Structural Insights of Shigella Translocator IpaB and Its Chaperone IpgC in Solution.

Bacterial Type III Secretion Systems (T3SSs) are specialized multicomponent nanomachines that mediate the transport of proteins either to extracellular locations or deliver Type III Secretion effectors directly into eukaryotic host cell cytoplasm. Shigella, the causing agent of bacillary dysentery or shigellosis, bears a set of T3SS proteins termed translocators that form a pore in the host cell membrane. IpaB, the major translocator of the system, is a key factor in promoting Shigella pathogenicity. Prior to secretion, IpaB is maintained inside the bacterial cytoplasm in a secretion competent folding state thanks to its cognate chaperone IpgC. IpgC couples T3SS activation to transcription of effector genes through its binding to MxiE, probably after the delivery of IpaB to the secretion export gate. Small Angle X-ray Scattering experiments and modeling reveal that IpgC is found in different oligomeric states in solution, as it forms a stable heterodimer with full-length IpaB in contrast to an aggregation-prone homodimer in the absence of the translocator. These results support a stoichiometry of interaction 1:1 in the IpgC/IpaB complex and the multi-functional nature of IpgC under different T3SS states.

Structural Diversity and Highly Specific Host-Pathogen Transcriptional Regulation of Defensin Genes Is Revealed in Tomato.

Defensins are small and rather ubiquitous cysteine-rich anti-microbial peptides. These proteins may act against pathogenic microorganisms either directly (by binding and disrupting membranes) or indirectly (as signaling molecules that participate in the organization of the cellular defense). Even though defensins are widespread across eukaryotes, still, extensive nucleotide and amino acid dissimilarities hamper the elucidation of their response to stimuli and mode of function. In the current study, we screened the Solanum lycopersicum genome for the identification of defensin genes, predicted the relating protein structures, and further studied their transcriptional responses to biotic (Verticillium dahliae, Meloidogyne javanica, Cucumber Mosaic Virus, and Potato Virus Y infections) and abiotic (cold stress) stimuli. Tomato defensin sequences were classified into two groups (C8 and C12). Our data indicate that the transcription of defensin coding genes primarily depends on the specific pathogen recognition patterns of V. dahliae and M. javanica. The immunodetection of plant defensin 1 protein was achieved only in the roots of plants inoculated with V. dahliae. In contrast, the almost null effects of viral infections and cold stress, and the failure to substantially induce the gene transcription suggest that these factors are probably not primarily targeted by the tomato defensin network.

The RsRlpA Effector Is a Protease Inhibitor Promoting Rhizoctonia solani Virulence through Suppression of the Hypersensitive Response.

Rhizoctonia solani (Rs) is a soil-borne pathogen with a broad host range. This pathogen incites a wide range of disease symptoms. Knowledge regarding its infection process is fragmented, a typical feature for basidiomycetes. In this study, we aimed at identifying potential fungal effectors and their function. From a group of 11 predicted single gene effectors, a rare lipoprotein A (RsRlpA), from a strain attacking sugar beet was analyzed. The RsRlpA gene was highly induced upon early-stage infection of sugar beet seedlings, and heterologous expression in Cercospora beticola demonstrated involvement in virulence. It was also able to suppress the hypersensitive response (HR) induced by the Avr4/Cf4 complex in transgenic Nicotiana benthamiana plants and functioned as an active protease inhibitor able to suppress Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) burst. This effector contains a double-psi beta-barrel (DPBB) fold domain, and a conserved serine at position 120 in the DPBB fold domain was found to be crucial for HR suppression. Overall, R. solani seems to be capable of inducing an initial biotrophic stage upon infection, suppressing basal immune responses, followed by a switch to necrotrophic growth. However, regulatory mechanisms between the different lifestyles are still unknown.

The Role of Proteases in Determining Stomatal Development and Tuning Pore Aperture: A Review.

