title: Agrobacterium-delivered virulence protein VirE2 is trafficked inside host cells via a myosin XI-K-powered ER/actin network.
abstract: Agrobacterium tumefacienscauses crown gall tumors on various plants by delivering transferred DNA (T-DNA) and virulence proteins into host plant cells. Under laboratory conditions, the bacterium is widely used as a vector to genetically modify a wide range of organisms, including plants, yeasts, fungi, and algae. Various studies suggest that T-DNA is protected inside host cells by VirE2, one of the virulence proteins. However, it is not clear howAgrobacterium-delivered factors are trafficked through the cytoplasm. In this study, we monitored the movement ofAgrobacterium-delivered VirE2 inside plant cells by using a split-GFP approach in real time.Agrobacterium-delivered VirE2 trafficked via the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and F-actin network inside plant cells. During this process, VirE2 was aggregated as filamentous structures and was present on the cytosolic side of the ER. VirE2 movement was powered by myosin XI-K. Thus, exogenously produced and delivered VirE2 protein can use the endogenous host ER/actin network for movement inside host cells. TheA. tumefacienspathogen hijacks the conserved host infrastructure for virulence trafficking. Well-conserved infrastructure may be useful forAgrobacteriumto target a wide range of recipient cells and achieve a high efficiency of transformation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117543.
authors.forename: Qinghua
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117543.
authors.forename: Xiaoyang
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117543.
authors.forename: Haitao
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tu
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117543 dbspansq@nus.edu.sg.
authors.forename: Shen Q
authors.initials: SQ
authors.lastname: Pan
mesh_terms: D000199:Actins / Q000378:metabolism*; D016960:Agrobacterium tumefaciens / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D020126:Brefeldin A / Q000378:metabolism; D015638:Cytochalasin D / Q000378:metabolism; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D004721:Endoplasmic Reticulum / Q000378:metabolism*; D042541:Intracellular Space / Q000378:metabolism; D007473:Ion Channels / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D059828:Plant Cells / Q000378:metabolism; D021381:Protein Transport; D014774:Virulence; D037521:Virulence Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D000199:Actins; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D007473:Ion Channels; D037521:Virulence Factors; C051583:virE2 protein, Agrobacterium; D020126:Brefeldin A; D015638:Cytochalasin D
keywords: VirE2; actin filaments; endoplasmic reticulum; myosin; protein trafficking