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58900.9965Insulin Signaling and Insulin Resistance Facilitate Trained Immunity in Macrophages Through Metabolic and Epigenetic Changes. Adaptation of the innate immune system has been recently acknowledged, explaining sustained changes of innate immune responses. Such adaptation is termed trained immunity. Trained immunity is initiated by extracellular signals that trigger a cascade of events affecting cell metabolism and mediating chromatin changes on genes that control innate immune responses. Factors demonstrated to facilitate trained immunity are pathogenic signals (fungi, bacteria, viruses) as well non-pathogenic signals such as insulin, cytokines, adipokines or hormones. These signals initiate intracellular signaling cascades that include AKT kinases and mTOR as well as histone methylases and demethylases, resulting in metabolic changes and histone modifications. In the context of insulin resistance, AKT signaling is affected resulting in sustained activation of mTORC1 and enhanced glycolysis. In macrophages elevated glycolysis readily impacts responses to pathogens (bacteria, fungi) or danger signals (TLR-driven signals of tissue damage), partly explaining insulin resistance-related pathologies. Thus, macrophages lacking insulin signaling exhibit reduced responses to pathogens and altered metabolism, suggesting that insulin resistance is a state of trained immunity. Evidence from Insulin Receptor as well as IGF1Receptor deficient macrophages support the contribution of insulin signaling in macrophage responses. In addition, clinical evidence highlights altered macrophage responses to pathogens or metabolic products in patients with systemic insulin resistance, being in concert with cell culture and animal model studies. Herein, we review the current knowledge that supports the impact of insulin signaling and other insulin resistance related signals as modulators of trained immunity.201931244863
5610.9964Protein phosphatase AP2C1 negatively regulates basal resistance and defense responses to Pseudomonas syringae. Mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) mediate plant immune responses to pathogenic bacteria. However, less is known about the cell autonomous negative regulatory mechanism controlling basal plant immunity. We report the biological role of Arabidopsis thaliana MAPK phosphatase AP2C1 as a negative regulator of plant basal resistance and defense responses to Pseudomonas syringae. AP2C2, a closely related MAPK phosphatase, also negatively controls plant resistance. Loss of AP2C1 leads to enhanced pathogen-induced MAPK activities, increased callose deposition in response to pathogen-associated molecular patterns or to P. syringae pv. tomato (Pto) DC3000, and enhanced resistance to bacterial infection with Pto. We also reveal the impact of AP2C1 on the global transcriptional reprogramming of transcription factors during Pto infection. Importantly, ap2c1 plants show salicylic acid-independent transcriptional reprogramming of several defense genes and enhanced ethylene production in response to Pto. This study pinpoints the specificity of MAPK regulation by the different MAPK phosphatases AP2C1 and MKP1, which control the same MAPK substrates, nevertheless leading to different downstream events. We suggest that precise and specific control of defined MAPKs by MAPK phosphatases during plant challenge with pathogenic bacteria can strongly influence plant resistance.201728062592
8620.9962Decreased abundance of type III secretion system-inducing signals in Arabidopsis mkp1 enhances resistance against Pseudomonas syringae. Genes encoding the virulence-promoting type III secretion system (T3SS) in phytopathogenic bacteria are induced at the start of infection, indicating that recognition of signals from the host plant initiates this response. However, the precise nature of these signals and whether their concentrations can be altered to affect the biological outcome of host-pathogen interactions remain speculative. Here we use a metabolomic comparison of resistant and susceptible genotypes to identify plant-derived metabolites that induce T3SS genes in Pseudomonas syringae pv tomato DC3000 and report that mapk phosphatase 1 (mkp1), an Arabidopsis mutant that is more resistant to bacterial infection, produces decreased levels of these bioactive compounds. Consistent with these observations, T3SS effector expression and delivery by DC3000 was impaired when infecting the mkp1 mutant. The addition of bioactive metabolites fully restored T3SS effector delivery and suppressed the enhanced resistance in the mkp1 mutant. Pretreatment of plants with pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) to induce PAMP-triggered immunity (PTI) also restricts T3SS effector delivery and enhances resistance by unknown mechanisms, and the addition of the bioactive metabolites similarly suppressed both aspects of PTI. Together, these results demonstrate that DC3000 perceives multiple signals derived from plants to initiate its T3SS and that the level of these host-derived signals impacts bacterial pathogenesis.201424753604
