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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Microbiol.
Sec. Microbial Physiology and Metabolism
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2025.1527317

A novel two-component system contributing the catabolism of c-di-GMP influences virulence in Aeromonas veronii

Provisionally accepted
Chaolun Liu Chaolun Liu Jia Shao Jia Shao Xiang Ma Xiang Ma Yanqiong Tang Yanqiong Tang Juanjuan Li Juanjuan Li Hong Li Hong Li Xue Chi Xue Chi Zhu Liu Zhu Liu *
  • School of Life and Health, Hainan University, Haikou, China

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

    Many response regulators from different two-component systems possess diguanylate cyclase or phosphodiesterase activity, thereby precisely regulating the intracellular levels of cyclic diguanosine monophosphate (c-di-GMP) to control bacteria virulence and motility. However, the regulatory mechanisms of c-di-GMP require further elucidation.Here, we identified a novel two-component system in the zoonotic bacterium Aeromonas veronii, which is transcriptionally repressed by the transcription factor ArgR. The response regulator ArrR exhibited phosphodiesterase activity and was inhibited by phosphorylation mediated by its sensor kinase ArrS. Consistently, ArrS/ArrR significantly alter the intracellular levels of c-di-GMP in A. veronii. Furthermore, ΔarrS exhibited increased pathogenicity in a murine model, leading to elevated TNF-α and IFN-γ levels in serum, as well as severer toxicity to spleen and kidney. This phenomenon might be elucidated by the transcriptional upregulation of inflammation-associated proteins in ΔarrS. Moreover, proteomic analysis indicated that the exonuclease RecB was also up-regulated in ΔarrS.Our findings provided partial insights into the pathogenic mechanisms in Aeromonas veronii.

    Keywords: Aeromonas veronii, two-component system, c-di-GMP, phosphodiesterase, motility, ArgR, Virulence

    Received: 13 Nov 2024; Accepted: 16 Jan 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 Liu, Shao, Ma, Tang, Li, Li, Chi and Liu. 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: Zhu Liu, School of Life and Health, Hainan University, Haikou, China

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