A simple yeast-based strategy to identify host cellular processes targeted by bacterial effector proteins.

Area of Science:

• Microbiology
• Molecular Biology
• Genetics

Background:

• Bacterial effector proteins delivered via type III secretion systems are crucial for gram-negative bacterial pathogenicity.
• These effectors manipulate host cellular processes to favor pathogen survival and proliferation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a high-throughput screening platform for identifying cellular targets of bacterial effector proteins.
• To investigate the specific cellular processes affected by the Xanthomonas campestris type III effector XopE2.

Main Methods:

• A computationally optimized array of yeast deletion strains in a 96-well plate format was created.
• The array was screened for hypersensitivity to bacterial effector expression.
• Synthetic lethal interactions of hypersensitive strains were analyzed to pinpoint effector targets.

Main Results:

• The study identified a cellular process targeted by the Xanthomonas campestris effector XopE2.
• XopE2 was found to influence the yeast cell wall integrity.
• XopE2 also impacts the endoplasmic reticulum stress response pathway in yeast.

Conclusions:

• The developed yeast deletion strain array is an accessible and efficient platform for studying bacterial effector functions.
• This approach facilitates the rapid analysis of numerous effectors and identification of their host cell targets.
• XopE2's targeting of the cell wall and ER stress response highlights its role in bacterial pathogenesis.