A suppressor of the menadione-hypersensitive phenotype of a Xanthomonas campestris pv. phaseoli oxyR mutant reveals a novel mechanism of toxicity and the protective role of alkyl hydroperoxide reductase

We isolated menadione-resistant mutants of Xanthomonas campestris pv. phaseoli oxyR (oxyR(Xp)). The oxyRR2(Xp) mutant was hyperresistant to the superoxide generators menadione and plumbagin and was moderately resistant to H(2)O(2) and tert-butyl hydroperoxide. Analysis of enzymes involved in oxidative-stress protection in the oxyRR2(Xp) mutant revealed a >10-fold increase in AhpC and AhpF levels, while the levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase, and the organic hydroperoxide resistance protein (Ohr) were not significantly altered. Inactivation of ahpC in the oxyRR2(Xp) mutant resulted in increased sensitivity to menadione killing. Moreover, high levels of expression of cloned ahpC and ahpF in the oxyR(Xp) mutant complemented the menadione hypersensitivity phenotype. High levels of other oxidant-scavenging enzymes such as catalase and SOD did not protect the cells from menadione toxicity. These data strongly suggest that the toxicity of superoxide generators could be mediated via organic peroxide production and that alkyl hydroperoxide reductase has an important novel function in the protection against the toxicity of these compounds in X. campestris.     

Cloning and characterization of katA,encoding the major monofunctional catalase from Xanthomonas campestris pv. phaseoli and characterization of the encoded catalase KatA

The first cloning and characterization of the gene katA, encoding the major catalase (KatA), from Xanthomonas is reported. A reverse genetic approach using a synthesized katA-specific DNA probe to screen a X. campestris pv. phaseoli genomic library was employed. A positively hybridizing clone designated pKat29 that contained a full-length katA was isolated. Analysis of the nucleotide sequence revealed an open reading frame of 1,521 bp encoding a 507-amino acid protein with a theoretical molecular mass of 56 kDa. The deduced amino acid sequence of KatA revealed 84% and 78% identity to CatF of Pseudomonas syringae and KatB of P. aeruginosa, respectively. Phylogenetic analysis places Xanthomonas katA in the clade I group of bacterial catalases. Unexpectedly, expression of katA in a heterologous Escherichia coli host resulted in a temperature-sensitive expression. The KatA enzyme was purified from an overproducing mutant of X. campestris and was characterized. It has apparent K(m) and V(max) values of 75 m M [H(2)O(2)] and 2.55 x 10(5) micromol H(2)O(2) micromol heme(-1) s(-1), respectively. The enzyme is highly sensitive to 3-amino-1,2,4-triazole and NaN(3), has a narrower optimal pH range than other catalases, and is more sensitive to heat inactivation.     

Identification of amino acid residues important for the function of Agrobacterium tumefaciens Irr protein

The key amino acid residues that influence the function of the Agrobacterium tumefaciens iron response regulator protein (Irr(At) ) were investigated. Several Irr(At) mutant proteins containing substitutions in amino acids corresponding to candidate metal- and haem-binding sites were constructed. The ability of the mutant proteins to repress the promoter of the membrane bound ferritin (mbfA) gene was investigated using a promoter-lacZ fusion assay. A single mutation at residue H94 significantly decreased the repressive activity of Irr(At) . Multiple mutation analysis revealed the importance of H45, H65, the HHH motif (H92, H93 and H94) and H127 for the repressor function of Irr(At) . H94 is essential for the iron responsiveness of Irr(At) . Furthermore, the Irr(At) mutant proteins showed differential abilities to complement the H(2) O(2) -hyper-resistant phenotype of an irr mutant.     

Antifungal potential of extracellular metabolites produced by Streptomyces hygroscopicus against phytopathogenic fungi

Indigenous actinomycetes isolated from rhizosphere soils were assessed for in vitro antagonism against Colletotrichum gloeosporioides and Sclerotium rolfsii. A potent antagonist against both plant pathogenic fungi, designated SRA14, was selected and identified as Streptomyces hygroscopicus. The strain SRA14 highly produced extracellular chitinase and β-1,3-glucanase during the exponential and late exponential phases, respectively. Culture filtrates collected from the exponential and stationary phases inhibited the growth of both the fungi tested, indicating that growth suppression was due to extracellular antifungal metabolites present in culture filtrates. The percentage of growth inhibition by the stationary culture filtrate was significantly higher than that of exponential culture filtrate. Morphological changes such as hyphal swelling and abnormal shapes were observed in fungi grown on potato dextrose agar that contained the culture filtrates. However, the antifungal activity of exponential culture filtrates against both the experimental fungi was significantly reduced after boiling or treatment with proteinase K. There was no significant decrease in the percentage of fungal growth inhibition by the stationary culture filtrate that was treated as above. These data indicated that the antifungal potential of the exponential culture filtrate was mainly due to the presence of extracellular chitinase enzyme, whereas the antifungal activity of the stationary culture filtrate involved the action of unknown thermostable antifungal compound(s).     

Cloning and Characterization of <Emphasis Type="Italic">katA</Emphasis>, Encoding the Major Monofunctional Catalase from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Xanthomonas campestris</Emphasis> pv. phaseoli and Characterization of the Encoded Catalase KatA

The first cloning and characterization of the gene katA, encoding the major catalase (KatA), from Xanthomonas is reported. A reverse genetic approach using a synthesized katA-specific DNA probe to screen a X. campestris pv. phaseoli genomic library was employed. A positively hybridizing clone designated pKat29 that contained a full-length katA was isolated. Analysis of the nucleotide sequence revealed an open reading frame of 1,521 bp encoding a 507-amino acid protein with a theoretical molecular mass of 56 kDa. The deduced amino acid sequence of KatA revealed 84% and 78% identity to CatF of Pseudomonas syringae and KatB of P. aeruginosa, respectively. Phylogenetic analysis places Xanthomonas katA in the clade I group of bacterial catalases. Unexpectedly, expression of katA in a heterologous Escherichia coli host resulted in a temperature-sensitive expression. The KatA enzyme was purified from an overproducing mutant of X. campestris and was characterized. It has apparent K _m and V _max values of 75 mM [H₂O₂] and 2.55 × 10⁵ μmol H₂O₂ μmol heme⁻¹ s⁻¹, respectively. The enzyme is highly sensitive to 3-amino-1,2,4-triazole and NaN₃, has a narrower optimal pH range than other catalases, and is more sensitive to heat inactivation. Received: 4 March 2002 / Accepted: 8 April 2002     

Cadmium-Induced Adaptive Resistance and Cross-Resistance to Zinc in Xanthomonas campestris

Cadmium (Cd) and zinc (Zn) are environmental pollutants affecting both soil and water. The toxicity resulting from the exposure of Xanthomonas campestris, a soil bacterium and plant pathogen, to these metals was investigated. Pretreatment of X. campestris with sub-lethal concentrations of Cd induced adaptive protection against subsequent exposure to lethal doses of Cd. Moreover, Cd-induced cells also showed cross-resistance to lethal concentrations of Zn. These induced protections required newly synthesized proteins. Unexpectedly, Zn-induced cells did not exhibit adaptive protection against lethal concentrations of Zn or Cd. These data suggested that the increased resistance to Cd and Zn killing probably involved other protective mechanisms in addition to ion efflux.Received: 4 December 2002 / Accepted: 24 January 2003