scholarly journals Multiple virulence factors regulated by AlgU contribute to the pathogenicity of Pseudomonas savastanoi pv. glycinea in soybean

PeerJ ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. e12405
Author(s):  
Viet Tru Nguyen ◽  
Nanami Sakata ◽  
Giyu Usuki ◽  
Takako Ishiga ◽  
Yoshiteru Hashimoto ◽  
...  

Pseudomonas savastanoi pv. glycinea (Psg) causes bacterial blight of soybean. To identify candidate virulence factors, transposon-mediated mutational analysis of Psg was carried out. We syringe-inoculated soybean leaves with Psg transposon mutants and identified 28 mutants which showed reduced virulence from 1,000 mutants screened. Next, we spray-inoculated soybean leaves with these mutants and demonstrated that the algU mutant showed significantly reduced virulence together with reduced bacterial populations in planta. Expression profiles comparison between the Psg wild-type (WT) and algU mutant in HSC broth revealed that expression of coronatine (COR)-related genes (including cmaA and corR) were down-regulated in the algU mutant compared with Psg WT. Moreover, we also showed that COR production were reduced in the algU mutant compared with WT. We also demonstrated that algD, which is related to alginate biosynthesis, showed reduced expression and biofilm formation was significantly suppressed in the algU mutant. Furthermore, hrpL also showed less expression in the algU mutant. These results indicate that AlgU plays a critical role in promoting Psg pathogenesis by regulating multiple virulence factors.

2005 ◽  
Vol 18 (8) ◽  
pp. 856-868 ◽  
Author(s):  
Magalie R. Guilhabert ◽  
Bruce C. Kirkpatrick

Xylella fastidosa, a gram-negative, xylem-limited bacterium, is the causal agent of several economically important plant diseases, including Pierce's disease (PD) and citrus variegated chlorosis (CVC). Until recently, the inability to transform or produce transposon mutants of X. fastidosa had been a major impediment to identifying X. fastidosa genes that mediate pathogen and plant interactions. A random transposon (Tn5) library of X. fastidosa was constructed and screened for mutants showing more severe symptoms and earlier grapevine death (hypervirulence) than did vines infected with the wild type. Seven hypervirulent mutants identified in this screen moved faster and reached higher populations than the wild type in grapevines. These results suggest that X. fastidosa attenuates its virulence in planta and that movement is important in X. fastidosa virulence. The mutated genes were sequenced and none had been described previously as antivirulence genes, although six of them showed similarity with genes of known functions in other organisms. One transposon insertion inactivated a hemagglutinin adhesin gene (PD2118), which we named HxfA. Another mutant in a second putative X. fastidosa hemagglutinin gene, PD1792 (HxfB), was constructed, and further characterization of these hxf mutants suggests that X. fastidosa hemagglutinins mediate contact between X. fastidosa cells, which results in colony formation and biofilm maturation within the xylem vessels.


2007 ◽  
Vol 73 (12) ◽  
pp. 3779-3786 ◽  
Author(s):  
Enid T. Gonz�lez ◽  
Darby G. Brown ◽  
Jill K. Swanson ◽  
Caitilyn Allen

ABSTRACT To identify secreted virulence factors involved in bacterial wilt disease caused by the phytopathogen Ralstonia solanacearum, we mutated tatC, a key component of the twin-arginine translocation (Tat) secretion system. The R. solanacearum tatC mutation was pleiotropic; its phenotypes included defects in cell division, nitrate utilization, polygalacturonase activity, membrane stability, and growth in plant tissue. Bioinformatic analysis of the R. solanacearum strain GMI1000 genome predicted that this pathogen secretes 70 proteins via the Tat system. The R. solanacearum tatC strain was severely attenuated in its ability to cause disease, killing just over 50% of tomato plants in a naturalistic soil soak assay where the wild-type parent killed 100% of the plants. This result suggested that elements of the Tat secretome may be novel bacterial wilt virulence factors. To identify contributors to R. solanacearum virulence, we cloned and mutated three genes whose products are predicted to be secreted by the Tat system: RSp1521, encoding a predicted AcvB-like protein, and two genes, RSc1651 and RSp1575, that were identified as upregulated in planta by an in vivo expression technology screen. The RSc1651 mutant had wild-type virulence on tomato plants. However, mutants lacking either RSp1521, which appears to be involved in acid tolerance, or RSp1575, which encodes a possible amino acid binding protein, were significantly reduced in virulence on tomato plants. Additional bacterial wilt virulence factors may be found in the Tat secretome.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nanami Sakata ◽  
Takako Ishiga ◽  
Yasuhiro Ishiga

