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Toxin–antitoxin (TA) systems are diverse genetic modules with demonstrated roles in plasmid stability, stress management, biofilm formation and antibiotic persistence. However, relatively little is known about their functional significance in plant pathogens. In this study we characterize type II and IV TA systems in the economically important plant pathogen Erwinia amylovora. Hidden Markov Model (HMM) and BLAST-based programs were used to predict the identity and distribution of putative TA systems among sequenced genomes of E. amylovora and other plant-associated Erwinia spp. Of six conserved TA systems tested for function from E. amylovora, three (CbtA/CbeA, ParE/RHH and Doc/PhD) were validated as functional. CbtA was toxic to E. amylovora, but not to Escherichia coli. While the E. coli homolog of CbtA elicits the formation of lemon-shaped cells upon overexpression and targets cytoskeletal proteins FtsZ and MreB, E. amylovora CbtA led to cell elongation and did not interact with these cytoskeletal proteins. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that E. amylovora CbtA belongs to a distinct clade from the CbtA of pathogenic E. coli. This study expands the repertoire of experimentally validated TA systems in plant pathogenic bacteria, and suggests that the E. amylovora homolog of CbtA is functionally distinct from that of E. coli.

Plant viral infections lead to accumulation of virus-derived small interfering RNAs (vsiRNAs) as a result of host defense mechanisms. High-throughput sequencing technology enables vsiRNA profiling analyses from virus infected plants, which provide important insights into virus-host interactions. Potato virus Y (PVY) is a detrimental plant pathogen that can infect a variety of solanaceous crops, e.g., potato, tobacco, tomato, and pepper. We analyzed and characterized vsiRNAs derived from Nicotiana tabacum cv. Samsun infected with two recombinant PVY strains, N-Wi and NTN. We observed that the average percentage of vsiRNAs derived from plants infected with N-Wi was higher than from plants infected with NTN, indicating that N-Wi invokes a stronger host response than NTN in tobacco. The size distribution pattern and polarity of vsiRNAs were similar between both virus strains with the 21 and 22 nucleotide (nt) vsiRNA classes as most predominant and the sense/antisense vsiRNAs ratio nearly equal in the 20-24 nt class. However, the percentage of sense vsiRNAs was significantly higher in the 25-26 nt long vsiRNAs. Distinct vsiRNA hotspots, identifying highly abundant reads of different unique vsiRNA sequences, were observed in both viral genomes. Previous studies found an A or U bias at the 5' terminal nucleotide position of 21 nt vsiRNAs; in contrast, our analysis revealed a C and U nucleotide bias. This study provides insights that will help further elucidate differential processing of vsiRNAs in plant antiviral defense.

Gram-negative bacterial pathogens of plants and animals employ type III secreted effectors to suppress innate immunity. Most characterized effectors work through modification of host proteins or transcriptional regulators, although a few are known to modify small molecule targets. The Xanthomonas type III secreted avirulence factor AvrRxo1 is a structural homolog of the zeta toxin family of sugar-nucleotide kinases that suppresses bacterial growth. AvrRxo1 was recently reported to phosphorylate the central metabolite and signaling molecule NAD in vitro, suggesting that the effector might enhance bacterial virulence on plants through manipulation of primary metabolic pathways. In this study, we determine that AvrRxo1 phosphorylates NAD in planta, and that its kinase catalytic sites are necessary for its toxic and resistance-triggering phenotypes. A global metabolomics approach was used to independently identify 3’-NADP as the sole detectable product of AvrRxo1 expression in yeast and bacteria, and NAD kinase activity was confirmed in vitro. 3’-NADP accumulated upon transient expression of AvrRxo1 in Nicotiana benthamiana and in rice leaves infected with avrRxo1-expressing strains of X. oryzae. Mutation of the catalytic aspartic acid residue D193 abolished AvrRxo1 kinase activity and several phenotypes of AvrRxo1, including toxicity in yeast, bacteria, and plants, suppression of the flg22-triggered ROS burst, and ability to trigger an R gene-mediated hypersensitive response. A mutation in the Walker A ATP-binding motif abolished the toxicity of AvrRxo1, but did not abolish the 3’-NADP production, virulence enhancement, ROS suppression, or HR-triggering phenotypes of AvrRxo1. These results demonstrate that a type III effector targets the central metabolite and redox carrier NAD in planta, and that this catalytic activity is required for toxicity and suppression of the ROS burst., Author summary Infectious bacteria have many strategies to weaken the defenses of their hosts. One common strategy is to inject proteins called effectors into the host cells. Many effectors inactivate proteins that transmit defense signals, disabling the alarm systems that alert the plant to defend against the pathogen. In this paper, we show that pathogens can also target very important small molecules in eukaryotes. We found that the plant pathogen effector AvrRxo1 adds a modification to NAD, a molecule required for hundreds of respiratory and signaling reactions, when expressed inside yeast or plant cells. This modification produces an unusual molecule, 3’-NADP, that is not able to be used efficiently by the cell. This finding demonstrates a new way that effectors can target essential central metabolites to manipulate the host.

