than with the wild type donor, and with the double knockout donor no conjugation was observed. These results imply that the phytochrome system has evolved to inhibit conjugation in the light. The decrease of conjugation under different temperature correlated with the decrease of phytochrome autophosphorylation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yingnan Bai
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Botanical Institute, Kaiserstr. 2, D-76131 Karlsruhe, Germany; University of Electronic Science and Technology of China (UESTC), School of Science and Technology, No. 4, Sections 2, North Jianshe Road, Chengdu 610054, China
| | - Gregor Rottwinkel
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Botanical Institute, Kaiserstr. 2, D-76131 Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - Juan Feng
- University of Electronic Science and Technology of China (UESTC), School of Science and Technology, No. 4, Sections 2, North Jianshe Road, Chengdu 610054, China
| | - Yiyao Liu
- University of Electronic Science and Technology of China (UESTC), School of Science and Technology, No. 4, Sections 2, North Jianshe Road, Chengdu 610054, China
| | - Tilman Lamparter
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Botanical Institute, Kaiserstr. 2, D-76131 Karlsruhe, Germany.
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Lang J, Gonzalez-Mula A, Taconnat L, Clement G, Faure D. The plant GABA signaling downregulates horizontal transfer of the Agrobacterium tumefaciens virulence plasmid. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2016; 210:974-983. [PMID: 26714842 DOI: 10.1111/nph.13813] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2015] [Accepted: 11/18/2015] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
In the tumor-inducing (Ti) Agrobacterium tumefaciens, quorum sensing activates the horizontal transfer of the virulent Ti plasmid. In pure culture, this process can be impaired by the A. tumefaciens BlcC lactonase, whose expression is induced by gamma-aminobutyrate (GABA). It was therefore hypothesized that host GABA content might modulate quorum sensing and virulence gene dissemination during A. tumefaciens infection. We examined GABA metabolism and transport in Arabidopsis thaliana tumors combining transcriptomic, metabolomic and histological approaches. In addition, using genetically modified plants and bacteria, we evaluated the impact of plant host GABA content on Ti plasmid dissemination. The results showed that GABA and free proline, which acts as an antagonist of GABA uptake in A. tumefaciens, accumulated in wild-type tumors relative to uninfected plant tissues. Moreover, comparisons of tumors induced on Col-0 and her1 plants showed that the increase in the plant GABA : proline ratio was associated with both the upregulated expression of the blcC gene and the decreased dissemination of Ti plasmid in tumor-colonizing A. tumefaciens populations. This work demonstrates experimentally that the variation in the GABA content in plant tumors can interfere with the dissemination of A. tumefaciens Ti plasmids, and therefore highlights plant GABA content as an important trait in the struggle against pathogenic bacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julien Lang
- Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), CNRS CEA Université Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, Saclay Plant Sciences, Avenue de la Terrasse, 91198, Gif-sur-Yvette Cedex, France
| | - Almudena Gonzalez-Mula
- Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), CNRS CEA Université Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, Saclay Plant Sciences, Avenue de la Terrasse, 91198, Gif-sur-Yvette Cedex, France
| | - Ludivine Taconnat
- POPS Transcriptomic Platform - Institute of Plant Sciences Paris-Saclay (IPS2), CNRS, INRA, Université Paris-Sud, Université d'Evry, Université Paris-Diderot, Sorbonne Paris-Cité Université Paris-Saclay, Batiment 630, 91405, Orsay, France
| | - Gilles Clement
- Plateforme de Chimie - Métabolisme, INRA Centre de Versailles-Grignon, Route de Saint-Cyr, 78026, Versailles Cedex, France
| | - Denis Faure
- Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), CNRS CEA Université Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, Saclay Plant Sciences, Avenue de la Terrasse, 91198, Gif-sur-Yvette Cedex, France