54430.9962Organic Hydroperoxide Induces Prodigiosin Biosynthesis in Serratia sp. ATCC 39006 in an OhrR-Dependent Manner. The biosynthesis of prodigiosin in the model prodigiosin-producing strain, Serratia sp. ATCC 39006, is significantly influenced by environmental and cellular signals. However, a comprehensive regulatory mechanism for this process has not been well established. In the present study, we demonstrate that organic hydroperoxide activates prodigiosin biosynthesis in an OhrR-dependent manner. Specifically, the MarR-family transcriptional repressor OhrR (Ser39006_RS05455) binds to its operator located far upstream of the promoter region of the prodigiosin biosynthesis operon (319 to 286 nucleotides [nt] upstream of the transcription start site) and negatively regulates the expression of prodigiosin biosynthesis genes. Organic hydroperoxide disassociates the binding between OhrR and its operator, thereby promoting the prodigiosin production. Moreover, OhrR modulates the resistance of Serratia sp. ATCC 39006 to organic hydroperoxide by regulating the transcription of its own gene and the downstream cotranscribed ohr gene. These results demonstrate that OhrR is a pleiotropic repressor that modulates the prodigiosin production and the resistance of Serratia sp. ATCC 39006 to organic hydroperoxide stress. IMPORTANCE Bacteria naturally encounter various environmental and cellular stresses. Organic hydroperoxides generated from the oxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acids are widely distributed and usually cause lethal oxidative stress by damaging cellular components. OhrR is known as a regulator that modulates the resistance of bacteria to organic hydroperoxide stress. In the current study, organic hydroperoxide disassociates OhrR from the promoter of prodigiosin biosynthesis gene cluster, thus promoting transcription of pigA to -O genes. In this model, organic hydroperoxide acts as an inducer of prodigiosin synthesis in Serratia sp. ATCC 39006. These results improve our understanding of the regulatory network of prodigiosin synthesis and serve as an example for identifying the cross talk between the stress responses and the regulation of secondary metabolism.202235044847
59240.9962Metabolism of Tryptophan and Tryptophan Analogs by Rhizobium meliloti. The alfalfa symbiont Rhizobium meliloti Rm1021 produces indole-3-acetic acid in a regulated manner when supplied with exogenous tryptophan. Mutants with altered response to tryptophan analogs still produce indole-3-acetic acid, but are Fix(-) because bacteria do not fully differentiate into the nitrogen-fixing bacteriod form. These mutations are in apparently essential genes tightly linked to a dominant streptomycin resistance locus.199016667364
8250.9962Type III effectors orchestrate a complex interplay between transcriptional networks to modify basal defence responses during pathogenesis and resistance. To successfully infect a plant, bacterial pathogens inject a collection of Type III effector proteins (TTEs) directly into the plant cell that function to overcome basal defences and redirect host metabolism for nutrition and growth. We examined (i) the transcriptional dynamics of basal defence responses between Arabidopsis thaliana and Pseudomonas syringae and (ii) how basal defence is subsequently modulated by virulence factors during compatible interactions. A set of 96 genes displaying an early, sustained induction during basal defence was identified. These were also universally co-regulated following other bacterial basal resistance and non-host responses or following elicitor challenges. Eight hundred and eighty genes were conservatively identified as being modulated by TTEs within 12 h post-inoculation (hpi), 20% of which represented transcripts previously induced by the bacteria at 2 hpi. Significant over-representation of co-regulated transcripts encoding leucine rich repeat receptor proteins and protein phosphatases were, respectively, suppressed and induced 12 hpi. These data support a model in