Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ana Sanchez-Jimenez, Maria A. Llamas, Francisco Javier Marcos-Torres
Summary: Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a versatile pathogen capable of colonizing human tissues. Its colonization and virulence are driven by various regulated virulence factors. This study reviews the transcriptional regulators that control the expression of these factors and proposes blocking these regulators as a promising strategy to combat this clinically relevant pathogen.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Review
Microbiology
S. Mayo-Perez, Y. Gama-Martinez, S. Davila, N. Rivera, I. Hernandez-Lucas
Summary: This review focuses on the distribution, abundance, evolution, structural organization, transcriptional regulation, and fundamental roles of LysR-type transcriptional regulators (LTTRs) in bacteria, archaea, and algae. It also discusses their involvement in free life, pathogenesis, and bacteria-plant interaction, providing a current understanding of LTTR biology.
CRITICAL REVIEWS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Cell Biology
Matthew A. Reyer, Shriram Chennakesavalu, Emily M. Heideman, Xiangqian Ma, Magda Bujnowska, Lu Hong, Aaron R. Dinner, Carin K. Vanderpool, Jingyi Fei
Summary: Small RNAs (sRNAs) are important gene regulators in bacteria, acting post-transcriptionally by affecting translation and degradation of target mRNAs. Some sRNAs can regulate targets co-transcriptionally early in an mRNA's lifetime, potentially mediated by Rho-dependent termination. Data also reveals that certain kinetic steps and sRNA binding to target mRNA may dictate the regulation hierarchy within sRNA regulons.
Article
Plant Sciences
Gwen Swinnen, Jean-Philippe Mauxion, Alexandra Baekelandt, Rebecca De Clercq, Jan Van Doorsselaere, Dirk Inze, Nathalie Gonzalez, Alain Goossens, Laurens Pauwels
Summary: Plant organ size and shape are regulated by complex gene networks involving PEAPOD (PPD) and KINASE-INDUCIBLE DOMAIN INTERACTING (KIX) proteins in rosid clade species. Loss-of-function of SlKIX8 and SlKIX9 in tomato leads to enlarged dome-shaped leaves with increased expression of PPD target genes. Additionally, the mutants exhibit enlarged fruits with increased pericarp thickness due to cell expansion.
Article
Immunology
Wanwu Li, Lingyan Jiang, Xiaoqian Liu, Rui Guo, Shuai Ma, Jingting Wang, Shuangshuang Ma, Shujie Li, Huiying Li
Summary: YhjC is identified as a necessary transcriptional regulator that positively regulates Shigella virulence by activating virF transcription. Deletion of YhjC results in decreased pathogenicity of Shigella, as well as downregulation of virF and other VirF-dependent genes. Additionally, YhjC functions as a global regulatory factor affecting the expression of multiple genes in the large virulence plasmid.
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Thomas R. Aalders, Mara de Sain, Fleur Gawehns, Nina Oudejans, Yoran D. Jak, Henk L. Dekker, Martijn Rep, Harrold A. van den Burg, Frank L. W. Takken
Summary: The TPL1 and TPL2 genes in tomato are closely associated with susceptibility to Fusarium wilt disease, and mutating these genes can enhance plant resistance to the disease.
PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY JOURNAL
(2024)
Article
Microbiology
Jun Qin, Peichen Zhao, Ziqin Ye, Lifan Sun, Xiaoping Hu, Jie Zhang
Summary: This study characterized the functions of eight chitin synthase genes in Verticillium dahliae and found that these genes are involved in cell wall integrity, conidial germination and production, stress response, penetration, and virulence.
