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Identification of flavonoids as regulators of YbeY activity in Liberibacter asiaticus
Author(s) -
Zuo Ran,
Oliveira Aline,
Bullita Enrica,
Torino Maria Ines,
PadgettPagliai Kaylie A.,
Gardner Christopher L.,
Harrison Natalie A.,
da Silva Danilo,
Merli Marcelo L.,
Gonzalez Claudio F.,
Lorca Graciela L.
Publication year - 2019
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 - 10.1111/1462-2920.14831
Subject(s) - biology , endoribonuclease , flavones , flavonols , luteolin , pathogen , gene , rnase p , mutagenesis , microbiology and biotechnology , botany , biochemistry , rna , flavonoid , mutation , antioxidant
Summary Liberibacter asiaticus is the prevalent causative pathogen of Huanglongbing or citrus greening disease, which has resulted in a devastating crisis in the citrus industry. A thorough understanding of this pathogen's physiology and mechanisms to control cell survival is critical in the identification of therapeutic targets. YbeY is a highly conserved bacterial RNase that has been implicated in multiple roles. In this study, we evaluated the biochemical characteristics of the L . asiaticus YbeY (CLIBASIA_01560) and assessed its potential as a target for antimicrobials. YbeY Las was characterized as an endoribonuclease with activity on 3′ and 5′ termini of 16S and 23S rRNAs, and the capacity to suppress the E . coli ΔybeY phenotype. We predicted the YbeY Las protein:ligand interface and subsequently identified a flavone compound, luteolin, as a selective inhibitor. Site‐directed mutagenesis was subsequently used to identify key residues involved in the catalytic activity of YbeY Las . Further evaluation of naturally occurring flavonoids in citrus trees indicated that both flavones and flavonols had potent inhibitory effects on YbeY Las . Luteolin was subsequently examined for efficacy against L . asiaticus in Huanglongbing‐infected citrus trees, where a significant reduction in L . asiaticus gene expression was observed.