Preprint Article Version 1 Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed

The EnvC Homolog Encoded by Xanthomonas citri subsp. citri Is Necessary for Cell Division and Virulence

Michelle M. Pena
ORCID logo ,
Thaisa Z. Martins
,
Doron Teper
,
Caio Zamuner
ORCID logo ,
Helen Alves Penha
,
Henrique Ferreira
,
Nian Wang
,
Maria Inês T. Ferro
,
Jesus A. Ferro
* ORCID logo
Version 1 : Received: 11 October 2023 / Approved: 11 October 2023 / Online: 12 October 2023 (04:26:49 CEST)

A peer-reviewed article of this Preprint also exists.

Pena, M.M.; Martins, T.Z.; Teper, D.; Zamuner, C.; Alves, H.A.; Ferreira, H.; Wang, N.; Ferro, M.I.T.; Ferro, J.A. EnvC Homolog Encoded by Xanthomonas citri subsp. citri Is Necessary for Cell Division and Virulence. Microorganisms 2024, 12, 691. Pena, M.M.; Martins, T.Z.; Teper, D.; Zamuner, C.; Alves, H.A.; Ferreira, H.; Wang, N.; Ferro, M.I.T.; Ferro, J.A. EnvC Homolog Encoded by Xanthomonas citri subsp. citri Is Necessary for Cell Division and Virulence. Microorganisms 2024, 12, 691.

Abstract

Peptidoglycan hydrolases are enzymes that cleave the peptidoglycan of the bacterial cell wall, facilitating cell growth, cell division, and peptidoglycan turnover. Xanthomonas citri subsp. citri (X. citri), the causal agent of citrus canker, encodes an Escherichia coli M23 peptidase EnvC homolog. EnvC is a LytM factor required for septal peptidoglycan splitting and daughter cell separation. In this study we investigate how EnvC contributes to the virulence and cell separation of X. citri. We observed that disruption of the X. citri envC gene (ΔenvC) led to a reduction in virulence. Upon inoculation into leaves of Rangpur lime (Citrus limonia Osbeck), the X. citri ΔenvC mutant showed a delay in causing citrus canker symptoms compared with the wild-type X. citri strain. Mutant complementation restored the X. citri wild type phenotype. Subcellular localization confirmed that X. citri EnvC is a periplasmic protein. Moreover, the X. citri ΔenvC mutant exhibited elongated cells, indicative of a cell division defect. These findings support the role of EnvC in regulating virulence, cell wall organization, and cell division in X. citri.

Keywords

citrus canker; hydrolase; periplasmic protein; cell division

Subject

Biology and Life Sciences, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Copyright: This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

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