scholarly journals Bioinformatics Correctly Identifies Many Type III Secretion Substrates in the Plant Pathogen Pseudomonas syringae and the Biocontrol Isolate P. fluorescens SBW25

2005 ◽  
Vol 18 (8) ◽  
pp. 877-888 ◽  
Author(s):  
Boris A. Vinatzer ◽  
Joanna Jelenska ◽  
Jean T. Greenberg

The plant pathogen Pseudomonas syringae causes disease by secreting a potentially large set of virulence proteins called effectors directly into host cells, their environment, or both, using a type III secretion system (T3SS). Most P.syringae effectors have a common upstream element called the hrp box, and their N-terminal regions have amino acids biases, features that permit their bioinformatic prediction. One of the most prominent biases is a positive serine bias. We previously used the truncated AvrRpt281–255 effector containing a serine-rich stretch from amino acids 81 to 100 as a T3SS reporter. Region 81 to 100 of this reporter does not contribute to the secretion or translocation of AvrRpt2 or to putative effector protein chimeras. Rather, the serine-rich region from the N-terminus of AvrRpt2 is important for protein accumulation in bacteria. Most of the N-terminal region (amino acids 15 to 100) is not essential for secretion in culture or delivery to plants. However, portions of this sequence may increase the efficiency of AvrRpt2 secretion, delivery to plants, or both. Two effectors previously identified with the AvrRpt281–255 reporter were secreted in culture independently of AvrRpt2, validating the use of the C terminus of AvrRpt2 as a T3SS reporter. Finally, using the reduced AvrRpt2101–255 reporter, we confirmed seven predicted effectors from P. syringae pv. tomato DC3000, four from P. syringae pv. syringae B728a, and two from P. fluorescens SBW25.

2004 ◽  
Vol 17 (5) ◽  
pp. 447-455 ◽  
Author(s):  
Libo Shan ◽  
Hye-sook Oh ◽  
Jianfu Chen ◽  
Ming Guo ◽  
Jianmin Zhou ◽  
...  

Type III secretion systes are highly conserved among gram-negative plant and animal pathogenic bacteria. Through the type III secretion system, bacteria inject a number of virulence proteins into the host cells. Analysis of the whole genome sequence of Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato DC3000 strain identified a locus, named HopPtoF, that is homologous to the avirulence gene locus avrPphF in P. syringae pv. phaseolicola. The HopPtoF locus harbors two genes, ShcFPto and HopFPto, that are preceded by a single hrp box promoter. We present evidence here to show that ShcFPto and HopFPto encode a type III chaperone and a cognate effector, respectively. ShcFPto interacts with and stabilizes the HopFPto protein in the bacterial cell. Translation of HopFPto starts at a rare initiation codon ATA that limits the synthesis of the HopFPto protein to a low level in bacterial cells.


2009 ◽  
Vol 191 (9) ◽  
pp. 3120-3131 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joanne E. Morello ◽  
Alan Collmer

ABSTRACT Pseudomonas syringae delivers virulence effector proteins into plant cells via an Hrp1 type III secretion system (T3SS). P. syringae pv. tomato DC3000 HrpP has a C-terminal, putative T3SS substrate specificity switch domain, like Yersinia YscP. A ΔhrpP DC3000 mutant could not cause disease in tomato or elicit a hypersensitive response (HR) in tobacco, but the HR could be restored by expression of HrpP in trans. Though HrpP is a relatively divergent protein in the T3SS of different P. syringae pathovars, hrpP from P. syringae pv. syringae 61 and P. syringae pv. phaseolicola 1448A restored HR elicitation and pathogenicity to DC3000 ΔhrpP. HrpP was translocated into Nicotiana benthamiana cells via the DC3000 T3SS when expressed from its native promoter, but it was not secreted in culture. N- and C-terminal truncations of HrpP were tested for their ability to be translocated and to restore HR elicitation activity to the ΔhrpP mutant. No N-terminal truncation completely abolished translocation, implying that HrpP has an atypical T3SS translocation signal. Deleting more than 20 amino acids from the C terminus abolished the ability to restore HR elicitation. HrpP fused to green fluorescent protein was no longer translocated but could restore HR elicitation activity to the ΔhrpP mutant, suggesting that translocation is not essential for the function of HrpP. No T3SS substrates were detectably secreted by DC3000 ΔhrpP except the pilin subunit HrpA, which unexpectedly was secreted poorly. HrpP may function somewhat differently than YscP because the P. syringae T3SS pilus likely varies in length due to differing plant cell walls.