which the pathogen avoids detection through diminution of extracellular receptors and attenuation of kinase signalling pathways. Transcripts associated with several metabolic pathways, particularly plastid based primary carbon metabolism, pigment biosynthesis and aromatic amino acid metabolism, were significantly modified by the bacterial challenge at 12 hpi. Superimposed upon this basal response, virulence factors (most likely TTEs) targeted genes involved in phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, consistent with the abrogation of lignin deposition and other wall modifications likely to restrict the passage of nutrients and water to the invading bacteria. In contrast, some pathways associated with stress tolerance are transcriptionally induced at 12 hpi by TTEs.200616553893
815060.9962ROS production during symbiotic infection suppresses pathogenesis-related gene expression. Leguminous plants have exclusive ability to form symbiotic relationship with soil bacteria of the genus Rhizobium. Symbiosis is a complex process that involves multiple molecular signaling activities, such as calcium fluxes, production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and synthesis of nodulation genes. We analyzed the role of ROS in defense gene expression in Medicago truncatula during symbiosis and pathogenesis. Studies in Arabidopsis thaliana showed that the induction of pathogenesis-related (PR) genes during systemic acquired resistance (SAR) is regulated by NPR1 protein, which resides in the cytoplasm as an oligomer. After oxidative burst and return of reducing conditions, the NPR1 undergoes monomerization and becomes translocated to the nucleus, where it functions in PR genes induction. We show that ROS production is both stronger and longer during symbiotic interactions than during interactions with pathogenic, nonhost or common nonpathogenic soil bacteria. Moreover, root cells inoculated with Sinorhizobium meliloti accumulated ROS in the cytosol but not in vacuoles, as opposed to Pseudomonas putida inoculation or salt stress treatment. Furthermore, increased ROS accumulation by addition of H₂O₂ reduced the PR gene expression, while catalase had an opposite effect, establishing that the PR gene expression is opposite to the level of cytoplasmic ROS. In addition, we show that salicylic acid pretreatment significantly reduced ROS production in root cells during symbiotic interaction.201222499208
20070.9961Drosophila Toll is activated by Gram-positive bacteria through a circulating peptidoglycan recognition protein. Microbial infection activates two distinct intracellular signalling cascades in the immune-responsive fat body of Drosophila. Gram-positive bacteria and fungi predominantly induce the Toll signalling pathway, whereas Gram-negative bacteria activate the Imd pathway. Loss-of-function mutants in either pathway reduce the resistance to corresponding infections. Genetic screens have identified a range of genes involved in these intracellular signalling cascades, but how they are activated by microbial infection is largely unknown. Activation of the transmembrane receptor Toll requires a proteolytically cleaved form of an extracellular cytokine-like polypeptide, Spätzle, suggesting that Toll does not itself function as a bona fide recognition receptor of microbial patterns. This is in apparent contrast with the mammalian Toll-like receptors and raises the question of which host molecules actually recognize microbial patterns to activate Toll through Spätzle. Here we present a mutation that blocks Toll activation by Gram-positive bacteria and significantly decreases resistance to this type of infection. The mutation semmelweis (seml) inactivates the gene encoding a peptidoglycan recognition protein (PGRP-SA). Interestingly, seml does not affect Toll activation by fungal infection, indicating the existence of a distinct recognition system for fungi to activate the Toll pathway.200111742401
73080.9961How intracellular bacteria survive: surface modifications that promote resistance to host innate immune responses. Bacterial pathogens regulate the expression of virulence factors in response to environmental signals. In the case of salmonellae, many virulence factors are regulated via PhoP/PhoQ, a two-component signal transduction system that is repressed by magnesium and calcium in vitro. PhoP/PhoQ-activated genes promote intracellular survival within macrophages, whereas PhoP-repressed genes promote entrance into epithelial cells and macrophages by macropinocytosis and stimulate epithelial cell cytokine production. PhoP-activated genes include those that alter the cell envelope through structural alterations of lipopolysaccharide and lipid A, the bioactive component of lipopolysaccharide. PhoP-activated changes in the bacterial envelope likely promote intracellular survival by increasing resistance to host cationic antimicrobial peptides and decreasing host cell cytokine production.199910081503
