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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Cell. Infect. Microbiol.
Sec. Molecular Bacterial Pathogenesis
Volume 14 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fcimb.2024.1458976

Identification and characterization of LuxR solo homolog PplR in pathogenic Pseudomonas plecoglossicida NB2011

Provisionally accepted
Shanshan Li Shanshan Li Tingting Jia Tingting Jia Yu Chi Yu Chi Jigang Chen Jigang Chen Zhijuan Mao Zhijuan Mao *
  • Zhejiang Wanli University, Ningbo, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Pseudomonas plecoglossicida is a causative agent of visceral granulomas in large yellow croaker (Larimichthys crocea). Quorum sensing (QS) is widely involved in imparting virulence to pathogenic bacteria; however, it has not been studied in P. plecoglossicida. Therefore, in this study, a LuxR family transcriptional regulator was annotated in P. plecoglossicida NB2011 and designated as PplR. The protein sequence was aligned, N-acyl-homoserine lactone (AHL) signal production by the bacteria was monitored, exogenous AHL signal binding was investigated; a deletion mutant of the target gene was prepared and RNA transcription data was analyzed; additionally, phenotypes of wild type and mutant strain were characterized. The LuxR homolog PplR was found to share high similarity with PpoRthe LuxR solo of Pseudomonas putida without a cognate LuxI. The wild type strain did not produce any AHL signals and the recombinant LuxR protein was found to bind C6-L-homoserine lactone (C6-HSL), C8-HSL, 3-oxo-C10-HSL, and 3-oxo-C12-HSL. RNA-seq analysis indicated 84 differentially expressed genes-5 upregulated and 79 downregulatedmainly enriched in gene ontology terms, such as flagella-dependent motility, integral component of membrane, DNA binding and transcription, and metal ion binding, suggesting PplR being a master transcription regulator. The mutant strain showed attenuated biofilm-forming ability and stress resistance, the data support a role for PplR in regulation of these traits in P. plecoglossicida NB2011 independent of the presence of AHL signals. This is the first study to provide QS-related information on P. plecoglossicida.

    Keywords: Pseudomonas plecoglossicida, LuxR solo, AHLs, mutant, biological phenotypes

    Received: 03 Jul 2024; Accepted: 23 Sep 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Li, Jia, Chi, Chen and Mao. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Zhijuan Mao, Zhejiang Wanli University, Ningbo, China

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