The regulation of slyA gene expression in phytopathogenic bacteria Erwinia amylovora

Authors

  • Karina Yu. Pesotskaya Belarusian State University, 4 Niezaliezhnasci Avenue, Minsk 220030, Belarus
  • Dmitry V. Sorokin Belarusian State University, 4 Niezaliezhnasci Avenue, Minsk 220030, Belarus
  • Alexander L. Lagonenko Algimed Techno, 22/1 Lagojski Tract, Minsk 220090, Belarus
  • Anatoli N. Evtushenkov Belarusian State University, 4 Niezaliezhnasci Avenue, Minsk 220030, Belarus

Keywords:

Erwinia amylovora, SlyA regulator, plant phenolic compounds, polymyxin B, hydrogen peroxide, gene expression

Abstract

The work investigated the effect of compounds of different chemical nature on the activity of the promoter of the transcriptional regulator SlyA. As a result, it was found that hydrogen peroxide and polymyxin B induce slyA gene expression. It was also noted that the SlyA protein activates the transcription of the slyA, yhcN and ohrA genes. It was concluded that the tested plant phenolic compounds (salicylic, chlorogenic, vanillic, caffeic, cinnamic, p-hydroxybenzoic and ferulic acids) in physiological concentrations do not regulate slyA gene expression.

Author Biographies

  • Karina Yu. Pesotskaya, Belarusian State University, 4 Niezaliezhnasci Avenue, Minsk 220030, Belarus

    senior lecturer at the department of molecular biology, faculty of biology

  • Dmitry V. Sorokin, Belarusian State University, 4 Niezaliezhnasci Avenue, Minsk 220030, Belarus

    student at the faculty of biology

  • Alexander L. Lagonenko, Algimed Techno, 22/1 Lagojski Tract, Minsk 220090, Belarus

    PhD (biology), docent; head of the genetic and protein group

  • Anatoli N. Evtushenkov, Belarusian State University, 4 Niezaliezhnasci Avenue, Minsk 220030, Belarus

    doctor of science (biology), full professor; professor at the department of molecular biology, faculty of biology

