PMID:24038703

Citation	Barnhart, DM, Su, S, Baccaro, BE, Banta, LM and Farrand, SK (2013) CelR, an ortholog of the diguanylate cyclase PleD of Caulobacter, regulates cellulose synthesis in Agrobacterium tumefaciens. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 79:7188-202
Abstract	Cellulose fibrils play a role in attachment of Agrobacterium tumefaciens to its plant host. While the genes for cellulose biosynthesis in the bacterium have been identified, little is known concerning the regulation of the process. The signal molecule cyclic di-GMP (c-di-GMP) has been linked to the regulation of exopolysaccharide biosynthesis in many bacterial species, including A. tumefaciens. In this study, we identified two putative diguanylate cyclase genes, celR (atu1297) and atu1060, that influence production of cellulose in A. tumefaciens. Overexpression of either gene resulted in increased cellulose production, while deletion of celR, but not atu1060, resulted in decreased cellulose biosynthesis. celR overexpression also affected other phenotypes, including biofilm formation, formation of a polar adhesion structure, plant surface attachment, and virulence, suggesting that the gene plays a role in regulating these processes. Analysis of celR and Δcel mutants allowed differentiation between phenotypes associated with cellulose production, such as biofilm formation, and phenotypes probably resulting from c-di-GMP signaling, which include polar adhesion, attachment to plant tissue, and virulence. Phylogenetic comparisons suggest that species containing both celR and celA, which encodes the catalytic subunit of cellulose synthase, adapted the CelR protein to regulate cellulose production while those that lack celA use CelR, called PleD, to regulate specific processes associated with polar localization and cell division.
Links	PubMed PMC3837745 Online version:10.1128/AEM.02148-13
Keywords	Agrobacterium tumefaciens/genetics; Agrobacterium tumefaciens/metabolism; Bacterial Proteins/genetics; Bacterial Proteins/metabolism; Caulobacter/genetics; Cellulose/metabolism; Escherichia coli Proteins/genetics; Escherichia coli Proteins/metabolism; Gene Deletion; Gene Expression; Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial; Phosphorus-Oxygen Lyases/genetics; Phosphorus-Oxygen Lyases/metabolism; Phylogeny; Repressor Proteins/genetics; Repressor Proteins/metabolism; Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
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Annotations

Gene product	Qualifier	GO Term	Evidence Code	with/from	Aspect	Extension	Notes	Status
AGRFC:A9CJ98	Contributes to	GO:0030244: cellulose biosynthetic process	ECO:0000269:		P		over expression of the gene triggered cellulose production and deletion of the gene reduced cellulose biosynthetic process	complete

References

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