Toxin-antitoxin (TA) systems are gene modules that are ubiquitous in free-living prokaryotes. Diverse in structure, cellular function, and fitness roles, TA systems are defined by the presence of a toxin gene that suppresses bacterial growth and a toxin-neutralizing antitoxin gene, usually encoded in a single operon. Originally viewed as DNA maintenance modules, TA systems are now thought to function in many roles, including bacterial stress tolerance, virulence, phage defense, and biofilm formation. However, very few studies have investigated the significance of TA systems in the context of plant-microbe interactions. This review discusses the potential impact and application of TA systems in plant-associated bacteria, guided by insights gained from animal-pathogenic model systems.

Toxin-antitoxin (TA) systems are ubiquitous bacterial systems that may function in genome maintenance and metabolic stress management, but are also thought to play a role in virulence by helping pathogens survive stress. We previously demonstrated that the Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzicola protein AvrRxo1 is a type III-secreted virulence factor that has structural similarities to the zeta family of TA toxins, and is toxic to plants and bacteria in the absence of its predicted chaperone Arc1. In this work, we confirm that AvrRxo1 and its binding partner Arc1 function as a TA system when expressed in Escherichia coli. Sequences of avrRxo1 homologs were culled from published and newly generated phytopathogen genomes, revealing that avrRxo1:arc1 modules are rare or frequently inactivated in some species and highly conserved in others. Cloning and functional analysis of avrRxo1 from Acidovorax avenae, A. citrulli, Burkholderia andropogonis, Xanthomonas translucens, and Xanthomonas euvesicatoria showed that some AvrRxo1 homologs share the bacteriostatic and Rxo1-mediated cell death triggering activities of AvrRxo1 from X. oryzae. Additional distant putative homologs of avrRxo1 and arc1 were identified in genomic or metagenomic sequence of environmental bacteria with no known pathogenic role. One of these distant homologs was cloned from the filamentous soil bacterium Cystobacter fuscus. avrRxo1 from C. fuscus caused watersoaking and triggered Rxo1-dependent cell collapse in Nicotiana benthamiana, but no growth suppression in E. coli was observed. This work confirms that a type III effector can function as a TA system toxin, and illustrates the potential of microbiome data to reveal new environmental origins or reservoirs of pathogen virulence factors. Published version

Endophytic colonization is a very complex process which is not yet completely understood. Molecules exuded by the plants may act as signals which influence the ability of the microbe to colonize the host or survive in the rhizosphere. Here we used the whole genome microarray approach to investigate the response of the diazotrophic model endophyte, Azoarcus sp. strain BH72, to exudates of O. sativa cv. Nipponbare in order to identify differentially regulated genes. On exposure to exudates, an overall expression of 4.4% of the 3992 protein coding genes of Azoarcus sp. strain BH72 was altered, out of which 2.4% was upregulated and 2.0% was downregulated. Genes with modulated expression included a few whose involvement in plant-microbe interaction had already been established, whereas a large fraction comprised of genes encoding proteins with putative or unknown functions. Mutational analysis of several differentially regulated genes like those encoding a minor pilin PilX, signal transduction proteins containing GGDEF domains and a serine-threonine kinase as a putative component of the type IV secretion system (T6SS), revealed their role in host colonization. Our data suggest that strain BH72 may be primed for the endophytic lifestyle by exudates, as the expression of bacterial genes relevant for endophytic colonization of roots is induced by root exudates.