Pseudomonas cannabina pv. alisalensis (Pcal) causes bacterial leaf spot and blight of Brassicaceae and Poaceae. We previously identified several potential Pcal virulence factors with transposon mutagenesis. Among these a trpA mutant disrupted the tryptophan synthase alpha chain, and had an effect on disease symptom development and bacterial multiplication. To assess the importance of TrpA in Pcal virulence, we characterized the trpA mutant based on inoculation test and Pcal gene expression profiles. The trpA mutant showed reduced virulence when dip- and syringe-inoculated on cabbage and oat. Moreover, epiphytic bacterial populations of the trpA mutant were also reduced compared to the wild-type (WT). These results suggest that TrpA contributes to bacterial multiplication on the leaf surface and in the apoplast, and disease development. Additionally, several Brassicaceae (including Japanese radish, broccoli, and Chinese cabbage) also exhibited reduced symptom development when inoculated with the trpA mutant. Moreover, trpA disruption led to downregulation of bacterial virulence genes, including type three effectors (T3Es) and the phytotoxin coronatine (COR), and to upregulation of tryptophan biosynthesis genes. These results indicate that a trade-off between virulence factor production and Pcal multiplication with tryptophan might be regulated in the infection processes.


2009 ◽  
Vol 191 (9) ◽  
pp. 3132-3141 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eve M. Mellgren ◽  
Andrew P. Kloek ◽  
Barbara N. Kunkel

ABSTRACT Plant pathogenic bacteria, such as Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato strain DC3000, the causative agent of tomato bacterial speck disease, grow to high levels in the apoplastic space between plant cells. Colonization of plant tissue requires expression of virulence factors that modify the apoplast to make it more suitable for pathogen growth or facilitate adaptation of the bacteria to the apoplastic environment. To identify new virulence factors involved in these processes, DC3000 Tn5 transposon insertion mutants with reduced virulence on Arabidopsis thaliana were identified. In one of these mutants, the Tn5 insertion disrupted the malate:quinone oxidoreductase gene (mqo), which encodes an enzyme of the tricarboxylic acid cycle. mqo mutants do not grow to wild-type levels in plant tissue at early time points during infection. Further, plants infected with mqo mutants develop significantly reduced disease symptoms, even when the growth of the mqo mutant reaches wild-type levels at late stages of infection. Mutants lacking mqo function grow more slowly in culture than wild-type bacteria when dicarboxylates are the only available carbon source. To explore whether dicarboxylates are important for growth of DC3000 in the apoplast, we disrupted the dctA1 dicarboxylate transporter gene. DC3000 mutants lacking dctA1 do not grow to wild-type levels in planta, indicating that transport and utilization of dicarboxylates are important for virulence of DC3000. Thus, mqo may be required by DC3000 to meet nutritional requirements in the apoplast and may provide insight into the mechanisms underlying the important, but poorly understood process of adaptation to the host environment.


2012 ◽  
Vol 25 (8) ◽  
pp. 1104-1117 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tiyakhon Chatnaparat ◽  
Sutruedee Prathuangwong ◽  
Michael Ionescu ◽  
Steven E. Lindow

A novel luxR homolog, termed XagR, in Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. glycines, the cause of soybean pustule, controls expression of pip, yapH, and at least 77 other genes. Although XagR and Pip are required for full virulence of X. axonopodis pv. glycines to soybean, constitutive overproduction of XagR suppresses infection. The xagR-dependent induction of pip occurs in planta only 2 days or more after inoculation. Although the transcription of xagR appears constitutive, XagR accumulates only in cells that have colonized soybean plants for more than 2 days suggesting that some components produced during the infection process mediate post-transcriptional control, likely by protecting XagR from proteolytic degradation. XagR modulates the adhesiveness of the pathogen during the infection process by suppressing the adhesin YapH. Although yapH mutants incite more infections of soybean leaves than the wild-type strain when topically applied under dry conditions, the mutant causes fewer infections when leaves are subject to simulated rain events after inoculation. Likewise, yapH mutants and cells in which XagR was overexpressed exhibited much more egress from infected leaves than the wild-type strain. Thus, XagR differentially modulates expression of a variety of genes during the infection process in response to feedback from plant molecules elaborated during infection to coordinate processes such as invasion, infection, and cell egress needed to complete the disease cycle.