References

  1. Maloy S, Stewart V. Autogenous regulation of gene expression. Journal of Bacteriology. 1993;175(2):307–316. DOI: 10.1128/jb.175.2.307-316.1993.
  2. Deochand DK, Grove A. MarR family transcription factors: dynamic variations on a common scaffold. Critical Reviews in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. 2017;52(6):595 – 613. DOI: 10.1080/10409238.2017.1344612.
  3. Ellison DW, Miller VL. Regulation of virulence by members of the MarR/SlyA family. Current Opinion in Microbiology. 2006;9(2):153–159. DOI: 10.1016/j.mib.2006.02.003.
  4. Mhedbi-Hajri N, Malfatti P, Pédron J, Gaubert S, Reverchon S, Van Gijsegem F. PecS is an important player in the regulatory network governing the coordinated expression of virulence genes during the interaction between Dickeya dadantii 3937 and plants. Environmental Microbiology. 2011;13(11):2901–2914. DOI: 10.1111/j.1462-2920.2011.02566.x.
  5. Wilkinson SP, Grove A. Ligand-responsive transcriptional regulation by members of the MarR family of winged helix proteins. Current Issues in Molecular Biology. 2006;8(1):51– 62.
  6. Zhou J-N, Zhang H-B, Lv M-F, Chen Y-F, Liao L-S, Cheng Y-Y, et al. SlyA regulates phytotoxin production and virulence in Dickeya zeae EC1. Molecular Plant Pathology. 2016;17(9):1398 –1408. DOI: 10.1111/mpp.12376.
  7. Haque MM, Kabir MS, Aini LQ, Hirata H, Tsuyumu S. SlyA, a MarR family transcriptional regulator, is essential for virulence in Dickeya dadantii 3937. Journal of Bacteriology. 2009;191(17):5409 –5418. DOI: 10.1128/jb.00240-09.
  8. Michaux C, Sanguinetti M, Reffuveille F, Auffray Y, Posteraro B, Gilmore MS, et al. SlyA is a transcriptional regulator involved in the virulence of Enterococcus faecalis. Infection and Immunity. 2011;79(7):2638 –2645. DOI: 10.1128/IAI.01132-10.
  9. Navarre WW, Halsey TA, Walthers D, Frye J, McClelland M, Potter JL, et al. Co-regulation of Salmonella enterica genes required for virulence and resistance to antimicrobial peptides by SlyA and PhoP/PhoQ. Molecular Microbiology. 2005;56(2):492–508. DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2958.2005.04553.x.
  10. Will WR, Brzovic P, Le Trong I, Stenkamp RE, Lawrenz MB, Karlinsey JE, et al. The evolution of SlyA/RovA transcription factors from repressors to countersilencers in Enterobacteriaceae. mBio. 2019;10(2):e00009-19. DOI: 10.1128/mBio.00009-19.
  11. Pedroncelli A, Puopolo G. This tree is on fire: a review on the ecology of Erwinia amylovora, the causal agent of fire blight disease. Journal of Plant Pathology. 2024;106(3):823 – 837. DOI: 10.1007/s42161-023-01397-y.
  12. Badria FA, editor. Phenolic compounds – chemistry, synthesis, diversity, non-conventional industrial, pharmaceutical and therapeutic applications. London: IntechOpen; 2022. XX, 433 p. (Blumenberg M, editor. IntechOpen series. Biochemistry; volume 26). DOI: 10.5772/intechopen.94825.
  13. Ogah O, Watkins CS, Ubi BE, Oraguzie NC. Phenolic compounds in Rosaceae fruit and nut crops. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 2014;62(39):9369 – 9386. DOI: 10.1021/jf501574q.
  14. Sambrook J, Russel DW. Molecular cloning: a laboratory manual. 3rd edition. New York: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press; 2001. 3 volumes.
  15. Lagonenko AL, Komardina VS, Nikolaichik YA, Evtushenkov AN. First report of Erwinia amylovora fire blight in Belarus. Journal of Phytopathology. 2008;156(10):638 – 640. DOI: 10.1111/j.1439-0434.2008.01420.x.
  16. Zaslaver A, Bren A, Ronen M, Itzkovitz S, Kikoin I, Shavit S, et al. A comprehensive library of fluorescent transcriptional reporters for Escherichia coli. Nature Methods. 2006;3(8):623 – 628. DOI: 10.1038/nmeth895.
  17. Hopp TP, Prickett KS, Price VL, Libby RT, March CJ, Cerretti DP, et al. A short polypeptide marker sequence useful for recombinant protein identification and purification. Nature Bio/Technology. 1988;6(10):1204 –1210. DOI: 10.1038/nbt1088-1204.
  18. Martinez-Vaz BM, Makarevitch I, Stensland S. Studying gene expression: database searches and promoter fusions to investigate transcriptional regulation in bacteria. Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education. 2010;11(1):42– 49. DOI: 10.1128/jmbe.v11.i1.101.
  19. Dolan KT, Duguid EM, He C. Crystal structures of SlyA protein, a master virulence regulator of Salmonella, in free and DNAbound states. The Journal of Biological Chemistry. 2011;286(25):22178 –22185. DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m111.245258.
  20. Hao Z, Lou H, Zhu R, Zhu J, Zhang D, Zhao BS, et al. The multiple antibiotic resistance regulator MarR is a copper sensor in Escherichia coli. Nature Chemical Biology. 2014;10(1):21–28. DOI: 10.1038/nchembio.1380.
  21. Песоцкая КЮ, Лагоненко АЛ, Евтушенков АН. Транскрипционный фактор SlyA регулирует продукцию факторов вирулентности и устойчивость к окислительному стрессу у фитопатогенных бактерий Erwinia amylovora. Молекулярная и прикладная генетика. 2025;38:111–122. EDN: EJNXJI.
  22. Cabezas CE, Briones AC, Aguirre C, Pardo-Esté C, Castro-Severyn J, Salinas CR, et al. The transcription factor SlyA from Salmonella Typhimurium regulates genes in response to hydrogen peroxide and sodium hypochlorite. Research in Microbiology. 2018;169(6):263–278. DOI: 10.1016/j.resmic.2018.04.003.
  23. Meireles DA, da Silva Neto JF, Domingos RM, Alegria TGP, Santos LCM, Netto LES. Ohr – OhrR, a neglected and highly efficient antioxidant system: structure, catalysis, phylogeny, regulation, and physiological roles. Free Radical Biology and Medicine. 2022;185:6 –24. DOI: 10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2022.04.001.
  24. Nikolaichik Y, Damienikan AU. SigmoID: a user-friendly tool for improving bacterial genome annotation through analysis of transcription control signals. PeerJ. 2016;4:e2056. DOI: 10.7717/peerj.2056.

Downloads

Published

2026-02-17

Issue

Section

Genetics and Molecular Biology

How to Cite

Pesotskaya, K. Y., Sorokin, D. V., Lagonenko, A. L., & Evtushenkov, A. N. (2026). The regulation of slyA gene expression in phytopathogenic bacteria Erwinia amylovora. Experimental Biology and Biotechnology, 3, 48-61. https://doi.org/10.33581/2957-5060-2025-3-%p