Hepatoma-derived growth-factor-related protein 2 (HRP-2) belongs to a family with five additional members: hepatoma-derived growth factor (HDGF); lens epithelium-derived growth factor; and the HDGF-related proteins -1, -3 and -4. Very little is known regarding the function of HRP-2 in particular. This study shows for the first time heteromer formation of different members of the HRP family; HDGF and HRP-2. In addition, we discovered a previously unknown splice variant of HRP-2 mRNA encoding for a protein with a 53-amino acid deletion in its hath region. This HRP-2 isoform c interacts preferentially with a processed form of HDGF probably because of the loss of an α helix of HRP-2. Furthermore, in contrast to other isoforms of HRP-2, isoform c binds to chromatin similar to its most closely related family member lens epithelium-derived growth factor with potential consequences regarding its function in HIV integration. Interestingly, only the new HRP-2 isoform c and a processed form of HDGF are displaced from condensed mitotic metaphase chromatin. In conclusion, these observations provide a new perspective for understanding the biological functions of HDGF and related proteins. Structured digital abstract • HRP2 a and Hdgf physically interact by bimolecular fluorescence complementation (View interaction) • HRP2 a and Hdgf colocalize by fluorescence microscopy (View interaction) • HRP2 b physically interacts with Hdgf by pull down (View Interaction: 1, 2) • Hdgf and HRP2 c physically interact by bimolecular fluorescence complementation (View interaction) • Hdgf and HRP2 b colocalize by fluorescence microscopy (View interaction) • HRP2 a physically interacts with Hdgf by pull down (View Interaction: 1, 2) • Hdgf and HRP2 b physically interact by bimolecular fluorescence complementation (View interaction) • HRP2 c physically interacts with Hdgf by pull down (View Interaction: 1, 2) • Hdgf and HRP2 c colocalize by fluorescence microscopy (View interaction)

Endophytic colonization is a very complex process which is not yet completely understood. Molecules exuded by the plants may act as signals which influence the ability of the microbe to colonize the host or survive in the rhizosphere. Here we used the whole genome microarray approach to investigate the response of the diazotrophic model endophyte, Azoarcus sp. strain BH72, to exudates of O. sativa cv. Nipponbare in order to identify differentially regulated genes. On exposure to exudates, an overall expression of 4.4% of the 3992 protein coding genes of Azoarcus sp. strain BH72 was altered, out of which 2.4% was upregulated and 2.0% was downregulated. Genes with modulated expression included a few whose involvement in plant-microbe interaction had already been established, whereas a large fraction comprised of genes encoding proteins with putative or unknown functions. Mutational analysis of several differentially regulated genes like those encoding a minor pilin PilX, signal transduction proteins containing GGDEF domains and a serine-threonine kinase as a putative component of the type IV secretion system (T6SS), revealed their role in host colonization. Our data suggest that strain BH72 may be primed for the endophytic lifestyle by exudates, as the expression of bacterial genes relevant for endophytic colonization of roots is induced by root exudates.

Hepatoma-derived growth-factor-related protein 2 (HRP-2) belongs to a family with five additional members: hepatoma-derived growth factor (HDGF); lens epithelium-derived growth factor; and the HDGF-related proteins -1, -3 and -4. Very little is known regarding the function of HRP-2 in particular. This study shows for the first time heteromer formation of different members of the HRP family; HDGF and HRP-2. In addition, we discovered a previously unknown splice variant of HRP-2 mRNA encoding for a protein with a 53-amino acid deletion in its hath region. This HRP-2 isoform c interacts preferentially with a processed form of HDGF probably because of the loss of an α helix of HRP-2. Furthermore, in contrast to other isoforms of HRP-2, isoform c binds to chromatin similar to its most closely related family member lens epithelium-derived growth factor with potential consequences regarding its function in HIV integration. Interestingly, only the new HRP-2 isoform c and a processed form of HDGF are displaced from condensed mitotic metaphase chromatin. In conclusion, these observations provide a new perspective for understanding the biological functions of HDGF and related proteins.