scholarly journals The Zinc Uptake Regulator Zur Is Essential for the Full Virulence of Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris

2005 ◽  
Vol 18 (7) ◽  
pp. 652-658 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dong-Jie Tang ◽  
Xiang-Jiang Li ◽  
Yong-Qiang He ◽  
Jia-Xun Feng ◽  
Baoshan Chen ◽  
...  

Zur is a regulator of the high-affinity zinc uptake system in many bacteria. In Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris 8004, a putative protein encoded by the open reading frame designated as XC1430 shows 42% amino acid similarity with the Zur of Escherichia coli. An XC1430-disrupted mutant 1430nk was constructed by homologous suicide plasmid integration. 1430nk failed to grow in rich medium supplemented with Zn2+ at a concentration of 400 μM and in nonrich medium supplemented with Zn2+ at a concentration of 110 μM, whereas the wild-type strain grew well in the same conditions. In rich medium with 400 μM Zn2+, 1430nk accumulated significantly more Zn2+ than the wild-type strain. 1430nk showed a reduction in virulence on the host plant Chinese radish (Raphanus sativus L. var. radiculus Pers.) and produced less extracellular polysaccharide (EPS) than did the wild-type strain in the absence of added zinc. These results revealed that XC1430 is a functional member of the Zur regulator family that controls zinc homeostasis, EPS production, and virulence in X. campestris pv. campestris.

2001 ◽  
Vol 183 (2) ◽  
pp. 528-535 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hsien-Ming Lee ◽  
Shiaw-Wei Tyan ◽  
Wei-Ming Leu ◽  
Ling-Yun Chen ◽  
David Chanhen Chen ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT The xps gene cluster is required for the second step of type II protein secretion in Xanthomonas campestrispv. campestris. Deletion of the entire gene cluster caused accumulation of secreted proteins in the periplasm. By analyzing protein abundance in the chromosomal mutant strains, we observed mutual dependence for normal steady-state levels between the XpsL and the XpsM proteins. The XpsL protein was undetectable in total lysate prepared from thexpsM mutant strain, and vice versa. Introduction of the wild-type xpsM gene carried on a plasmid into thexpsM mutant strain was sufficient for reappearance of the XpsL protein, and vice versa. Moreover, both XpsL and XpsM proteins were undetectable in the xpsN mutant strain. They were recovered either by reintroducing the wild-type xpsNgene or by introducing extra copies of wild-type xpsL orxpsM individually. Overproduction of wild-type XpsL and -M proteins simultaneously, but not separately, in the wild-type strain of X. campestris pv. campestris caused inhibition of secretion. Complementation of an xpsL orxpsM mutant strain with a plasmid-borne wild-type gene was inhibited by coexpression of XpsL and XpsM. The presence of the xpsN gene on the plasmid along with thexpsL and the xpsM genes caused more severe inhibition in both cases. Furthermore, complementation of thexpsN mutant strain was also inhibited. In both the wild-type strain and a strain with the xps gene cluster deleted (XC17433), carrying pCPP-LMN, which encodes all three proteins, each protein coprecipitated with the other two upon immunoprecipitation. Expression of pairwise combinations of the three proteins in XC17433 revealed that the XpsL-XpsM and XpsM-XpsN pairs still coprecipitated, whereas the XpsL-XpsN pair no longer coprecipitated.


2012 ◽  
Vol 56 (10) ◽  
pp. 5309-5314 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiangyu Yao ◽  
Congran Li ◽  
Jianmei Zhang ◽  
Chung-Dar Lu

