The galU gene of Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris is involved in bacterial attachment, cell motility, polysaccharide synthesis, virulence, and tolerance to various stresses.

Abstract

Uridine triphosphate (UTP)-glucose-1-phosphate uridylyltransferase (GalU; EC 2.7.7.9) is an enzyme that catalyzes the formation of uridine diphosphate (UDP)-glucose from UTP and glucose-1-phosphate. GalU is involved in virulence in a number of animal-pathogenic bacteria since its product, UDP-glucose, is indispensable for the biosynthesis of virulence factors such as lipopolysaccharide and exopolysaccharide. However, its function in Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris, the phytopathogen that causes black rot in cruciferous plants, is unclear. Here, we characterized a galU mutant of X. campestris pv. campestris and showed that the X. campestris pv. campestris galU mutant resulted in a reduction in virulence on the host cabbage. We also demonstrated that galU is involved in bacterial attachment, cell motility, and polysaccharide synthesis. Furthermore, the galU mutant showed increased sensitivity to various stress conditions including copper sulfate, hydrogen peroxide, and sodium dodecyl sulfate. In addition, mutation of galU impairs the expression of the flagellin gene fliC as well as the attachment-related genes xadA, fhaC, and yapH. In conclusion, our results indicate involvement of galU in the virulence factor production and pathogenicity in X. campestris pv. campestris, and a role for galU in stress tolerance of this crucifer pathogen.