2006 ◽  
Vol 74 (5) ◽  
pp. 2552-2561 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shira D. P. Rabin ◽  
Jeffrey L. Veesenmeyer ◽  
Kathryn T. Bieging ◽  
Alan R. Hauser

ABSTRACT ExoU, a phospholipase injected into host cells by the type III secretion system of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, leads to rapid cytolytic cell death. Although the importance of ExoU in infection is well established, the mechanism by which this toxin kills host cells is less clear. To gain insight into how ExoU causes cell death, we examined its subcellular localization following transfection or type III secretion/translocation into HeLa cells. Although rapid cell lysis precluded visualization of wild-type ExoU by fluorescence microscopy, catalytically inactive toxin was readily detected at the periphery of HeLa cells. Biochemical analysis confirmed that ExoU was targeted to the membrane fraction of transfected cells. Visualization of ExoU peptides fused with green fluorescent protein indicated that the domain responsible for this targeting was in the C terminus of ExoU, between residues 550 and 687. Localization to the plasma membrane occurred within 1 h of expression, which is consistent with the kinetics of cytotoxicity. Together, these results indicate that a domain between residues 550 and 687 of ExoU targets this toxin to the plasma membrane, a process that may be important in cytotoxicity.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Masataka Goto ◽  
Akio Abe ◽  
Tomoko Hanawa ◽  
Asaomi Kuwae

Bordetella bronchiseptica injects virulence proteins called effectors into host cells via a type III secretion system (T3SS) conserved among many Gram-negative bacteria. Small proteins called chaperones are required for stabilizing some T3SS components or localizing them to the T3SS machinery. In a previous study, we identified a chaperone-like protein named Bcr4 that regulates T3SS activity in B. bronchiseptica. Bcr4 does not show strong sequence similarity to well-studied T3SS proteins of other bacteria, and its function remains to be elucidated. Here, we investigated the mechanism by which Bcr4 controls T3SS activity. A pull-down assay revealed that Bcr4 interacts with BscI, based on its homology to other bacterial proteins, to be an inner rod protein of the T3SS machinery. A pull-down assay using truncated Bcr4 derivatives and secretion profiles of B. bronchiseptica producing truncated Bcr4 derivatives showed that the Bcr4 C-terminal region is necessary to interact with BscI and to activate the T3SS. Moreover, the deletion of BscI abolished the secretion of type III secreted proteins from B. bronchiseptica and the translocation of a cytotoxic effector into cultured mammalian cells. Finally, we showed that BscI is unstable in the absence of Bcr4. These results suggest that Bcr4 supports the construction of the T3SS machinery by stabilizing BscI. This is the first demonstration of a chaperone for the T3SS inner rod protein among the virulence bacteria possessing the T3SS.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy Huei-Yi Lee ◽  
D. Patrick Bastedo ◽  
Timothy Lo ◽  
Maggie A. Middleton ◽  
Ji-Young Youn ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTGram-negative bacterial pathogens inject type III secreted effectors (T3SEs) directly into host cells to promote pathogen fitness by manipulating host cellular processes. Despite their crucial role in promoting virulence, relatively few T3SEs have well-characterized enzymatic activities or host targets. This is in part due to functional redundancy within pathogen T3SE repertoires as well as promiscuous individual T3SEs that can have multiple host targets. To overcome these challenges, we conducted heterologous genetic screens in yeast, a non-host organism, to identify T3SEs that target conserved eukaryotic processes. We screened 75 T3SEs from the plant pathogen Pseudomonas syringae and identified 16 that inhibited yeast growth on rich media and eight that inhibited growth on stress-inducing media, including the acetyltransferase HopZ1a. We focused our further analysis on HopZ1a, which interacts with plant tubulin and alters microtubule networks. We first performed a Pathogenic Genetic Array (PGA) screen of HopZ1a against ~4400 yeast carrying non-essential mutations and found 95 and 10 deletion mutants which reduced or enhanced HopZ1a toxicity, respectively. To uncover putative HopZ1a host targets, we interrogated both the genetic- and physical-interaction profiles of HopZ1a by identifying yeast genes with PGA profiles most similar (i.e. congruent) to that of HopZ1a, performing a functional enrichment analysis of these HopZ1a-congruent genes, and by analyzing previously described HopZ physical interaction datasets. Finally, we demonstrated that HopZ1a can target kinesins by acetylating the plant kinesins HINKEL and MKRP1.ARTICLE SUMMARYBacterial pathogens utilize secretion systems to directly deliver effector proteins into host cells, with the ultimate goal of promoting pathogen fitness. Despite the central role that effectors play in infection, the molecular function and host targets of most effectors remain uncharacterized. We used yeast genomics and protein interaction data to identify putative virulence targets of the effector HopZ1a from the plant pathogen Pseudomonas syringae. HopZ1a is an acetyltransferase that induces plant microtubule destruction. We showed that HopZ1a acetylated plant kinesin proteins known to regulate microtubule networks. Our study emphasizes the power of yeast functional genomic screens to characterize effector functions.