Plant proteases, the proteolytic enzymes that catalyze protein breakdown and recycling, play an essential role in a variety of biological processes including stomatal development and distribution, as well as, systemic stress responses. In this review, we summarize what is known about the participation of proteases in both stomatal organogenesis and on the stomatal pore aperture tuning, with particular emphasis on their involvement in numerous signaling pathways triggered by abiotic and biotic stressors. There is a compelling body of evidence demonstrating that several proteases are directly or indirectly implicated in the process of stomatal development, affecting stomatal index, density, spacing, as well as, size. In addition, proteases are reported to be involved in a transient adjustment of stomatal aperture, thus orchestrating gas exchange. Consequently, the proteases-mediated regulation of stomatal movements considerably affects plants' ability to cope not only with abiotic stressors, but also to perceive and respond to biotic stimuli. Even though the determining role of proteases on stomatal development and functioning is just beginning to unfold, our understanding of the underlying processes and cellular mechanisms still remains far from being completed.

Polyamine homeostasis in tomato biotic/abiotic stress cross-tolerance.

Adverse conditions and biotic strain can lead to significant losses and impose limitations on plant yield. Polyamines (PAs) serve as regulatory molecules for both abiotic/biotic stress responses and cell protection in unfavourable environments. In this work, the transcription pattern of 24 genes orchestrating PA metabolism was investigated in Cucumber Mosaic Virus or Potato Virus Y infected and cold stressed tomato plants. Expression analysis revealed a differential/pleiotropic pattern of gene regulation in PA homeostasis upon biotic, abiotic or combined stress stimuli, thus revealing a discrete response specific to diverse stimuli: (i) biotic stress-influenced genes, (ii) abiotic stress-influenced genes, and (iii) concurrent biotic/abiotic stress-regulated genes. The results support different roles for PAs against abiotic and biotic stress. The expression of several genes, significantly induced under cold stress conditions, is mitigated by a previous viral infection, indicating a possible priming-like mechanism in tomato plants pointing to crosstalk among stress signalling. Several genes and resulting enzymes of PA catabolism were stimulated upon viral infection. Hence, we suggest that PA catabolism resulting in elevated H2O2 levels could mediate defence against viral infection. However, after chilling, the activities of enzymes implicated in PA catabolism remained relatively stable or slightly reduced. This correlates to an increase in free PA content, designating a per se protective role of these compounds against abiotic stress.

Migration of Type III Secretion System Transcriptional Regulators Links Gene Expression to Secretion.

Many plant-pathogenic bacteria of considerable economic importance rely on type III secretion systems (T3SSs) of the Hrc-Hrp 1 family to subvert their plant hosts. T3SS gene expression is regulated through the HrpG and HrpV proteins, while secretion is controlled by the gatekeeper HrpJ. A link between the two mechanisms was so far unknown. Here, we show that a mechanistic coupling exists between the expression and secretion cascades through the direct binding of the HrpG/HrpV heterodimer, acting as a T3SS chaperone, to HrpJ. The ternary complex is docked to the cytoplasmic side of the inner bacterial membrane and orchestrates intermediate substrate secretion, without affecting early substrate secretion. The anchoring of the ternary complex to the membranes potentially keeps HrpG/HrpV away from DNA. In their multiple roles as transcriptional regulators and gatekeeper chaperones, HrpV/HrpG provide along with HrpJ potentially attractive targets for antibacterial strategies.IMPORTANCE On the basis of scientific/economic importance, Pseudomonas syringae and Erwinia amylovora are considered among the top 10 plant-pathogenic bacteria in molecular plant pathology. Both employ type III secretion systems (T3SSs) of the Hrc-Hrp 1 family to subvert their plant hosts. For Hrc-Hrp 1, no functional link was known between the key processes of T3SS gene expression and secretion. Here, we show that a mechanistic coupling exists between expression and secretion cascades, through formation of a ternary complex involving the T3SS proteins HrpG, HrpV, and HrpJ. Our results highlight the functional and structural properties of a hitherto-unknown complex which orchestrates intermediate T3SS substrate secretion and may lead to better pathogen control through novel targets for antibacterial strategies.

Phylogenetic analysis of a gene cluster encoding an additional, rhizobial-like type III secretion system that is narrowly distributed among Pseudomonas syringae strains.