Article
Microbiology
Jun Liu, Xuejiang Zhang, Siyi Deng, Hua Wang, Youfu Zhao
Summary: This study investigates the importance of thiamine and its derivative TPP in the growth, stress resistance, and virulence of the plant pathogen PstDC3000. The results show that the absence of thiamine-related genes leads to reduced growth and virulence, but this can be restored with exogenous thiamine. Furthermore, a mutation in a lipoprotein-related gene affects stress tolerance and colonization. Overall, the study highlights the role of the thiamine biosynthetic pathway in the colonization and infection of PstDC3000.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Yuyan An, Jialan Chen, Zhangyan Xu, Xue Ouyang, Peng Cao, Rongbo Wang, Peiqing Liu, Meixiang Zhang
Summary: Ralstonia solanacearum is a pathogen that causes devastating diseases in economically important crops. The study shows that RipTPS(G), a type III effector, specifically induces cell death in Nicotiana tabacum, while RipTPS(C) cannot. The expression of RipTPS(G) leads to upregulation of hypersensitive response-related genes in N. tabacum and reduces the virulence of CQPS-1. It is also found that RipTPS contributes to pathogen virulence.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
In Woong Park, In Sun Hwang, Eom-Ji Oh, Choon-Tak Kwon, Chang-Sik Oh
Summary: Clavibacter michiganensis causes bacterial canker and wilting in host plants. Nicotiana benthamiana is a surrogate host for C. michiganensis and C. capsici. C. michiganensis induced blister-like lesions, canker, and wilting in N. benthamiana, and the celA and pat-1 genes were not necessary for symptom development.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Rachel A. Conrad, Jason P. Evenhuis, Ryan S. Lipscomb, David Perez-Pascual, Rebecca J. Stevick, Clayton Birkett, Jean-Marc Ghigo, Mark J. McBride
Summary: Flavobacterium columnare, a costly pathogen in the freshwater fish-farming industry, produces siderophores for iron uptake. This study identifies genes involved in iron uptake and reveals their importance for growth under iron-limited conditions. Mutants with deletions in these genes showed decreased virulence but still caused infection. Survivors of exposure to these mutants were partially protected against later infection by the wild-type pathogen.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR AND INFECTION MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Xiujuan Zhou, Bin Liu, Yanhong Liu, Chunlei Shi, Pina M. Fratamico, Lida Zhang, Dapeng Wang, Jianhua Zhang, Yan Cui, Ping Xu, Xianming Shi
Summary: The deletion of genes SC0368 and SC0595 in Salmonella Choleraesuis led to defects in motility and increased invasiveness in Caco-2 cells. Additionally, SC0368 deletion resulted in up-regulation of genes encoding cytochromes, enhancing bacterial proliferation. These findings suggest that these two genes play important roles in flagella biosynthesis, LPS synthesis, bacterial growth, and virulence within Salmonella C1 serogroup.
Article
Microbiology
Isabel Maurus, Miriam Leonard, Alexandra Nagel, Jessica Starke, James W. Kronstad, Rebekka Harting, Gerhard H. Braus
Summary: Verticillium dahliae, a vascular fungal pathogen, produces specific proteins in the xylem sap of the host plant, which are important for colonization of the plant vasculature and disease symptoms induction. Two hydrophobins, Vdh4 and Vdh5, were found to play specialized roles in the pathogenicity of V. dahliae against tomato plants, contributing to disease development at later colonization stages.
Article
Microbiology
Huilin Yu, Wantong Jia, Zhongxiang Li, Chaofeng Gao, Hongyu Pan, Xianghui Zhang
Summary: This study reveals the important role of sorting nexins in Cochliobolus heterostrophus, demonstrating their involvement in fungal growth, development, stress adaptation, and virulence.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Guixia Hao, Susan McCormick, Helene Tiley, Santiago Gutierrez, Gabdiel Yulfo-Soto, Martha M. Vaughan, Todd J. Ward
Summary: Fusarium graminearum causes Fusarium head blight (FHB) on wheat and barley, contaminating grains with toxic mycotoxins. The study found that the newly discovered NX trichothecenes, along with DON, play an important role in FHB infection and spread.
MOLECULAR PLANT-MICROBE INTERACTIONS
(2023)
