title: A starvation-induced regulator, RovM, acts as a switch for planktonic/biofilm state transition in Yersinia pseudotuberculosis.
abstract: The transition between the planktonic state and the biofilm-associated state is a key developmental decision for pathogenic bacteria. Biofilm formation by Yersinia pestis is regulated by hmsHFRS genes (β-1, 6-N-acetyl-D-glucosamine synthesis operon) in its flea vector and in vitro. However, the mechanism of biofilm formation in Yersinia pseudotuberculosis remains elusive. In this study, we demonstrate that the LysR-type regulator RovM inversely regulates biofilm formation and motility in Y. pseudotuberculosis by acting as a transcriptional regulator of these two functions. RovM is strongly induced during growth in minimal media but strongly repressed in complex media. On one hand, RovM enhances bacterial motility by activating the expression of FlhDC, the master regulator of flagellar genes, via the recognition of an operator upstream of the flhDC promoter. On the other hand, RovM represses β-GlcNAc production under nutrition-limited conditions, negatively regulating hmsHFRS expression by directly binding to the -35 element of its promoter. Compared to wild-type bacteria, the rovM mutant established denser biofilms and caused more extensive mortality in mice and silkworm larvae. These results indicate that RovM acts as a molecular switch to coordinate the expression of genes involved in biofilm formation and motility in response to the availability of nutrients.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas and College of Life Sciences, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, 712100, China.
authors.forename: Ruoxi
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas and College of Life Sciences, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, 712100, China.
authors.forename: Yunhong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Song
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas and College of Life Sciences, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, 712100, China.
authors.forename: Qingyun
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Dai
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas and College of Life Sciences, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, 712100, China.
authors.forename: Yiwen
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas and College of Life Sciences, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, 712100, China.
authors.forename: Junfeng
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pan
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas and College of Life Sciences, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, 712100, China.
authors.forename: Lingfang
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas and College of Life Sciences, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, 712100, China.
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas and College of Life Sciences, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, 712100, China. wangyao@nwsuaf.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Yao
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas and College of Life Sciences, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, 712100, China. xihuishen@nwsuaf.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Xihui
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Shen
mesh_terms: D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D001483:Base Sequence; D001665:Binding Sites; D018441:Biofilms / Q000254:growth & development*; D015964:Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial; D010933:Plankton / Q000254:growth & development*; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D011485:Protein Binding; D015533:Transcriptional Activation; D014774:Virulence; D015011:Yersinia pseudotuberculosis / Q000502:physiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; C517503:RovM protein, Yersinia pseudotuberculosis