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Grandclément C, Tannières M, Moréra S, Dessaux Y, Faure D. Quorum quenching: role in nature and applied developments. FEMS Microbiol Rev 2015; 40:86-116. [PMID: 26432822 DOI: 10.1093/femsre/fuv038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 353] [Impact Index Per Article: 39.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/21/2015] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Quorum sensing (QS) refers to the capacity of bacteria to monitor their population density and regulate gene expression accordingly: the QS-regulated processes deal with multicellular behaviors (e.g. growth and development of biofilm), horizontal gene transfer and host-microbe (symbiosis and pathogenesis) and microbe-microbe interactions. QS signaling requires the synthesis, exchange and perception of bacterial compounds, called autoinducers or QS signals (e.g. N-acylhomoserine lactones). The disruption of QS signaling, also termed quorum quenching (QQ), encompasses very diverse phenomena and mechanisms which are presented and discussed in this review. First, we surveyed the QS-signal diversity and QS-associated responses for a better understanding of the targets of the QQ phenomena that organisms have naturally evolved and are currently actively investigated in applied perspectives. Next the mechanisms, targets and molecular actors associated with QS interference are presented, with a special emphasis on the description of natural QQ enzymes and chemicals acting as QS inhibitors. Selected QQ paradigms are detailed to exemplify the mechanisms and biological roles of QS inhibition in microbe-microbe and host-microbe interactions. Finally, some QQ strategies are presented as promising tools in different fields such as medicine, aquaculture, crop production and anti-biofouling area.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catherine Grandclément
- Institut for Integrative Biology of the Cell, Department of Microbiology, CNRS CEA Paris-Sud University, Saclay Plant Sciences, Avenue de la Terrasse, 91198 Gif-sur-Yvette cedex, France
| | - Mélanie Tannières
- Institut for Integrative Biology of the Cell, Department of Microbiology, CNRS CEA Paris-Sud University, Saclay Plant Sciences, Avenue de la Terrasse, 91198 Gif-sur-Yvette cedex, France
| | - Solange Moréra
- Institut for Integrative Biology of the Cell, Department of Structural Biology, CNRS CEA Paris-Sud University, Avenue de la Terrasse, 91198 Gif-sur-Yvette cedex, France
| | - Yves Dessaux
- Institut for Integrative Biology of the Cell, Department of Microbiology, CNRS CEA Paris-Sud University, Saclay Plant Sciences, Avenue de la Terrasse, 91198 Gif-sur-Yvette cedex, France
| | - Denis Faure
- Institut for Integrative Biology of the Cell, Department of Microbiology, CNRS CEA Paris-Sud University, Saclay Plant Sciences, Avenue de la Terrasse, 91198 Gif-sur-Yvette cedex, France
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El Sahili A, Li SZ, Lang J, Virus C, Planamente S, Ahmar M, Guimaraes BG, Aumont-Nicaise M, Vigouroux A, Soulère L, Reader J, Queneau Y, Faure D, Moréra S. A Pyranose-2-Phosphate Motif Is Responsible for Both Antibiotic Import and Quorum-Sensing Regulation in Agrobacterium tumefaciens. PLoS Pathog 2015; 11:e1005071. [PMID: 26244338 PMCID: PMC4526662 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1005071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2015] [Accepted: 07/06/2015] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Periplasmic binding proteins (PBPs) in association with ABC transporters select and import a wide variety of ligands into bacterial cytoplasm. They can also take up toxic molecules, as observed in the case of the phytopathogen Agrobacterium tumefaciens strain C58. This organism contains a PBP called AccA that mediates the import of the antibiotic agrocin 84, as well as the opine agrocinopine A that acts as both a nutrient and a signalling molecule for the dissemination of virulence genes through quorum-sensing. Here, we characterized the binding mode of AccA using purified agrocin 84 and synthetic agrocinopine A by X-ray crystallography at very high resolution and performed affinity measurements. Structural and affinity analyses revealed that AccA recognizes an uncommon and specific motif, a pyranose-2-phosphate moiety which is present in both imported molecules via the L-arabinopyranose moiety in agrocinopine A and the D-glucopyranose moiety in agrocin 84. We hypothesized