title: Transcriptional response of Erwinia amylovora to copper shock: in vivo role of the copA gene.
abstract: Fire blight is a devastating plant disease caused by the bacterium Erwinia amylovora, and its control is frequently based on the use of copper-based compounds whose mechanisms of action are not well known. Consequently, in this article, we investigate the response of E. amylovora to copper shock by a whole-genome microarray approach. Transcriptional analyses showed that, in the presence of copper, 23 genes were increased in expression; these genes were classified mainly into the transport and stress functional categories. Among them, the copA gene was strongly induced and regulated in a finely tuned manner by copper. Mutation of copA, soxS, arcB, yjcE, ygcF, yhhQ, galF and EAM_3469 genes revealed that tolerance to copper in E. amylovora can be achieved by complex physiological mechanisms, including: (i) the control of copper homeostasis through, at least, the extrusion of Cu(I) by a P-type ATPase efflux pump CopA; and (ii) the overcoming of copper toxicity caused by oxidative stress by the expression of several reactive oxygen species (ROS)-related genes, including the two major transcriptional factors SoxS and ArcB. Furthermore, complementation analyses demonstrated the important role of copA for copper tolerance in E. amylovora, not only in vitro, but also in inoculated pear shoots.
authors.affiliation: Instituto Valenciano de Investigaciones Agrarias Moncada, Centro de Protección Vegetal y Biotecnología, Valencia, 46113, Spain.|Department of Plant, Soil, and Microbial Sciences, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA.
authors.forename: Begoña
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Águila-Clares
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant, Soil, and Microbial Sciences, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA.
authors.forename: Luisa F
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Castiblanco
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Protection, Estación Experimental del Zaidín, CSIC, Granada, 18008, Spain.
authors.forename: José Miguel
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Quesada
authors.affiliation: Instituto Valenciano de Investigaciones Agrarias Moncada, Centro de Protección Vegetal y Biotecnología, Valencia, 46113, Spain.
authors.forename: Ramón
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Penyalver
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Biologia Molecular y Celular de Plantas (IBMCP), University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain.
authors.forename: Juan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Carbonell
authors.affiliation: Instituto Valenciano de Investigaciones Agrarias Moncada, Centro de Protección Vegetal y Biotecnología, Valencia, 46113, Spain.
authors.forename: María M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: López
authors.affiliation: Instituto Valenciano de Investigaciones Agrarias Moncada, Centro de Protección Vegetal y Biotecnología, Valencia, 46113, Spain.
authors.forename: Ester
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Marco-Noales
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant, Soil, and Microbial Sciences, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA.
authors.forename: George W
authors.initials: GW
authors.lastname: Sundin
mesh_terms: D000222:Adaptation, Physiological / Q000187:drug effects; D003300:Copper / Q000633:toxicity*; D044084:Erwinia amylovora / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics*; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D015964:Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial / Q000187:drug effects; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D056726:Genetic Association Studies; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D014158:Transcription, Genetic / Q000187:drug effects*; D059467:Transcriptome / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D012333:RNA, Messenger; D003300:Copper
keywords: copA; copper homeostasis; fire blight