The type III effector HsvG of the gall-forming Pantoea agglomerans mediates expression of the host gene HSVGT

Mol Plant Microbe Interact. 2012 Feb;25(2):231-40. doi: 10.1094/MPMI-06-11-0173.

Abstract

The type III effector HsvG of the gall-forming Pantoea agglomerans pv. gypsophilae is a DNA-binding protein that is imported to the host nucleus and involved in host specificity. The DNA-binding region of HsvG was delineated to 266 amino acids located within a secondary structure region near the N-terminus of the protein but did not display any homology to canonical DNA-binding motifs. A binding site selection procedure was used to isolate a target gene of HsvG, named HSVGT, in Gypsophila paniculata. HSVGT is a predicted acidic protein of the DnaJ family with 244 amino acids. It harbors characteristic conserved motifs of a eukaryotic transcription factor, including a bipartite nuclear localization signal, zinc finger, and leucine zipper DNA-binding motifs. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis demonstrated that HSVGT transcription is specifically induced in planta within 2 h after inoculation with the wild-type P. agglomerans pv. gypsophilae compared with the hsvG mutant. Induction of HSVGT reached a peak of sixfold at 4 h after inoculation and progressively declined thereafter. Gel-shift assay demonstrated that HsvG binds to the HSVGT promoter, indicating that HSVGT is a direct target of HsvG. Our results support the hypothesis that HsvG functions as a transcription factor in gypsophila.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Bacterial Proteins / genetics
  • Bacterial Proteins / metabolism*
  • Base Sequence
  • Caryophyllaceae / genetics*
  • Caryophyllaceae / microbiology
  • DNA-Binding Proteins / genetics
  • DNA-Binding Proteins / metabolism
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Plant / genetics*
  • Genes, Plant / genetics*
  • Host Specificity
  • Leucine Zippers
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Nuclear Localization Signals
  • Pantoea / genetics
  • Pantoea / metabolism*
  • Pantoea / pathogenicity
  • Plant Diseases / microbiology*
  • Plant Tumors
  • Promoter Regions, Genetic / genetics
  • Transcription Factors / genetics
  • Transcription Factors / metabolism
  • Transcriptional Activation
  • Up-Regulation
  • Virulence / genetics
  • Zinc Fingers

Substances

  • Bacterial Proteins
  • DNA-Binding Proteins
  • HsvG protein, Pantoea agglomerans
  • Nuclear Localization Signals
  • Transcription Factors

Associated data

  • GENBANK/GQ923819