that AccA is a gateway allowing the import of any compound possessing a pyranose-2-phosphate motif at one end. This was structurally and functionally confirmed by experiments using four synthetic compounds: agrocinopine 3'-O-benzoate, L-arabinose-2-isopropylphosphate, L-arabinose-2-phosphate and D-glucose-2-phosphate. By combining affinity measurements and in vivo assays, we demonstrated that both L-arabinose-2-phosphate and D-glucose-2-phosphate, which are the AccF mediated degradation products of agrocinopine A and agrocin 84 respectively, interact with the master transcriptional regulator AccR and activate the quorum-sensing signal synthesis and Ti plasmid transfer in A. tumefaciens C58. Our findings shed light on the role of agrocinopine and antibiotic agrocin 84 on quorum-sensing regulation in A. tumefaciens and reveal how the PBP AccA acts as vehicle for the importation of both molecules by means of a key-recognition motif. It also opens future possibilities for the rational design of antibiotic and anti-virulence compounds against A. tumefaciens or other pathogens possessing similar PBPs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abbas El Sahili
- Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), Department of Biophysics, Biochemistry and Structural Biology, CNRS CEA University Paris-Sud, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
- Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), Department of Microbiology, CNRS CEA University Paris-Sud, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Si-Zhe Li
- Institut de Chimie et de Biochimie Moléculaires et Supramoléculaires, ICBMS, Université de Lyon, INSA Lyon, UMR 5246, CNRS, Université Lyon 1, INSA Lyon, CPE-Lyon, Bât J. Verne, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Julien Lang
- Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), Department of Microbiology, CNRS CEA University Paris-Sud, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Cornelia Virus
- Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Sara Planamente
- Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), Department of Biophysics, Biochemistry and Structural Biology, CNRS CEA University Paris-Sud, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
- Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), Department of Microbiology, CNRS CEA University Paris-Sud, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Mohammed Ahmar
- Institut de Chimie et de Biochimie Moléculaires et Supramoléculaires, ICBMS, Université de Lyon, INSA Lyon, UMR 5246, CNRS, Université Lyon 1, INSA Lyon, CPE-Lyon, Bât J. Verne, Villeurbanne, France
| | | | - Magali Aumont-Nicaise
- Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), Protein-Protein Interaction Platform, CNRS CEA University Paris-Sud, Orsay, France
| | - Armelle Vigouroux
- Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), Department of Biophysics, Biochemistry and Structural Biology, CNRS CEA University Paris-Sud, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Laurent Soulère
- Institut de Chimie et de Biochimie Moléculaires et Supramoléculaires, ICBMS, Université de Lyon, INSA Lyon, UMR 5246, CNRS, Université Lyon 1, INSA Lyon, CPE-Lyon, Bât J. Verne, Villeurbanne, France
| | - John Reader
- Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Yves Queneau
- Institut de Chimie et de Biochimie Moléculaires et Supramoléculaires, ICBMS, Université de Lyon, INSA Lyon, UMR 5246, CNRS, Université Lyon 1, INSA Lyon, CPE-Lyon, Bât J. Verne, Villeurbanne, France
- * E-mail: (YQ); (DF); (SM)
| | - Denis Faure
- Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), Department of Microbiology, CNRS CEA University Paris-Sud, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
- * E-mail: (YQ); (DF); (SM)
| | - Solange Moréra
- Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), Department of Biophysics, Biochemistry and Structural Biology, CNRS CEA University Paris-Sud, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
- * E-mail: (YQ); (DF); (SM)
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27
