Lon Protease Is Important for Growth Under Stressful Conditions and Pathogenicity of the Phytopathogen, Bacterium Dickeya solani

• Published in: International journal of molecular sciences 2020-05, Vol.21 (10), p.3687
• Main Authors: Figaj, Donata, Czaplewska, Paulina, Przepióra, Tomasz, Ambroziak, Patrycja, Potrykus, Marta, Skorko-Glonek, Joanna
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Bacteria; Bacterial infections; Bacterial Proteins - genetics; Bacterial Proteins - metabolism; Blackleg; Cell division; Cellulase; Dickeya - genetics; Dickeya - metabolism; Dickeya - pathogenicity; Dickeya solani; E coli; Gene deletion; Gene expression; High temperature; Infections; Lon protein; Mass spectra; Motility; Mutation; Oxidative stress; Pathogenicity; Pathogens; Pectinolytic enzymes; Plant diseases; plant pathogen; Potatoes; Protease; Protease La - genetics; Protease La - metabolism; protease Lon; Proteinase; Proteins; Solanum tuberosum - microbiology; Stress, Physiological; Type II Secretion Systems - metabolism; type III secretion system; Virulence; Virulence factors; Virulence Factors - metabolism
• ISSN: 1422-0067; 1661-6596; 1422-0067
• DOI: 10.3390/ijms21103687

The Lon protein is a protease implicated in the virulence of many pathogenic bacteria, including some plant pathogens. However, little is known about the role of Lon in bacteria from genus . This group of bacteria includes important potato pathogens, with the most aggressive species, . To determine the importance of Lon for pathogenicity and response to stress conditions of bacteria, we constructed a strain. The mutant bacteria showed increased sensitivity to certain stress conditions, in particular osmotic and high-temperature stresses. Furthermore, qPCR analysis showed an increased expression of the gene in under these conditions. The deletion of the gene resulted in decreased motility, lower activity of secreted pectinolytic enzymes and finally delayed onset of blackleg symptoms in the potato plants. In the cells, the altered levels of several proteins, including virulence factors and proteins associated with virulence, were detected by means of Sequential Window Acquisition of All Theoretical Mass Spectra (SWATH-MS) analysis. These included components of the type III secretion system and proteins involved in bacterial motility. Our results indicate that Lon protease is important for to withstand stressful conditions and effectively invade the potato plant.