Effect of retS gene on antibiotics production in Pseudomonas fluorescens FD6

A hybrid sensor kinase termed RetS (regulator of exopolysaccharide and Type III secretion) controls expression of numerous genes in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. To investigate the function of RetS in P. fluorescens FD6, the retS gene was disrupted. Genetic inactivation of retS resulted in enhanced production of 2, 4-diacetylphloroglucinol, pyrrolnitrin, and pyoluteorin. The retS mutant also exhibited significant increase in phlA-lacZ, prnA-lacZ, and pltA-lacZ transcription levels, influencing expression levels of the small regulatory RNAs RsmX and RsmZ. In the gacSretS double mutant, all the phenotypic changes caused by the retS deletion were reversed to the level of gacS single mutant. Furthermore, the retS mutation drastically elevated biofilm formation and improved the colonization ability of strain FD6 on wheat rhizospheres. Based on these results, we proposed that RetS negatively controlled the production of antibiotics through the Gac/Rsm pathway in P. fluorescens FD6.