ABSTRACTPolyamines are absolute requirements for cell growth. When in excess,Pseudomonas aeruginosapossesses six γ-glutamylpolyamine synthetases (GPSs) encoded by thepauA1-pauA7genes to initiate polyamine catabolism. Recently, thepauA2mutant was reported to lose the capability to grow on spermine (Spm) and spermidine (Spd) as sole carbon and nitrogen sources. Although this mutant grew normally in defined minimal medium and LB broth, growth was completely abolished by the addition of Spm or Spd. These two compounds exert a bactericidal effect (Spm > Spd) on the mutants as demonstrated by MIC measurements (over 500-fold reduction) and time-killing curves. Spm toxicity in thepauA2mutant was attenuated when the major uptake system was further deleted from the strain, suggesting cytoplasmic targets of toxicity. In addition, the synergistic effect of Spm and carbenicillin in the wild-type strain PAO1 was diminished in mutants without functional PauA2. Furthermore, Spm MIC was reduced by 8-fold when the Spm uptake system was deleted from the wild-type strain, suggesting a second target of Spm toxicity in the periplasm. Experiments were also conducted to test the hypothesis that native Spm and Spd in human serum may be sufficient to kill thepauA2mutant. Growth of the mutant was completely inhibited by 40% (vol/vol) human serum, whereas the parental strain required 80%. Colony counts indicated that the mutant but not the parent was in fact killed by human plasma. In addition, carbenicillin MIC against the mutant was reduced by 16-fold in the presence of 20% human serum while that of the parental strain remained unchanged. Taking PauA2 as the template, sequence comparison indicates that putative PauA2 homologues are widespread in a variety of Gram-negative bacteria. In summary, this study reveals the importance of GPS in alleviation of polyamine toxicity when in excess, and it provides strong support to the feasibility of GPS as a molecular target for new antibiotic development.


2019 ◽  
Vol 109 (7) ◽  
pp. 1171-1183 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wei Guo ◽  
Jie Gao ◽  
Qingshan Chen ◽  
Bojun Ma ◽  
Yuan Fang ◽  
...  

The global regulator Crp-like protein (Clp) is positively involved in the production of virulence factors in some of the Xanthomonas spp. However, the functional importance of Clp in X. axonopodis pv. glycines has not been investigated previously. Here, we showed that deletion of clp led to significant reduction in the virulence of X. axonopodis pv. glycines in soybean, which was highly correlated with the drastic reductions in carbohydrates utilization, extracellular polysaccharide (EPS) production, biofilm formation, cell motility, and synthesis of cell wall degrading enzymes (CWDEs). These significantly impaired properties in the clp mutant were completely rescued by a single-copy integration of the wild-type clp into the mutant chromosome via homologous recombination. Interestingly, overexpression of clp in the wild-type strain resulted in significant increases in cell motility and synthesis of the CWDEs. To our surprise, significant reductions in carbohydrates utilization, EPS production, biofilm formation, and the protease activity were observed in the wild-type strain overexpressing clp, suggesting that Clp also plays a negative role in these properties. Furthermore, quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction analysis suggested that clp was positively regulated by the diffusible signal factor-mediated quorum-sensing system and the HrpG/HrpX cascade. Taken together, our results reveal that Clp functions as both activator and repressor in multiple biological processes in X. axonopodis pv. glycines that are essential for its full virulence.


2018 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 61-74 ◽  
Author(s):  
Felix Scheibner ◽  
Nadine Hartmann ◽  
Jens Hausner ◽  
Christian Lorenz ◽  
Anne-Katrin Hoffmeister ◽  
...  

Pathogenicity of the gram-negative bacterium Xanthomonas campestris pv. vesicatoria depends on a type III secretion (T3S) system, which translocates effector proteins into plant cells. Effector proteins contain N-terminal T3S and translocation signals and interact with the T3S chaperone HpaB, which presumably escorts effectors to the secretion apparatus. The molecular mechanisms underlying the recognition of effectors by the T3S system are not yet understood. In the present study, we analyzed T3S and translocation signals in the type III effectors XopE2 and XopJ from X. campestris pv. vesicatoria. Both effectors contain minimal translocation signals, which are only recognized in the absence of HpaB. Additional N-terminal signals promote translocation of XopE2 and XopJ in the wild-type strain. The results of translocation and interaction studies revealed that the interaction of XopE2 and XopJ with HpaB and a predicted cytoplasmic substrate docking site of the T3S system is not sufficient for translocation. In agreement with this finding, we show that the presence of an artificial HpaB-binding site does not promote translocation of the noneffector XopA in the wild-type strain. Our data, therefore, suggest that the T3S chaperone HpaB not only acts as an escort protein but also controls the recognition of translocation signals.