3690.9961Bacillus amyloliquefaciens SN16-1-Induced Resistance System of the Tomato against Rhizoctonia solani. Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), as an important economical vegetable, is often infected with Rhizoctonia solani, which results in a substantial reduction in production. Therefore, the molecular mechanism of biocontrol microorganisms assisting tomato to resist pathogens is worth exploring. Here, we use Bacillus amyloliquefaciens SN16-1 as biocontrol bacteria, and employed RNA-Seq technology to study tomato gene and defense-signaling pathways expression. Gene Ontology (GO) analyses showed that an oxidation-reduction process, peptidase regulator activity, and oxidoreductase activity were predominant. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analyses showed that phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, biosynthesis of unsaturated fatty acids, aldosterone synthesis and secretion, and phototransduction were significantly enriched. SN16-1 activated defenses in the tomato via systemic-acquired resistance (which depends on the salicylic acid signaling pathway), rather than classic induction of systemic resistance. The genes induced by SN16-1 included transcription factors, plant hormones (ethylene, auxin, abscisic acid, and gibberellin), receptor-like kinases, heat shock proteins, and defense proteins. SN16-1 rarely activated pathogenesis-related proteins, but most pathogenesis-related proteins were induced in the presence of the pathogens. In addition, the molecular mechanisms of the response of tomatoes to SN16-1 and R. solani RS520 were significantly different.202135055983
725100.9960The Bacillus subtilis extracytoplasmic function σ factor σ(V) is induced by lysozyme and provides resistance to lysozyme. Bacteria encounter numerous environmental stresses which can delay or inhibit their growth. Many bacteria utilize alternative σ factors to regulate subsets of genes required to overcome different extracellular assaults. The largest group of these alternative σ factors are the extracytoplasmic function (ECF) σ factors. In this paper, we demonstrate that the expression of the ECF σ factor σ(V) in Bacillus subtilis is induced specifically by lysozyme but not other cell wall-damaging agents. A mutation in sigV results in increased sensitivity to lysozyme killing, suggesting that σ(V) is required for lysozyme resistance. Using reverse transcription (RT)-PCR, we show that the previously uncharacterized gene yrhL (here referred to as oatA for O-acetyltransferase) is in a four-gene operon which includes sigV and rsiV. In quantitative RT-PCR experiments, the expression of oatA is induced by lysozyme stress. Lysozyme induction of oatA is dependent upon σ(V). Overexpression of oatA in a sigV mutant restores lysozyme resistance to wild-type levels. This suggests that OatA is required for σ(V)-dependent resistance to lysozyme. We also tested the ability of lysozyme to induce the other ECF σ factors and found that only the expression of sigV is lysozyme inducible. However, we found that the other ECF σ factors contributed to lysozyme resistance. We found that sigX and sigM mutations alone had very little effect on lysozyme resistance but when combined with a sigV mutation resulted in significantly greater lysozyme sensitivity than the sigV mutation alone. This suggests that sigV, sigX, and sigM may act synergistically to control lysozyme resistance. In addition, we show that two ECF σ factor-regulated genes, dltA and pbpX, are required for lysozyme resistance. Thus, we have identified three independent mechanisms which B. subtilis utilizes to avoid killing by lysozyme.201121856855
199110.9960Activation of Imd pathway in hemocyte confers infection resistance through humoral response in Drosophila. Upon microbial invasion the innate immune system of Drosophila melanogaster mounts a response that comes in two distinct but complimentary forms, humoral and cellular. A screen to find genes capable of conferring resistance to the Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus upon ectopic expression in immune response tissues uncovered imd gene. This resistance was not dependent on cellular defenses but rather likely a result of upregulation of the humoral response through increased expression of antimicrobial peptides, including a Toll pathway reporter gene drosomycin. Taken together it appears that Imd pathway is capable of playing a role in resistance to the Gram-positive S. aureus, counter to notions of traditional roles of the Imd pathway thought largely to responsible for resistance to Gram-negative bacteria.201323261474
