A temperature-responsive regulator that enhances virulence in the kiwifruit canker pathogen Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae
<i>Pseudomonas syringae</i> pv. <i>actinidiae</i> (<i>Psa</i>), the causative agent of kiwifruit canker disease, poses significant threats to global kiwifruit production, resulting in substantial economic losses. Disease incidence is notably higher under cooler temperatures (<20℃), yet the molecular mechanisms underlying <i>Psa</i>'s temperature-dependent virulence remain poorly understood. Here, we identify RS16350, encoding a heat shock protein homolog, as a positive regulator of <i>Psa</i> pathogenicity specifically at low temperature (16℃) but not at optimal growth temperature (28℃). Mechanistic studies reveal that RS16350 physically interacts with HrpL, the RpoN-dependent sigma factor controlling type III secretion system (T3SS) expression in <i>Psa</i>. This interaction enhances HrpL's binding affinity to the <i>hrp-box</i> promoter element, thereby upregulating T3SS effector genes and increasing virulence. We designate this novel regulator as TrpR2 (temperature-responsive pathogenic regulator 2). These findings provide molecular insights into temperature-modulated virulence in a key plant pathogen and identify potential targets for developing innovative disease control strategies.
Authors
- Lili Huang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3638-9789)
- Kai Fu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8842-4435)
- Aprodisia Murero
- Caihong Zhong (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2271-4138)
- Yiqing Ding
- Tingtao Chen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0506-8536)
- Teng Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8739-7773)
- Guoliang Qian (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3577-3241)
- Chang-wen Xu
- Xiaolong Shao (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7425-2249)
- Li Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8256-6849)
- Cheng Chen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4078-0182)
- Limin Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5751-6804)
- Xin Deng (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1580-0089)
- Jinghui Yang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5106-3883)
- Yuan Xu
- Xueting He
Institutions
- Nanjing Agricultural University (CN)
- City University of Hong Kong (HK)
- Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CN)
- Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CN)
- City University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen Research Institute (CN)
- Wuhan Botanical Garden (CN)
- Ministry of Agriculture (CA)
- Northwest A&F University (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Computational and Structural Biotechnology Journal
- Published
- 2025-01-01
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.csbj.2025.05.017
- Citations
- 1
- Primary Topic
- Plant Pathogenic Bacteria Studies
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 1.75
Funders
- China National Tobacco Corporation
- Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities