Expanded roles for multicargo and class 1B effector chaperones in type III secretion.

Bacterial type III secretion systems (T3SS) are complex protein assemblies that mediate the secretion of protein substrates outside the cell. Type III secretion chaperones (T3SC) are always found associated with T3SS, and they serve in multiple roles to ensure that protein substrates are efficiently targeted for secretion. Bacterial pathogens with T3SS express T3SC proteins that bind effectors, a process important for effector protein delivery into eukaryotic cells during infection. In this minireview, we focus on multicargo and class 1B T3SC that associate with effectors within significant pathogens of animals and plants. As a primary role, multicargo and class 1B T3SC form homodimers and specifically bind different effectors within the cytoplasm, maintaining the effectors in a secretion-competent state. This role makes T3SC initial and central contributors to effector-mediated pathogenesis. Recent findings have greatly expanded our understanding of cellular events linked to multicargo T3SC function. New binding interactions with T3SS components have been reported in different systems, thereby implicating multicargo T3SC in critical roles beyond effector binding. Three notable interactions with the YscN, YscV, and YscQ family members are well represented in the literature. Similar T3SC interactions are reported in the putative related flagellar T3SS, suggesting that secretion mechanisms may be more similar than previously thought. The evidence implicates multicargo and class 1B T3SC in effector binding and stabilization, in addition to T3SS recruitment and docking events.

Further analysis of XBAT32, an Arabidopsis RING E3 ligase, involved in ethylene biosynthesis.

The Arabidopsis RING E3 ligase, XBAT32, was previously characterized as a regulator of lateral root initiation. However, how XBAT32 function to modulate lateral root initiation was unknown. In our recent paper, we demonstrated that XBAT32 is involved in ethylene biosynthesis and it is through this function that XBAT32 is able to regulate lateral root production. Here we discuss a few other findings, observed in the ethylene overproducing mutant, xbat32, that reflect the effect of elevated ethylene levels on plant growth and development. Ethylene signaling also regulates plant responses to adverse environmental conditions such as high salinity. Consistent with ethylene's role as a stress hormone, xbat32 exhibited increased sensitivity to salt stress during seed germination and postgerminative growth. Thus, XBAT32 may also play a role in ethylene mediated response to abiotic stresses.

Arabidopsis RING E3 ligase XBAT32 regulates lateral root production through its role in ethylene biosynthesis.

XBAT32, a member of the RING domain-containing ankyrin repeat subfamily of E3 ligases, was previously identified as a positive regulator of lateral root development. Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) plants harboring a mutation in XBAT32 produce fewer lateral roots that wild-type plants. We found that xbat32 mutants produce significantly more ethylene than wild-type plants and that inhibition of ethylene biosynthesis or perception significantly increased xbat32 lateral root production. XBAT32 interacts with the ethylene biosynthesis enzymes AMINOCYCLOPROPANE-1-CARBOXYLIC ACID SYNTHASE4 (ACS4) and ACS7 in yeast-two-hybrid assays. XBAT32 is capable of catalyzing the attachment of ubiquitin to both ACS4 and ACS7 in in vitro ubiquitination assays. These results suggest that XBAT32 negatively regulates ethylene biosynthesis by modulating the abundance of ACS proteins. Loss of XBAT32 may promote the stabilization of ACSs and lead to increased ethylene synthesis and suppression of lateral root formation. XBAT32 may also contribute to the broader hormonal cross talk that influences lateral root development. While auxin treatments only partially rescue the lateral root defect of xbat32, they completely restore wild-type levels of xbat32 lateral root production when coupled with ethylene inhibition. Abscisic acid, an antagonist of ethylene synthesis/signaling, was also found to stimulate rather than inhibit xbat32 lateral root formation, and abscisic acid acts synergistically with auxin to promote xbat32 lateral root production.