2004 ◽  
Vol 186 (2) ◽  
pp. 543-555 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa M. Schechter ◽  
Kathy A. Roberts ◽  
Yashitola Jamir ◽  
James R. Alfano ◽  
Alan Collmer

ABSTRACT Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato strain DC3000 is a pathogen of tomato and Arabidopsis. The hrp-hrc-encoded type III secretion system (TTSS), which injects bacterial effector proteins (primarily called Hop or Avr proteins) into plant cells, is required for pathogenicity. In addition to being regulated by the HrpL alternative sigma factor, most avr or hop genes encode proteins with N termini that have several characteristic features, including (i) a high percentage of Ser residues, (ii) an aliphatic amino acid (Ile, Leu, or Val) or Pro at the third or fourth position, and (iii) a lack of negatively charged amino acids within the first 12 residues. Here, the well-studied effector AvrPto was used to optimize a calmodulin-dependent adenylate cyclase (Cya) reporter system for Hrp-mediated translocation of P. syringae TTSS effectors into plant cells. This system includes a cloned P. syringae hrp gene cluster and the model plant Nicotiana benthamiana. Analyses of truncated AvrPto proteins fused to Cya revealed that the N-terminal 16 amino acids and/or codons of AvrPto are sufficient to direct weak translocation into plant cells and that longer N-terminal fragments direct progressively stronger translocation. AvrB, tested because it is poorly secreted in cultures by the P. syringae Hrp system, was translocated into plant cells as effectively as AvrPto. The translocation of several DC3000 candidate Hop proteins was also examined by using Cya as a reporter, which led to identification of three new intact Hop proteins, designated HopPtoQ, HopPtoT1, and HopPtoV, as well as two truncated Hop proteins encoded by the naturally disrupted genes hopPtoS4::tnpA and hopPtoAG::tnpA. We also confirmed that HopPtoK, HopPtoC, and AvrPphEPto are translocated into plant cells. These results increased the number of Hrp system-secreted proteins in DC3000 to 40. Although most of the newly identified Hop proteins possess N termini that have the same features as the N termini of previously described Hop proteins, HopPtoV has none of these characteristics. Our results indicate that Cya should be a useful reporter for exploring multiple aspects of the Hrp system in P. syringae.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Masataka Goto ◽  
Tomoko Hanawa ◽  
Akio Abe ◽  
Asaomi Kuwae

ABSTRACTBordetella pertussis uses a type III secretion system (T3SS) to inject virulence proteins into host cells. Although the B. pertussis T3SS was presumed to be involved in host colonization, the efficient secretion of type III secreted proteins from B. pertussis has not been observed. To investigate the roles of type III secreted proteins during infection, we attempted to optimize culture conditions for the production and secretion of a type III secreted protein, BteA, in B. pertussis. We observed that B. pertussis efficiently secretes BteA in ascorbic acid-depleted (AsA−) medium. When L2 cells, a rat lung epithelial cell line, were infected with B. pertussis cultured in the AsA− medium, BteA-dependent cytotoxicity was observed. We also performed an immunofluorescence assay of L2 cells infected with B. pertussis. The clear fluorescence signals of Bsp22, a needle structure of T3SS, were detected on the bacterial surface of B. pertussis cultured in the AsA− medium. Since ascorbic acid is known as a reducing agent, we cultured B. pertussis in liquid medium containing other reducing agents such as 2-mercaptoethanol and dithioerythritol. Under these reducing conditions, the production of type III secreted proteins was repressed. These results suggest that in B. pertussis, the production and secretion of type III secreted proteins are downregulated under reducing conditions.IMPORTANCEThe type III secretion system (T3SS) of Bordetella pertussis forms a needle-like structure that protrudes from the bacterial cell surface. B. pertussis uses T3SS to translocate virulence proteins called effectors into host cells. The culture conditions for effector production in B. pertussis have not been investigated. We attempted to optimize culture medium compositions for producing and secreting type III secreted proteins. We found that B. pertussis secretes type III secreted proteins in reducing agent-deprived liquid medium, and that BteA-secreting B. pertussis provokes cytotoxicity against cultured mammalian cells. These results suggest that redox signaling is involved in the regulation of B. pertussis T3SS.