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Xu K, Yuan Z, Rayner S, Hu X. Genome comparison provides molecular insights into the phylogeny of the reassigned new genus Lysinibacillus. BMC Genomics 2015; 16:140. [PMID: 25888315 PMCID: PMC4363355 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-015-1359-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2014] [Accepted: 02/19/2015] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Lysinibacillus sphaericus (formerly named Bacillus sphaericus) is incapable of polysaccharide utilization and some isolates produce active insecticidal proteins against mosquito larvae. Its taxonomic status was changed to the genus Lysinibacillus in 2007 with some other organisms previously regarded as members of Bacillus. However, this classification is mainly based on physiology and phenotype and there is limited genomic information to support it. RESULTS In this study, four genomes of L. sphaericus were sequenced and compared with those of 24 representative strains belonging to Lysinibacillus and Bacillus. The results show that Lysinibacillus strains are phylogenetically related based on the genome sequences and composition of core genes. Comparison of gene function indicates the major difference between Lysinibacillus and the two Bacillus species is related to metabolism and cell wall/membrane biogenesis. Although L. sphaericus mosquitocidal isolates are highly conserved, other Lysinibacillus strains display a large heterogeneity. It was observed that mosquitocidal toxin genes in L. sphaericus were in close proximity to genome islands (GIs) and mobile genetic elements (MGEs). Furthermore, different copies and varying genomic location of the GIs containing binA/binB was observed amongst the different isolates. In addition, a plasmid highly similar to pBsph, but lacking the GI containing binA/binB, was found in L. sphaericus SSII-1. CONCLUSIONS Our results confirm the taxonomy of the new genus Lysinibacillus at the genome level and suggest a new species for mosquito-toxic L. sphaericus. Based on our findings, we hypothesize that (1) Lysinibacillus strains evolved from a common ancestor and the mosquitocidal L. sphaericus toxin genes were acquired by horizontal gene transfer (HGT), and (2) capture and loss of plasmids occurs in the population, which plays an important role in the transmission of binA/binB.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kai Xu
- Key Laboratory of Agricultural and Environmental Microbiology, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430071, China. .,University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100039, China.
| | - Zhiming Yuan
- Key Laboratory of Agricultural and Environmental Microbiology, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430071, China.
| | - Simon Rayner
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430071, China.
| | - Xiaomin Hu
- Key Laboratory of Agricultural and Environmental Microbiology, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430071, China.
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Platt TG, Morton ER, Barton IS, Bever JD, Fuqua C. Ecological dynamics and complex interactions of Agrobacterium megaplasmids. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2014; 5:635. [PMID: 25452760 PMCID: PMC4231840 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2014.00635] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2014] [Accepted: 10/27/2014] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
As with many pathogenic bacteria, agrobacterial plant pathogens carry most of their virulence functions on a horizontally transmissible genetic element. The tumor-inducing (Ti) plasmid encodes the majority of virulence functions for the crown gall agent Agrobacterium tumefaciens. This includes the vir genes which drive genetic transformation of host cells and the catabolic genes needed to utilize the opines produced by infected plants. The Ti plasmid also encodes, an opine-dependent quorum sensing system that tightly regulates Ti plasmid copy number and its conjugal transfer to other agrobacteria. Many natural agrobacteria are avirulent, lacking the Ti plasmid. The burden of harboring the Ti plasmid depends on the environmental context. Away from diseased hosts, plasmid costs are low but the benefit of the plasmid is also absent. Consequently, plasmidless genotypes are favored. On infected plants the costs of the Ti plasmid can be very high, but balanced by the opine benefits, locally favoring plasmid bearing cells. Cheating derivatives which do not incur virulence costs but can benefit from opines are favored on infected plants and in most other environments, and these are frequently isolated from nature. Many agrobacteria also harbor an At plasmid which can stably coexist with a Ti plasmid. At plasmid genes are less well characterized but in general facilitate metabolic activities in the rhizosphere and bulk soil, such as the ability to breakdown plant exudates. Examination of A. tumefaciens C58, revealed that harboring its At plasmid is much more costly than harboring it's Ti plasmid, but conversely the At plasmid is extremely difficult to cure. The interactions between these co-resident plasmids are complex, and depend on environmental context. However, the presence of a Ti plasmid appears to mitigate At plasmid costs, consistent with the high frequency with which they are found together.