BACKGROUND: The central role of Type III secretion systems (T3SS) in bacteria-plant interactions is well established, yet unexpected findings are being uncovered through bacterial genome sequencing. Some Pseudomonas syringae strains possess an uncharacterized cluster of genes encoding putative components of a second T3SS (T3SS-2) in addition to the well characterized Hrc1 T3SS which is associated with disease lesions in host plants and with the triggering of hypersensitive response in non-host plants. The aim of this study is to perform an in silico analysis of T3SS-2, and to compare it with other known T3SSs. RESULTS: Based on phylogenetic analysis and gene organization comparisons, the T3SS-2 cluster of the P. syringae pv. phaseolicola strain is grouped with a second T3SS found in the pNGR234b plasmid of Rhizobium sp. These additional T3SS gene clusters define a subgroup within the Rhizobium T3SS family. Although, T3SS-2 is not distributed as widely as the Hrc1 T3SS in P. syringae strains, it was found to be constitutively expressed in P. syringae pv phaseolicola through RT-PCR experiments. CONCLUSIONS: The relatedness of the P. syringae T3SS-2 to a second T3SS from the pNGR234b plasmid of Rhizobium sp., member of subgroup II of the rhizobial T3SS family, indicates common ancestry and/or possible horizontal transfer events between these species. Functional analysis and genome sequencing of more rhizobia and P. syringae pathovars may shed light into why these bacteria maintain a second T3SS gene cluster in their genome.

Playing the "Harp": evolution of our understanding of hrp/hrc genes.

With the advent of recombinant DNA techniques, the field of molecular plant pathology witnessed dramatic shifts in the 1970s and 1980s. The new and conventional methodologies of bacterial molecular genetics put bacteria center stage. The discovery in the mid-1980s of the hrp/hrc gene cluster and the subsequent demonstration that it encodes a type III secretion system (T3SS) common to Gram negative bacterial phytopathogens, animal pathogens, and plant symbionts was a landmark in molecular plant pathology. Today, T3SS has earned a central role in our understanding of many fundamental aspects of bacterium-plant interactions and has contributed the important concept of interkingdom transfer of effector proteins determining race-cultivar specificity in plant-bacterium pathosystems. Recent developments in genomics, proteomics, and structural biology enable detailed and comprehensive insights into the functional architecture, evolutionary origin, and distribution of T3SS among bacterial pathogens and support current research efforts to discover novel antivirulence drugs.

Coiled-coils in type III secretion systems: structural flexibility, disorder and biological implications.

Recent structural studies and analyses of microbial genomes have consolidated the understanding of the structural and functional versatility of coiled-coil domains in proteins from bacterial type III secretion systems (T3SS). Such domains consist of two or more α-helices forming a bundle structure. The occurrence of coiled-coils in T3SS is considerably higher than the average predicted occurrence in prokaryotic proteomes. T3SS proteins comprising coiled-coil domains are frequently characterized by an increased structural flexibility, which may vary from localized structural disorder to the establishment of molten globule-like state. The propensity for coiled-coil formation and structural disorder are frequently essential requirements for various T3SS functions, including the establishment of protein-protein interaction networks and the polymerization of extracellular components of T3SS appendages. Possible correlations between the frequently observed N-terminal structural disorder of effectors and the T3SS secretion signal are discussed. The results for T3SS are also compared with other Gram-negative secretory systems.

Evidence for a coiled-coil interaction mode of disordered proteins from bacterial type III secretion systems.

Gene clusters encoding various type III secretion system (T3SS) injectisomes, frequently code downstream of the conserved atpase gene for small hydrophilic proteins whose amino acid sequences display a propensity for intrinsic disorder and coiled-coil formation. These properties were confirmed experimentally for a member of this class, the HrpO protein from the T3SS of Pseudomonas syringae pv phaseolicola: HrpO exhibits high alpha-helical content with coiled-coil characteristics, strikingly low melting temperature, structural properties that are typical for disordered proteins, and a pronounced self-association propensity, most likely via coiled-coil interactions, resulting in heterogeneous populations of quaternary complexes. HrpO interacts in vivo with HrpE, a T3SS protein for which coiled-coil formation is also strongly predicted. Evidence from HrpO analogues from all T3SS families and the flagellum suggests that the extreme flexibility and propensity for coiled-coil interactions of this diverse class of small, intrinsically disordered proteins, whose structures may alter as they bind to their cognate folded protein targets, might be important elements in the establishment of protein-protein interaction networks required for T3SS function.