57120.9960Functional analysis of NtMPK2 uncovers its positive role in response to Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato DC3000 in tobacco. Mitogen-activated protein kinase cascades are highly conserved signaling modules downstream of receptors/sensors and play pivotal roles in signaling plant defense against pathogen attack. Extensive studies on Arabidopsis MPK4 have implicated that the MAP kinase is involved in multilayered plant defense pathways. In this study, we identified tobacco NtMPK2 as an ortholog of AtMPK4. Transgenic tobacco overexpressing NtMPK2 markedly enhances resistance to Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato DC3000 (Pst DC3000) virulent and avirulent strains. Transcriptome analysis of NtMPK2-dependent genes shows that possibly the basal resistance system is activated by NtMPK2 overexpression. In addition to NtMPK2-mediated resistance, multiple pathways are involved in response to the avirulent bacteria based on analysis of Pst-responding genes, including SA and ET pathways. Notably, it is possible that biosynthesis of antibacterial compounds is responsible for inhibition of Pst DC3000 avirulent strain when programmed cell death processes in the host. Our results uncover that NtMPK2 positively regulate tobacco defense response to Pst DC3000 and improve our understanding of plant molecular defense mechanism.201626482478
90130.9960Non-host defense response in a novel Arabidopsis-Xanthomonas citri subsp. citri pathosystem. Citrus canker, caused by Xanthomonas citri subsp. citri (Xcc), is one of the most destructive diseases of citrus. Progress of breeding citrus canker-resistant varieties is modest due to limited resistant germplasm resources and lack of candidate genes for genetic manipulation. The objective of this study is to establish a novel heterologous pathosystem between Xcc and the well-established model plant Arabidopsis thaliana for defense mechanism dissection and resistance gene identification. Our results indicate that Xcc bacteria neither grow nor decline in Arabidopsis, but induce multiple defense responses including callose deposition, reactive oxygen species and salicylic aicd (SA) production, and defense gene expression, indicating that Xcc activates non-host resistance in Arabidopsis. Moreover, Xcc-induced defense gene expression is suppressed or attenuated in several well-characterized SA signaling mutants including eds1, pad4, eds5, sid2, and npr1. Interestingly, resistance to Xcc is compromised only in eds1, pad4, and eds5, but not in sid2 and npr1. However, combining sid2 and npr1 in the sid2npr1 double mutant compromises resistance to Xcc, suggesting genetic interactions likely exist between SID2 and NPR1 in the non-host resistance against Xcc in Arabidopsis. These results demonstrate that the SA signaling pathway plays a critical role in regulating non-host defense against Xcc in Arabidopsis and suggest that the SA signaling pathway genes may hold great potential for breeding citrus canker-resistant varieties through modern gene transfer technology.201222299054
8145140.9959Emerging role for RNA-based regulation in plant immunity. Infection by phytopathogenic bacteria triggers massive changes in plant gene expression, which are thought to be mostly a result of transcriptional reprogramming. However, evidence is accumulating that plants additionally use post-transcriptional regulation of immune-responsive mRNAs as a strategic weapon to shape the defense-related transcriptome. Cellular RNA-binding proteins regulate RNA stability, splicing or mRNA export of immune-response transcripts. In particular, mutants defective in alternative splicing of resistance genes exhibit compromised disease resistance. Furthermore, detection of bacterial pathogens induces the differential expression of small non-coding RNAs including microRNAs that impact the host defense transcriptome. Phytopathogenic bacteria in turn have evolved effector proteins to inhibit biogenesis and/or activity of cellular microRNAs. Whereas RNA silencing has long been known as an antiviral defense response, recent findings also reveal a major role of this process in antibacterial defense. Here we review the function of RNA-binding proteins and small RNA-directed post-transcriptional regulation in antibacterial defense. We mainly focus on studies that used the model system Arabidopsis thaliana and also discuss selected examples from other plants.201323163405