2010 ◽  
Vol 78 (4) ◽  
pp. 1682-1691 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Dorothea Roehrich ◽  
Isabel Martinez-Argudo ◽  
Steven Johnson ◽  
Ariel J. Blocker ◽  
Andreas K. J. Veenendaal

ABSTRACT Type III secretion systems (T3SSs) are widely distributed virulence determinants of Gram-negative bacteria. They translocate bacterial proteins into host cells to manipulate them during infection. The Shigella T3SS consists of a cytoplasmic bulb, a transmembrane region, and a hollow needle protruding from the bacterial surface. The distal tip of mature, quiescent needles is composed of IpaD, which is topped by IpaB. Physical contact with host cells initiates secretion and leads to assembly of a pore, formed by IpaB and IpaC, in the host cell membrane, through which other virulence effector proteins may be translocated. IpaB is required for regulation of secretion and may be the host cell sensor. However, its mode of needle association is unknown. Here, we show that deletion of 3 or 9 residues at the C terminus of IpaB leads to fast constitutive secretion of late effectors, as observed in a ΔipaB strain. Like the ΔipaB mutant, mutants with C-terminal mutations also display hyperadhesion. However, unlike the ΔipaB mutant, they are still invasive and able to lyse the internalization vacuole with nearly wild-type efficiency. Finally, the mutant proteins show decreased association with needles and increased recruitment of IpaC. Taken together, these data support the notion that the state of the tip complex regulates secretion. We propose a model where the quiescent needle tip has an “off” conformation that turns “on” upon host cell contact. Our mutants may adopt a partially “on” conformation that activates secretion and is capable of recruiting some IpaC to insert pores into host cell membranes and allow invasion.


2008 ◽  
Vol 191 (5) ◽  
pp. 1703-1715 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hiroyuki Matsumoto ◽  
Glenn M. Young

ABSTRACT The Ysa type III secretion (T3S) system enhances gastrointestinal infection by Yersinia enterocolitica bv. 1B. One effector protein targeted into host cells is YspP, a protein tyrosine phosphatase. It was determined in this study that the secretion of YspP requires a chaperone, SycP. Genetic analysis showed that deletion of sycP completely abolished the secretion of YspP without affecting the secretion of other Ysps by the Ysa T3S system. Analysis of the secretion and translocation signals of YspP defined the first 73 amino acids to form the minimal region of YspP necessary to promote secretion and translocation by the Ysa T3S system. Function of the YspP secretion/translocation signals was dependent on SycP. Curiously, when YspP was constitutively expressed in Y. enterocolitica bv. 1B, it was recognized and secreted by the Ysc T3S system and the flagellar T3S system. In these cases, the first 21 amino acids were sufficient to promote secretion, and while SycP did enhance secretion, it was not essential. However, neither the Ysc T3S system nor the flagellar T3S system translocated YspP into mammalian cells. This supports a model where SycP confers secretion/translocation specificities for YspP by the Ysa T3S system. A series of biochemical approaches further established that SycP specifically interacts with YspP and protected YspP degradation in the cell prior to secretion. Collectively, the evidence suggests that YspP secretion by the Ysa T3S system is a posttranslational event.


2015 ◽  
Vol 112 (4) ◽  
pp. 1047-1052 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bo Hu ◽  
Dustin R. Morado ◽  
William Margolin ◽  
John R. Rohde ◽  
Olivia Arizmendi ◽  
...  

Bacterial type III secretion machines are widely used to inject virulence proteins into eukaryotic host cells. These secretion machines are evolutionarily related to bacterial flagella and consist of a large cytoplasmic complex, a transmembrane basal body, and an extracellular needle. The cytoplasmic complex forms a sorting platform essential for effector selection and needle assembly, but it remains largely uncharacterized. Here we use high-throughput cryoelectron tomography (cryo-ET) to visualize intact machines in a virulentShigella flexneristrain genetically modified to produce minicells capable of interaction with host cells. A high-resolution in situ structure of the intact machine determined by subtomogram averaging reveals the cytoplasmic sorting platform, which consists of a central hub and six spokes, with a pod-like structure at the terminus of each spoke. Molecular modeling of wild-type and mutant machines allowed us to propose a model of the sorting platform in which the hub consists mainly of a hexamer of the Spa47 ATPase, whereas the MxiN protein comprises the spokes and the Spa33 protein forms the pods. Multiple contacts among those components are essential to align the Spa47 ATPase with the central channel of the MxiA protein export gate to form a unique nanomachine. The molecular architecture of theShigellatype III secretion machine and its sorting platform provide the structural foundation for further dissecting the mechanisms underlying type III secretion and pathogenesis and also highlight the major structural distinctions from bacterial flagella.


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