title: SlyA regulates phytotoxin production and virulence in Dickeya zeae EC1.
abstract: Dickeya zeae is a causal agent of rice root rot disease. The pathogen is known to produce a range of virulence factors, including phytotoxic zeamines and extracellular enzymes, but the mechanisms of virulence regulation remain vague. In this study, we identified a SlyA/MarR family transcription factor SlyA in D. zeae strain EC1. Disruption of slyA significantly decreased zeamine production, enhanced swimming and swarming motility, reduced biofilm formation and significantly decreased pathogenicity on rice. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) analysis confirmed the role of SlyA in transcriptional modulation of a range of genes associated with bacterial virulence. In trans expression of slyA in expI mutants recovered the phenotypes of motility and biofilm formation, suggesting that SlyA is downstream of the acylhomoserine lactone-mediated quorum sensing pathway. Taken together, the findings from this study unveil a key transcriptional regulatory factor involved in the modulation of virulence factor production and overall pathogenicity of D. zeae EC1.
authors.affiliation: Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Microbial Signals and Disease Control, Department of Plant Pathology, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, China.
authors.forename: Jia-Nuan
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, 61 Biopolis Drive, Singapore, 138673.
authors.forename: Hai-Bao
authors.initials: HB
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Microbial Signals and Disease Control, Department of Plant Pathology, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, China.
authors.forename: Ming-Fa
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Lv
authors.affiliation: Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Microbial Signals and Disease Control, Department of Plant Pathology, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, China.
authors.forename: Yu-Fan
authors.initials: YF
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Microbial Signals and Disease Control, Department of Plant Pathology, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, China.
authors.forename: Li-Sheng
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Liao
authors.affiliation: Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Microbial Signals and Disease Control, Department of Plant Pathology, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, China.
authors.forename: Ying-Ying
authors.initials: YY
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.affiliation: Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Microbial Signals and Disease Control, Department of Plant Pathology, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, China.
authors.forename: Shi-Yin
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Microbial Signals and Disease Control, Department of Plant Pathology, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, China.
authors.forename: Shao-Hua
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Microbial Signals and Disease Control, Department of Plant Pathology, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, China.
authors.forename: Fei
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: He
authors.affiliation: Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Microbial Signals and Disease Control, Department of Plant Pathology, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, China.
authors.forename: Zi-Ning
authors.initials: ZN
authors.lastname: Cui
authors.affiliation: Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Microbial Signals and Disease Control, Department of Plant Pathology, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, China.
authors.forename: Zi-De
authors.initials: ZD
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.affiliation: Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Microbial Signals and Disease Control, Department of Plant Pathology, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, China.
authors.forename: Chang-Qing
authors.initials: CQ
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.affiliation: Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Microbial Signals and Disease Control, Department of Plant Pathology, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, China.|Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, 61 Biopolis Drive, Singapore, 138673.
authors.forename: Lian-Hui
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D018441:Biofilms; D002473:Cell Wall / Q000378:metabolism; D004755:Enterobacteriaceae / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D017343:Genes, Plant; D016680:Genome, Bacterial; D018525:Germination; D018942:Macrolides / Q000378:metabolism; D009068:Movement; D009154:Mutation / Q000235:genetics; D012275:Oryza / Q000382:microbiology*; D011073:Polyamines / Q000378:metabolism; D012639:Seeds / Q000382:microbiology; D014118:Toxins, Biological / Q000378:metabolism*; D014158:Transcription, Genetic; D014774:Virulence
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D018942:Macrolides; D011073:Polyamines; D014118:Toxins, Biological; C547236:zeamine
keywords: D. zeae; SlyA; regulation; rice foot rot; zeamines
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