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Clay Fuqua
- Department of Biology, Indiana UniversityBloomington, IN, USA
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29
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Agrobacterium uses a unique ligand-binding mode for trapping opines and acquiring a competitive advantage in the niche construction on plant host. PLoS Pathog 2014; 10:e1004444. [PMID: 25299655 PMCID: PMC4192606 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1004444] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2014] [Accepted: 09/02/2014] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
By modifying the nuclear genome of its host, the plant pathogen Agrobacterium tumefaciens induces the development of plant tumours in which it proliferates. The transformed plant tissues accumulate uncommon low molecular weight compounds called opines that are growth substrates for A. tumefaciens. In the pathogen-induced niche (the plant tumour), a selective advantage conferred by opine assimilation has been hypothesized, but not experimentally demonstrated. Here, using genetics and structural biology, we deciphered how the pathogen is able to bind opines and use them to efficiently compete in the plant tumour. We report high resolution X-ray structures of the periplasmic binding protein (PBP) NocT unliganded and liganded with the opine nopaline (a condensation product of arginine and α-ketoglurate) and its lactam derivative pyronopaline. NocT exhibited an affinity for pyronopaline (KD of 0.6 µM) greater than that for nopaline (KD of 3.7 µM). Although the binding-mode of the arginine part of nopaline/pyronopaline in NocT resembled that of arginine in other PBPs, affinity measurement by two different techniques showed that NocT did not bind arginine. In contrast, NocT presented specific residues such as M117 to stabilize the bound opines. NocT relatives that exhibit the nopaline/pyronopaline-binding mode were only found in genomes of the genus Agrobacterium. Transcriptomics and reverse genetics revealed that A. tumefaciens uses the same pathway for assimilating nopaline and pyronopaline. Fitness measurements showed that NocT is required for a competitive colonization of the plant tumour by A. tumefaciens. Moreover, even though the Ti-plasmid conjugal transfer was not regulated by nopaline, the competitive advantage gained by the nopaline-assimilating Ti-plasmid donors led to a preferential horizontal propagation of this Ti-plasmid amongst the agrobacteria colonizing the plant-tumour niche. This work provided structural and genetic evidences to support the niche construction paradigm in bacterial pathogens. An ecological niche is defined, in a given environment, by the availability of nutritive resources, which can be specifically assimilated by certain living organisms to promote their proliferation. The bacterial pathogen Agrobacterium tumefaciens is able to engineer an ecological niche in the infected host via the transformation of the plant genome and diversion of the plant metabolism towards production of the opine nutrients. In this work, we quantified the selective advantage conferred to a member of the phytopathogenic species A. tumefaciens which is able to assimilate the opine nopaline. This opine is a condensate of arginine and α-ketoglurate that is produced both under linear and cyclic forms in the plant tumour environment. We further determined at the molecular and atomistic levels how A. tumefaciens is able to sense the nopaline molecules, and which metabolic pathways are activated in response. Overall, this work deciphered some key molecular events in the niche construction of the pathogen A. tumefaciens that is unique among living organisms and used to develop bioengineering tools.