2001 ◽  
Vol 69 (6) ◽  
pp. 3916-3923 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebeca Manning-Cela ◽  
Arantxa Cortés ◽  
Elena González-Rey ◽  
Wesley C. Van Voorhis ◽  
John Swindle ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Trypanosoma cruzi invasion of host cells involves several discrete steps: attachment, parasite internalization mediated by recruitment and fusion of host cell lysosomes, and escape from the parasitophorous vacuole to liberate amastigotes to multiply freely in the cytosol. This report describes the initial characterization of theLYT1 gene and the demonstration that the gene product is involved in cell lysis and infectivity. Mutational analysis demonstrated that deletion of LYT1 resulted in attenuation of infection, which was associated with diminished hemolytic activity. Reintroduction of LYT1 restored infectivity in null mutants, confirming the critical role of LYT1 in infection. Additionally, in vitro stage transition experiments withLYT1-deficient lines showed that these parasites converted to extracellular amastigote-like cells and metacyclic trypomastigotes more rapidly than wild-type parasites, suggesting that the diminished infectivity was not a result of the LYT1 deficiency that affected the parasite's ability to complete the life cycle.


Pathogens ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 388
Author(s):  
Hương Giang Lê ◽  
A-Jeong Ham ◽  
Jung-Mi Kang ◽  
Tuấn Cường Võ ◽  
Haung Naw ◽  
...  

Naegleria fowleri is a free-living amoeba that is ubiquitous in diverse natural environments. It causes a fatal brain infection in humans known as primary amoebic meningoencephalitis. Despite the medical importance of the parasitic disease, there is a great lack of knowledge about the biology and pathogenicity of N. fowleri. In this study, we identified and characterized a novel cysteine protease inhibitor of N. fowleri (NfCPI). NfCPI is a typical cysteine protease inhibitor belonging to the cystatin family with a Gln-Val-Val-Ala-Gly (QVVAG) motif, a characteristic motif conserved in the cystatin family of proteins. Bacterially expressed recombinant NfCPI has a dimeric structure and exhibits inhibitory activity against several cysteine proteases including cathespin Bs of N. fowleri at a broad range of pH values. Expression profiles of nfcpi revealed that the gene was highly expressed during encystation and cyst of the amoeba. Western blot and immunofluorescence assays also support its high level of expression in cysts. These findings collectively suggest that NfCPI may play a critical role in encystation or cyst formation of N. fowleri by regulating cysteine proteases that may mediate encystation or mature cyst formation of the amoeba. More comprehensive studies to investigate the roles of NfCPI in encystation and its target proteases are necessary to elucidate the regulatory mechanism and the biological significance of NfCPI.


