Quorum Sensing in the Plant Pathogen Erwinia carotovora subsp. carotovora: The Role of expREcc

• DOI: 10.1094/mpmi.2000.13.4.384
• Publication Date: 2007-05-11T09:09:49Z
• Authors: Robert A. Andersson; Anders R. B. Erik...; Riikka Heikinheimo; Andres Mäe; Minna Pirhonen; Viia Kõiv; Heidi Hyytiäinen; Anne Tuikkala; E. Tapio Palva
• Keywords: Nicotiana; 0301 basic medicine; Virulence; Molecular Sequence Data; Botany; Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial; Plants; Microbiology; QR1-502; Mutagenesis, Insertional; Plants, Toxic; 03 medical and health sciences; Pectobacterium carotovorum; Bacterial Proteins; QK1-989; Escherichia coli; Trans-Activators; Amino Acid Sequence; Sequence Alignment; Protein Binding; Solanum tuberosum

The production of the main virulence determinants plant pathogen Erwinia carotovora subsp. carotovora, extracellular cell wall-degrading enzymes, is partly controlled by diffusible signal molecule N-(3-oxohexanoyl)-l-homoserine lactone (OHHL). OHHL synthesized product expI/carI gene. Linked to expI we found a gene encoding putative transcriptional regulator LuxR-family. This gene, expR Ecc , transcribed convergently and two open reading frames are partially overlapping. ExpR protein showed extensive amino acid sequence similarity repressor EsaR from Pantoea stewartii stewartii(formerly stewartii) Ech chrysanthemi. Inactivation E. caused no decrease in or vitro. In contrast, there was slight increase maceration capacity mutant strain. effects were probably mediated changes levels. resulted increased levels during early logarithmic growth. addition, over-expression clear part this effect likely be binding Ecc. did not appear exhibit regulation expI, but on apparently due other mechanisms.