Project description:Investigation of whole genome gene expression level changes during plant infection in the PecS regulatory mutant compared to the wild type strain. PecS is a global regulator of virulence in D. dadantii and the PecS mutant is hypervirulent.
Project description:Investigation of whole genome gene expression level changes in the phytopathogenic Dickeya dadantii wild-type strain 3937 during an acute per os infection of an aphid body, in comparison with a colony grown in standard LB medium. The pathosystem described in this study has been analysed and first published in Grenier et al. 2006, and further detailed in Costechareyre et al. 2011
Project description:Growth in 0.3 M NaCl M63 minimal medium affects the transcriptome of Dickeya dadantii 3937.in comparison to that of cells grown in M63 medium.
Project description:Background Dickeya dadantii is a necrotrophic pathogen causing disease in many plants. Previous studies have demonstrated that the type III secretion system (T3SS) of D. dadantii is required for full virulence. HrpL is an alternative sigma factor that binds to the hrp box promoter sequence of T3SS genes to up-regulate their expression. Methodology/Principal Findings To explore the inventory of HrpL-regulated genes of D. dadantii 3937 (3937), transcriptome profiles of wild-type 3937 and a hrpL mutant grown in a T3SS-inducing medium were examined. Using a cut-off value of 1.5, significant differential expression was observed in sixty-three genes, which are involved in various cellular functions such as type III secretion, chemotaxis, metabolism, regulation, and stress response. A hidden Markov model (HMM) was used to predict candidate hrp box binding sites in the intergenic regions of 3937, including the promoter regions of HrpL-regulated genes identified in the microarray assay. In contrast to biotrophic phytopathgens such as Pseudomonas syringae, among the HrpL up-regulated genes in 3937 only those within the T3SS were found to contain a hrp box sequence. Moreover, direct binding of purified HrpL protein to the hrp box was demonstrated for hrp box-containing DNA fragments of hrpA and hrpN using the electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA). In this study, a putative T3SS effector DspA/E was also identified as a HrpL-upregulated gene, and shown to be translocated into plant cells in a T3SS-dependent manner. Conclusion/Significances We provide the genome-wide study of HrpL-regulated genes in a necrotrophic phytopathogen (D. dadantii 3937) through a combination of transcriptomics and bioinformatics, which led to identification of several effectors. Our study indicates the extent of differences for T3SS effector protein inventory requirements between necrotrophic and biotrophic pathogens, and may allow the development of different strategies for disease control for these different groups of pathogens.
Project description:Indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) is a central phytohormone regulating plant growth and development and is increasingly recognized as an intra- and inter-kingdom signaling molecule that modulates diverse bacterial processes relevant during plant–microbe interactions. While IAA biosynthesis is widespread among plant-associated bacteria, the mechanisms through which this auxin regulates bacterial physiology and virulence, as well as those controlling its production, remain poorly understood. Here, we show that IAA synthesis deficiency in the globally relevant phytopathogen Dickeya dadantii triggers global transcriptional reprogramming and results in reduced virulence and fitness during plant infection. IAA was found to regulate the expression of the AaeXAB efflux pump, which mediates endogenous IAA secretion and confers resistance to plant defense–related phytohormones, including auxin and salicylic acid. This efflux system also contributes to successful plant infection and colonization in D. dadantii. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that the AaeXAB pump is commonly present among Pseudomonadota isolated from plant-associated environments. Moreover, IAA deficiency altered the expression of an indole-responsive regulator, suggesting cross-talk between IAA- and indole-mediated signaling networks. Our data also uncover a complex regulatory circuit coordination IAA production in D. dadantii, involving the ExpIR and Vfm quorum-sensing systems and the transcriptional regulators TyrR, TrpR, and LrhA. Collectively, our findings provide new insights into the role of IAA as a bacterial signal promoting plant adaptation and virulence. Targeting IAA biosynthesis and efflux pump activity may offer promising avenues for microbiome engineering and the development of anti-virulence strategies in phytopathogenesis.