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The two‐component system CpxAR is essential for virulence in the phytopathogen bacteria D ickeya dadantii EC 3937
Author(s) -
BontempsGallo Sébastien,
Madec Edwige,
Lacroix JeanMarie
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
environmental microbiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.954
H-Index - 188
eISSN - 1462-2920
pISSN - 1462-2912
DOI - 10.1111/1462-2920.12874
Subject(s) - virulence , two component regulatory system , biology , mutant , response regulator , bacteria , phosphorylation , regulator , gene , microbiology and biotechnology , biofilm , genetics
Summary The CpxAR two‐component system is present in many P roteobacteria. It controls expression of genes required to maintain envelope integrity in response to environmental injury. Consequently, this two‐component system was shown to be required for virulence of several zoo‐pathogens, but it has never been investigated in phyto‐pathogens. In this paper, we investigate the role of the CpxAR two‐component system in vitro and in vivo in D ickeya dadantii , an enterobacterial phytopathogen that causes soft‐rot disease in a large variety of plant species. cpxA null mutant displays a constitutively phosphorylated CpxR phenotype as shown by direct analysis of phosphorylation of CpxR by a Phos‐Tag retardation gel approach. Virulence in plants is completely abolished in cpxA or cpxR mutants of D . dadantii . I n planta , CpxAR is only activated at an early stage of the infection process as shown by Phos‐Tag and gene fusion analyses. To our knowledge, this is the first time that the timing of CpxAR phosphorelay activation has been investigated during the infection process by direct monitoring of response regulator phosphorylation.