1997 ◽  
Vol 87 (9) ◽  
pp. 960-966 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leonard W. O'Garro ◽  
Harold Gibbs ◽  
Anthony Newton

The role of the avrBs1 avirulence gene of Xanthomonas campestris pv. vesicatoria in survival of the bacterium was investigated by testing two strains that differ in the structure and function of the gene in 37 different soil types of Barbados and detached leaf tissue of four pepper genotypes. One strain carried a mutation in the avrBs1 gene and lacked avirulence activity, while the other expressed wild-type avrBs1 activity. In 30 to 32 soil types and all leaf tissue tested, the mutant strain persisted longer and more abundantly than the wild-type strain over a 2- to 6-week period. During this time, the mutant strain generally replaced the wild-type strain completely in soil initially infested with a mixture of equal amounts of each strain and by a factor of 6.7 in similarly infested pepper leaves. Nine selected soil factors, namely pH, clay and cation content, and percent nitrogen, carbonates, carbon, K+, Na+, and Ca2+ did not affect bacterial survival significantly.


2001 ◽  
Vol 183 (20) ◽  
pp. 6135-6139 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aurelio Moraleda-Muñoz ◽  
Juana Carrero-Lérida ◽  
Antonio L. Extremera ◽  
José M. Arias ◽  
José Muñoz-Dorado

ABSTRACT We have cloned a gene of Myxococcus xanthus with similarities to the permease for glycerol 3-phosphate (G3P) of other bacteria. Expression of the gene increased significantly during the first hours of starvation. Swarming of the wild-type strain was inhibited and aggregation was delayed by G3P. Conversely, a ΔglpT strain aggregated even on rich medium. These results indicate that G3P may function to regulate the timing of aggregation in M. xanthus.


2009 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 321-329 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dong-Liang Huang ◽  
Dong-Jie Tang ◽  
Qing Liao ◽  
Xiao-Qian Li ◽  
Yong-Qiang He ◽  
...  

In bacteria, Zur is a key regulator for zinc homeostasis. Our previous work has shown that, in the phytopathogen Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris, in addition to regulating zinc homeostasis, Zur is essential for full virulence. Here, we demonstrate that the X. campestris pv. campestris Zur is involved in hypersensitive response (HR) and positively regulates the transcription of hrpA to hrpF operons and hrpX but not hrpG. Constitutively expressing hrpX but not hrpG in the zur mutant could bypass the requirement of Zur for the expression of hrpA to hrpF operons and the induction of wild-type HR, indicating that Zur controls the expression of hrp cluster via hrpX. Promoter-gusA reporter and semiquantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction analyses revealed that HrpG controls the expression of hrpX and HrpX regulates the expression of all the six hrp operons (hrpA to hrpF) in X. campestris pv. campestris.


2003 ◽  
Vol 69 (8) ◽  
pp. 4760-4769 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacqueline Abranches ◽  
Yi-Ywan M. Chen ◽  
Robert A. Burne

ABSTRACT The phosphoenolpyruvate:sugar phosphotransferase system (PTS) is the major sugar uptake system in oral streptococci. The role of EIIABMan (encoded by manL) in gene regulation and sugar transport was investigated in Streptococcus mutans UA159. The manL knockout strain, JAM1, grew more slowly than the wild-type strain in glucose but grew faster in mannose and did not display diauxic growth, indicating that EIIABMan is involved in sugar uptake and in carbohydrate catabolite repression. PTS assays of JAM1, and of strains lacking the inducible (fruI) and constitutive (fruCD) EII fructose, revealed that S. mutans EIIABMan transported mannose and glucose and provided evidence that there was also a mannose-inducible or glucose-repressible mannose PTS. Additionally, there appears to be a fructose PTS that is different than FruI and FruCD. To determine whether EIIABMan controlled expression of the known virulence genes, glucosyltransferases (gtfBC) and fructosyltransferase (ftf) promoter fusions of these genes were established in the wild-type and EIIABMan-deficient strains. In the manL mutant, the level of chloramphenicol acetyltransferase activity expressed from the gtfBC promoter was up to threefold lower than that seen with the wild-type strain at pH 6 and 7, indicating that EIIABMan is required for optimal expression of gtfBC. No significant differences were observed between the mutant and the wild-type background in ftf regulation, with the exception that under glucose-limiting conditions at pH 7, the mutant exhibited a 2.1-fold increase in ftf expression. Two-dimensional gel analysis of batch-grown cells of the EIIABMan-deficient strain indicated that the expression of at least 38 proteins was altered compared to that seen with the wild-type strain, revealing that EIIABMan has a pleiotropic effect on gene expression.