76150.9959Priming of plant innate immunity by rhizobacteria and beta-aminobutyric acid: differences and similarities in regulation. Pseudomonas fluorescens WCS417r bacteria and beta-aminobutyric acid can induce disease resistance in Arabidopsis, which is based on priming of defence. In this study, we examined the differences and similarities of WCS417r- and beta-aminobutyric acid-induced priming. Both WCS417r and beta-aminobutyric acid prime for enhanced deposition of callose-rich papillae after infection by the oomycete Hyaloperonospora arabidopsis. This priming is regulated by convergent pathways, which depend on phosphoinositide- and ABA-dependent signalling components. Conversely, induced resistance by WCS417r and beta-aminobutyric acid against the bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas syringae are controlled by distinct NPR1-dependent signalling pathways. As WCS417r and beta-aminobutyric acid prime jasmonate- and salicylate-inducible genes, respectively, we subsequently investigated the role of transcription factors. A quantitative PCR-based genome-wide screen for putative WCS417r- and beta-aminobutyric acid-responsive transcription factor genes revealed distinct sets of priming-responsive genes. Transcriptional analysis of a selection of these genes showed that they can serve as specific markers for priming. Promoter analysis of WRKY genes identified a putative cis-element that is strongly over-represented in promoters of 21 NPR1-dependent, beta-aminobutyric acid-inducible WRKY genes. Our study shows that priming of defence is regulated by different pathways, depending on the inducing agent and the challenging pathogen. Furthermore, we demonstrated that priming is associated with the enhanced expression of transcription factors.200919413686
83160.9959Transcriptional responses of Arabidopsis thaliana to the bacteria-derived PAMPs harpin and lipopolysaccharide. Many plant-pathogen interactions are controlled by specific interactions between pathogen avirulence (avr) gene loci and the corresponding plant resistance R locus (gene-for-gene-hypothesis). Very often, this type of interaction culminates in a hypersensitive reaction (HR). However, recently pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) such as flagellin or lipopolysaccharides (LPS) that are common to all bacteria have been shown to act as general elicitors of basal or innate immune responses in several plant species. Here, we summarize the genetic programs in Arabidopsis thaliana behind the LPS-induced basal response and the HR induced by harpin, respectively. Using Agilent Arabidopsis cDNA microarrays consisting of approximately 15,000 oligomers, changes in transcript accumulation of treated cells were monitored over a period of 24h after elicitor treatment. Analysis of the array data revealed significant responses to LPS (309 genes), harpin (951 genes) or both (313 genes). Concentrating our analysis on the genes encoding transcription factors, defence genes, cell wall biogenesis-related genes and signal transduction components we monitored interesting parallels, but also remarkably different expression patterns. Harpin and LPS induced an overlapping set of genes involved in cell wall biogenesis, cellular communication and signalling. The pattern of induced genes associated with cell rescue and general stress responses such as small heat-shock proteins was highly similar. In contrast, there is a striking difference regarding some of the most prominent, central components of plant defence such as WRKY transcription factors and oxidative burst-associated genes like NADPH oxidases, whose expression became apparent only after treatment with harpin. While both harpin and LPS can stimulate plant immunity in Arabidopsis, the PAMP LPS induces much more subtle host reactions at the transcriptome scale. The defence machinery induced by harpin resembles the known HR-type host responses leading to cell death after treatment with this elicitor. LPS is a weak inducer of basal resistance and induces a different pattern of genes. Strikingly the biggest overlap (40) of responding genes was found between the early harpin response (30min) and the late LPS response (24h).200818406364
