A Sfp-type phosphopantetheinyl transferase ZmsO is essential for zeamines production and the virulence of Dickeya zeae

Abstract

Zeamines are family of potent antibiotics and virulence determinants produced by the rice foot rot bacterial pathogen Dickeya zeae. So zeamines are important for the pathogenesis of D. zeae and development of new strategies against this devastating disease. In this study, we show that production of zeamines is positively modulated by ZmsO, which is a conserved Sfp-type phosphopantetheinyl thransferase (PPTase) associated with post-translational activation of fatty acid synthases and polyketide synthases. Deletion of zmsO significantly abolished zeamines production and attenuated the virulence of D. zeae without affect the growth rate. The zmsO gene is located at the upstream of zmsA and zmsK in the same gene cluster. Consistent with its role in post-translational modification, deletion of zmsO did not affect the transcriptional expression of zmsA and zmsK. In trans expression of the pcpS gene from Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which encodes a Sfp-type PPTase, in the zmsO deletion mutant could also fully restore the zeamines production and bacterial virulence, establishing the important role of Sfp-type PPTase in the zeamines biosynthesis and pathogenicity of D. zeae. © 2016, The Author(s).