2007 ◽  
Vol 190 (1) ◽  
pp. 343-355 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rong-Qi Xu ◽  
Servane Blanvillain ◽  
Jia-Xun Feng ◽  
Bo-Le Jiang ◽  
Xian-Zhen Li ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Xanthomonas campestris pathovar campestris causes black rot, a vascular disease on cruciferous plants, including Arabidopsis thaliana. The gene XC1553 from X. campestris pv. campestris strain 8004 encodes a protein containing leucine-rich repeats (LRRs) and appears to be restricted to strains of X. campestris pv. campestris. LRRs are found in a number of type III-secreted effectors in plant and animal pathogens. These prompted us to investigate the role of the XC1553 gene in the interaction between X. campestris pv. campestris and A. thaliana. Translocation assays using the hypersensitive-reaction-inducing domain of X. campestris pv. campestris AvrBs1 as a reporter revealed that XC1553 is a type III effector. Infiltration of Arabidopsis leaf mesophyll with bacterial suspensions showed no differences between the wild-type strain and an XC1553 gene mutant; both strains induced disease symptoms on Kashmir and Col-0 ecotypes. However, a clear difference was observed when bacteria were introduced into the vascular system by piercing the central vein of leaves. In this case, the wild-type strain 8004 caused disease on the Kashmir ecotype, but not on ecotype Col-0; the XC1553 gene mutant became virulent on the Col-0 ecotype and still induced disease on the Kashmir ecotype. Altogether, these data show that the XC1553 gene, which was renamed avrACXcc8004 , functions as an avirulence gene whose product seems to be recognized in vascular tissues.


2003 ◽  
Vol 185 (20) ◽  
pp. 5967-5975 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sehmi Paik ◽  
Arunsri Brown ◽  
Cindy L. Munro ◽  
Cynthia Nau Cornelissen ◽  
Todd Kitten

ABSTRACT Streptococcus mutans belongs to the viridans group of oral streptococci, which is the leading cause of endocarditis in humans. The LraI family of lipoproteins in viridans group streptococci and other bacteria have been shown to function as virulence factors, adhesins, or ABC-type metal transporters. We previously reported the identification of the S. mutans LraI operon, sloABCR, which encodes components of a putative metal uptake system composed of SloA, an ATP-binding protein, SloB, an integral membrane protein, and SloC, a solute-binding lipoprotein, as well as a metal-dependent regulator, SloR. We report here the functional analysis of this operon. By Western blotting, addition of Mn to the growth medium repressed SloC expression in a wild-type strain but not in a sloR mutant. Other metals tested had little effect. Cells were also tested for aerobic growth in media stripped of metals then reconstituted with Mg and either Mn or Fe. Fe at 10 μM supported growth of the wild-type strain but not of a sloA or sloC mutant. Mn at 0.1 μM supported growth of the wild-type strain and sloR mutant but not of sloA or sloC mutants. The combined results suggest that the SloABC proteins transport both metals, although the SloR protein represses this system only in response to Mn. These conclusions are supported by 55Fe uptake studies with Mn as a competitor. Finally, a sloA mutant demonstrated loss of virulence in a rat model of endocarditis, suggesting that metal transport is required for endocarditis pathogenesis.


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