XAC3673 has HisKA, HATPase, and response regulator domains [see Additional file 1].

An analysis using Psort [39] found that the predicted protein from XAC3673 is localized on the bacterial inner membrane and a blastp search result [40] found that the first 60 amino acids only match sequences from X. citri subsp. citri, X. campestris pv. vesicatoria and X. oryzae pv. oryzae, indicating that the N-terminal sequence is exclusive to Xanthomonas. The blastp result from amino acids 200 to 578 at the C-terminus found similarities check details with RpfC protein from Xcc, and with many RpfC proteins that are involved in quorum sensing signaling mediated by a diffusible signal molecule DSF (diffusible signaling factor). This quorum sensing mechanism plays a key role in the regulation of xanthan (EPS) biosynthesis, gene expression, motility, adaptation, and bacterial virulence [41]. RpfC from Xcc (XAC1878) has the same three domains: HisKA, HATPase, and the response regulator, as well as an Hpt domain. Furthermore, RpfC is a bacterial inner membrane protein [42]. In Xanthomonas, the RpfC and RpfG proteins are a two-component selleck inhibitor system implicated in DSF perception and signal transduction. At a low cell density, the DSF sensor RpfC forms a complex with the DSF synthase RpfF through its receiver domain, which prevents the enzyme from effective synthesis

of the DSF signal. In this step, DSF is synthesized at basal levels. But when the cell density increases, extracellular DSF increases, too. So at a high cell density, accumulated extracellular DSF interacts with RpfC and induces a conformational change in the sensor, which undergoes autophosphorylation and facilitates release of RpfF and phosphorelay from the sensor to its response regulator RpfG. Now, RpfF, together with RpfB, can induce the production of DSF, and RpfG can induce EPS biosynthesis, gene expression, motility, adaptation, and bacterial virulence [41]. The RpfC mutants produce significantly attenuated virulence factors, but synthesize about 16-fold higher DSF signal than the

wild type [42, 43], whereas mutation of rpfF or rpfB abolishes DSF production and results in reduced virulence click here factor production [44, 45]. Deletion of either rpfC or rpfG decreases the production of EPS and extracellular enzymes [42, 45]. Based on these results, it was proposed that RpfC/RpfG is a signal transduction system that couples the synthesis of pathogenic factors to sensing of environmental signals that may include DSF itself [42]. Nevertheless, the current knowledge about the signal transduction pathway downstream of RpfC/RpfG is still little. Recent study presented evidence that the HD-GYP domain of RpfG is a cyclic di-GMP phosphodiesterase that degrades the second messenger bis-(3′-5′)-cyclic dimeric guanosine monophosphate [46]. Furthermore, RpfG interacts with GGDEF domain-containing proteins [47].