title: Agrobacterium tumefaciens fur has important physiological roles in iron and manganese homeostasis, the oxidative stress response, and full virulence.
abstract: In Agrobacterium tumefaciens, the balance between acquiring enough iron and avoiding iron-induced toxicity is regulated in part by Fur (ferric uptake regulator). A fur mutant was constructed to address the physiological role of the regulator. Atypically, the mutant did not show alterations in the levels of siderophore biosynthesis and the expression of iron transport genes. However, the fur mutant was more sensitive than the wild type to an iron chelator, 2,2'-dipyridyl, and was also more resistant to an iron-activated antibiotic, streptonigrin, suggesting that Fur has a role in regulating iron concentrations. A. tumefaciens sitA, the periplasmic binding protein of a putative ABC-type iron and manganese transport system (sitABCD), was strongly repressed by Mn(2+) and, to a lesser extent, by Fe(2+), and this regulation was Fur dependent. Moreover, the fur mutant was more sensitive to manganese than the wild type. This was consistent with the fact that the fur mutant showed constitutive up-expression of the manganese uptake sit operon. Fur(At) showed a regulatory role under iron-limiting conditions. Furthermore, Fur has a role in determining oxidative resistance levels. The fur mutant was hypersensitive to hydrogen peroxide and had reduced catalase activity. The virulence assay showed that the fur mutant had a reduced ability to cause tumors on tobacco leaves compared to wild-type NTL4.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Biotechnology, Chulabhorn Research Institute, Lak Si, Bangkok, Thailand.
authors.forename: Worawan
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Kitphati
authors.forename: Patchara
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ngok-Ngam
authors.forename: Sukanya
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Suwanmaneerat
authors.forename: Rojana
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sukchawalit
authors.forename: Skorn
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mongkolsuk
mesh_terms: D016960:Agrobacterium tumefaciens / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000472:pathogenicity / Q000502:physiology*; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D015964:Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial; D018869:Heat-Shock Response; D006706:Homeostasis; D007501:Iron / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D008345:Manganese / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D018384:Oxidative Stress; D010935:Plant Diseases / Q000382:microbiology; D012097:Repressor Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D014026:Nicotiana / Q000382:microbiology; D014774:Virulence
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D012097:Repressor Proteins; C068477:ferric uptake regulating proteins, bacterial; D008345:Manganese; D007501:Iron