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30
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Koraimann G, Wagner MA. Social behavior and decision making in bacterial conjugation. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2014; 4:54. [PMID: 24809026 PMCID: PMC4010749 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2014.00054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 87] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2014] [Accepted: 04/09/2014] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Bacteria frequently acquire novel genes by horizontal gene transfer (HGT). HGT through the process of bacterial conjugation is highly efficient and depends on the presence of conjugative plasmids (CPs) or integrated conjugative elements (ICEs) that provide the necessary genes for DNA transmission. This review focuses on recent advancements in our understanding of ssDNA transfer systems and regulatory networks ensuring timely and spatially controlled DNA transfer (tra) gene expression. As will become obvious by comparing different systems, by default, tra genes are shut off in cells in which conjugative elements are present. Only when conditions are optimal, donor cells—through epigenetic alleviation of negatively acting roadblocks and direct stimulation of DNA transfer genes—become transfer competent. These transfer competent cells have developmentally transformed into specialized cells capable of secreting ssDNA via a T4S (type IV secretion) complex directly into recipient cells. Intriguingly, even under optimal conditions, only a fraction of the population undergoes this transition, a finding that indicates specialization and cooperative, social behavior. Thereby, at the population level, the metabolic burden and other negative consequences of tra gene expression are greatly reduced without compromising the ability to horizontally transfer genes to novel bacterial hosts. This undoubtedly intelligent strategy may explain why conjugative elements—CPs and ICEs—have been successfully kept in and evolved with bacteria to constitute a major driving force of bacterial evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Günther Koraimann
- Institute of Molecular Biosciences, University of Graz Graz, Austria
| | - Maria A Wagner
- Max von Pettenkofer-Institut, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München Munich, Germany
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31
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Morton ER, Platt TG, Fuqua C, Bever JD. Non-additive costs and interactions alter the competitive dynamics of co-occurring ecologically distinct plasmids. Proc Biol Sci 2014; 281:20132173. [PMID: 24500159 PMCID: PMC3924060 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2013.2173] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2013] [Accepted: 01/07/2014] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Plasmids play an important role in shaping bacterial evolution and adaptation to heterogeneous environments. As modular genetic elements that are often conjugative, the selective pressures that act on plasmid-borne genes are distinct from those that act on the chromosome. Many bacteria are co-infected by multiple plasmids that impart niche-specific phenotypes. Thus, in addition to host-plasmid dynamics, interactions between co-infecting plasmids are likely to be important drivers of plasmid population dynamics, evolution and ecology. Agrobacterium tumefaciens is a facultative plant pathogen that commonly harbours two distinct megaplasmids. Virulence depends on the presence of the tumour-inducing (Ti) plasmid, with benefits that are primarily restricted to the disease environment. Here, we demonstrate that a second megaplasmid, the At plasmid, confers a competitive advantage in the rhizosphere. To assess the individual and interactive costs of these plasmids, we generated four isogenic derivatives: plasmidless, pAt only, pTi only and pAtpTi, and performed pairwise competitions under carbon-limiting conditions. These studies reveal a low cost to the virulence plasmid when outside of the disease environment, and a strikingly high cost to the At plasmid. In addition, the costs of pAt and pTi in the same host were significantly lower than predicted based on single plasmid costs, signifying the first demonstration of non-additivity between naturally occurring co-resident plasmids. Based on these empirically demonstrated costs and benefits, we developed a resource-consumer model to generate predictions about the frequencies of these genotypes in relevant environments, showing that non-additivity between co-residing plasmids allows for their stable coexistence across environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elise R. Morton
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
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32
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Lang J, Faure D. Functions and regulation of quorum-sensing in Agrobacterium tumefaciens. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2014; 5:14. [PMID: 24550924 PMCID: PMC3907764 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2014.00014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2013] [Accepted: 01/12/2014] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
In Agrobacterium tumefaciens, horizontal transfer and vegetative replication of oncogenic Ti plasmids involve a cell-to-cell communication process called quorum-sensing (QS). The determinants of the QS-system belong to the LuxR/LuxI class. The LuxI-like protein TraI synthesizes N-acyl-homoserine lactone molecules which act as diffusible QS-signals. Beyond a threshold concentration, these molecules bind and activate the LuxR-like transcriptional regulator TraR, thereby initiating the QS-regulatory pathway. For the last 20 years, A. tumefaciens has stood as a prominent model in the understanding of the LuxR/LuxI type of QS systems. A number of studies also unveiled features which are unique to A. tumefaciens QS, some of them being directly related to the phytopathogenic lifestyle of the bacteria. In this review, we will present the current knowledge of QS in A. tumefaciens at both the genetic and molecular levels. We will also describe how interactions with plant host modulate the QS pathway of A. tumefaciens, and discuss what could be the advantages for the agrobacteria to use such a tightly regulated QS-system to disseminate the Ti plasmids.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Denis Faure
- *Correspondence: Denis Faure, Institut des Sciences du Végétal, UPR2355, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, 1 Avenue de la Terrasse, 91 198 Gif-sur-Yvette, France e-mail:
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