2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lianwei Ma ◽  
Hui Zhang ◽  
Yue Zhang ◽  
Hailong Li ◽  
Minghui An ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) can regulate gene expression in a cis-regulatory fashion or as “microRNA sponges”. However, the expression and functions of lncRNAs during early human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection (EHI) remain unclear. Methods 3 HAART-naive EHI patients and 3 healthy controls (HCs) were recruited in this study to perform RNA sequencing and microRNA (miRNA) sequencing. The expression profiles of lncRNAs, mRNAs and miRNAs were obtained, and the potential roles of lncRNAs were analysed based on discovering lncRNA cis-regulatory target mRNAs and constructing lncRNA–miRNA–mRNA competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) networks. Then, Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses were performed on 175 lncRNA-associated differentially expressed (DE) mRNAs to investigate the potential functions of DE lncRNAs in ceRNA networks. Results A total of 242 lncRNAs, 1240 mRNAs and 21 mature known miRNAs were determined as differentially expressed genes in HAART-naive EHI patients compared to HCs. Among DE lncRNAs, 44 lncRNAs were predicted to overlap with 41 target mRNAs, and 107 lncRNAs might regulate their nearby DE mRNAs. Two DE lncRNAs might regulate their cis-regulatory target mRNAs BTLA and ZAP70, respectively, which were associated with immune activation. In addition, the ceRNA networks comprised 160 DE lncRNAs, 21 DE miRNAs and 175 DE mRNAs. Seventeen DE lncRNAs were predicted to regulate HIF1A and TCF7L2, which are involved in the process of HIV-1 replication. Twenty DE lncRNAs might share miRNA response elements (MREs) with FOS, FOSB and JUN, which are associated with both immune activation and HIV-1 replication. Conclusions This study revealed that lncRNAs might play a critical role in HIV-1 replication and immune activation during EHI. These novel findings are helpful for understanding of the pathogenesis of HIV infection and provide new insights into antiviral therapy.


Antioxidants ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 162
Author(s):  
Yohei Shimasaki ◽  
Koki Mukai ◽  
Yuki Takai ◽  
Xuchun Qiu ◽  
Yuji Oshima

Peroxiredoxin (Prx) is a relatively recently discovered antioxidant enzyme family that scavenges peroxides and is known to be present in organisms from biological taxa ranging from bacteria to multicellular eukaryotes, including photosynthetic organisms. Although there have been many studies of the Prx family in higher plants, green algae, and cyanobacteria, few studies have concerned raphidophytes and dinoflagellates, which are among the eukaryotic algae that cause harmful algal blooms (HABs). In our proteomic study using 2-D electrophoresis, we found a highly expressed 2-Cys peroxiredoxin (2-CysPrx) in the raphidophyte Chattonella marina var. antiqua, a species that induces mass mortality of aquacultured fish. The abundance of the C. marina 2-CysPrx enzyme was highest in the exponential growth phase, during which photosynthetic activity was high, and it then decreased by about a factor of two during the late stationary growth phase. This pattern suggested that 2-CysPrx is a key enzyme involved in the maintenance of high photosynthesis activity. In addition, the fact that the depression of photosynthesis by excessively high irradiance was more severe in the 2-CysPrx low-expression strain (wild type) than in the normal-expression strain (wild type) of C. marina suggested that 2-CysPrx played a critical role in protecting the cell from oxidative stress caused by exposure to excessively high irradiance. In the field of HAB research, estimates of growth potential have been desired to predict the population dynamics of HABs for mitigating damage to fisheries. Therefore, omics approaches have recently begun to be applied to elucidate the physiology of the growth of HAB species. In this review, we describe the progress we have made using a molecular physiological approach to identify the roles of 2-CysPrx and other antioxidant enzymes in mitigating environmental stress associated with strong light and high temperatures and resultant oxidative stress. We also describe results of a survey of expressed Prx genes and their growth-phase-dependent behavior in C. marina using RNA-seq analysis. Finally, we speculate about the function of these genes and the ecological significance of 2-CysPrx, such as its involvement in circadian rhythms and the toxicity of C. marina to fish.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhixiang Yu ◽  
Haiyan He ◽  
Yanan Chen ◽  
Qiuhe Ji ◽  
Min Sun

AbstractOvarian cancer (OV) is a common type of carcinoma in females. Many studies have reported that ferroptosis is associated with the prognosis of OV patients. However, the mechanism by which this occurs is not well understood. We utilized Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx) and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) to identify ferroptosis-related genes in OV. In the present study, we applied Cox regression analysis to select hub genes and used the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator to construct a prognosis prediction model with mRNA expression profiles and clinical data from TCGA. A series of analyses for this signature was performed in TCGA. We then verified the identified signature using International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC) data. After a series of analyses, we identified six hub genes (DNAJB6, RB1, VIMP/ SELENOS, STEAP3, BACH1, and ALOX12) that were then used to construct a model using a training data set. The model was then tested using a validation data set and was found to have high sensitivity and specificity. The identified ferroptosis-related hub genes might play a critical role in the mechanism of OV development. The gene signature we identified may be useful for future clinical applications.


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