668170.9959c-di-GMP regulates the resistance of Pseudomonas aeruginosa to heat shock and aminoglycoside antibiotics by targeting the σ factor RpoH. Cyclic di-GMP (c-di-GMP) is a second messenger molecule that is widely distributed in bacteria and plays various physiologically important regulatory roles through interactions with a variety of effector molecules. Sigma (σ) factors are the predominant transcription factors involved in transcription regulation in bacteria. While c-di-GMP has been shown to bind to a range of transcription factors, c-di-GMP-binding σ factors have never been reported before. In a c-di-GMP/σ factors binding screen, we identified the σ factor RpoH as a c-di-GMP-responsive transcription factor in Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1. We further show that the binding of c-di-GMP to RpoH inhibits binding of RpoH to the promoters of its target genes such as asrA and dnaK, thereby downregulating the expression of these genes and reducing the resistance of P. aeruginosa to heat shock and aminoglycoside antibiotics. RpoH from Escherichia coli, Burkholderia thailandensis and Agrobacterium tumefaciens are also capable of binding c-di-GMP, suggesting that c-di-GMP-mediated control of the activity of RpoH is conserved in members of Proteobacteria.202641005124
546180.9959Resistance to organic hydroperoxides requires ohr and ohrR genes in Sinorhizobium meliloti. BACKGROUND: Sinorhizobium meliloti is a symbiotic nitrogen-fixing bacterium that elicits nodules on roots of host plants Medicago sativa. During nodule formation bacteria have to withstand oxygen radicals produced by the plant. Resistance to H2O2 and superoxides has been extensively studied in S. meliloti. In contrast resistance to organic peroxides has not been investigated while S. meliloti genome encodes putative organic peroxidases. Organic peroxides are produced by plants and are highly toxic. The resistance to these oxygen radicals has been studied in various bacteria but never in plant nodulating bacteria. RESULTS: In this study we report the characterisation of organic hydroperoxide resistance gene ohr and its regulator ohrR in S. meliloti. The inactivation of ohr affects resistance to cumene and ter-butyl hydroperoxides but not to hydrogen peroxide or menadione in vitro. The expression of ohr and ohrR genes is specifically induced by organic peroxides. OhrR binds to the intergenic region between the divergent genes ohr and ohrR. Two binding sites were characterised. Binding to the operator is prevented by OhrR oxidation that promotes OhrR dimerisation. The inactivation of ohr did not affect symbiosis and nitrogen fixation, suggesting that redundant enzymatic activity exists in this strain. Both ohr and ohrR are expressed in nodules suggesting that they play a role during nitrogen fixation. CONCLUSIONS: This report demonstrates the significant role Ohr and OhrR proteins play in bacterial stress resistance against organic peroxides in S. meliloti. The ohr and ohrR genes are expressed in nodule-inhabiting bacteroids suggesting a role during nodulation.201121569462
594190.9959Challenging Xanthomonas campestris with low levels of arsenic mediates cross-protection against oxidant killing. Xanthomonas encounters highly toxic reactive oxygen species (ROS) from many sources, such as those generated by plants against invading bacteria, other soil bacteria and from aerobic respiration. Thus, conditions that alter intracellular ROS levels such as exposure to toxic metalloids would have profound effects on bacterial physiology. Here, we report that exposure of Xanthomonas campestris pv. phaseoli (Xp) to low levels of arsenic induces physiological cross-protection against killing by H(2)O(2) and organic hydroperoxide but not a superoxide generator. Cross-protection against H(2)O(2) and organic hydroperoxide toxicity was due to increased expression of genes encoding major peroxide-metabolizing enzymes such as alkyl hydroperoxide reductase (AhpC), catalase (KatA) and organic hydroperoxide resistance protein (Ohr). Arsenic-induced protection against H(2)O(2) and organic hydroperoxide requires the peroxide stress response regulators, OxyR and OhrR, respectively. Moreover, analyses of double mutants of the major H(2)O(2) and organic hyproperoxide-scavenging enzymes, Xp ahpC katA and Xp ahpC ohr, respectively, suggested the existence of unidentified OxyR- and OhrR-regulated genes that are involved in arsenic-induced resistance to H(2)O(2) and organic hyproperoxide killing in Xp. These arsenic-induced physiological alterations could play an important role in bacterial survival both in the soil environment and during plant-pathogen interactions.200616907748