Hpa2 required by HrpF to translocate Xanthomonas oryzae transcriptional activator-like effectors into rice for pathogenicity

Appl Environ Microbiol. 2011 Jun;77(11):3809-18. doi: 10.1128/AEM.02849-10. Epub 2011 Apr 8.

Abstract

Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzicola, the causative agent of bacterial leaf streak, injects a plethora of effectors through the type III secretion system (T3SS) into rice cells to cause disease. The T3SS, encoded by the hrp genes, is essential for the pathogen to elicit the hypersensitive response (HR) in nonhost tobacco and for pathogenicity in host rice. Whether or not a putative lytic transglycosylase, Hpa2, interacts with a translocon protein, HrpF, to facilitate bacterial pathogenicity remains unknown. Here we demonstrated that both the hpa2 and hrpF genes are required for the pathogenicity of X. oryzae pv. oryzicola strain RS105 in rice but not for HR induction in tobacco. The expression of hpa2 was positively regulated by HrpG and HrpD6 but not by HrpX. In vivo secretion and subcellular localization analyses confirmed that Hpa2 secretion is dependent on HpaB (a T3SS exit protein) and that Hpa2 binds to the host cell membrane. Protein-protein assays demonstrated that Hpa2 interacts with HrpF. In planta translocation of AvrXa10 indicated that the mutation in hpa2 and hrpF inhibits the injection of the HpaB-dependent transcriptional activator-like (TAL) effector into rice. These findings suggest that Hpa2 and HrpF form a complex to translocate T3S effectors into plant cells for pathogenesis in host rice.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Bacterial Proteins / metabolism*
  • Glycosyltransferases / metabolism
  • Nicotiana / microbiology
  • Oryza / microbiology*
  • Plant Diseases / microbiology*
  • Protein Binding
  • Protein Interaction Mapping
  • Protein Transport
  • Trans-Activators / metabolism*
  • Virulence Factors / metabolism*
  • Xanthomonas / metabolism
  • Xanthomonas / pathogenicity*

Substances

  • Bacterial Proteins
  • Trans-Activators
  • Virulence Factors
  • pathogenicity protein, Xanthomonas
  • Glycosyltransferases
  • Hpa2 protein, Xanthomonas oryzae