Phenazine-1-carboxylic acid biosynthesis in Pseudomonas Chlororaphis GP72 is positively regulated by the sigma factor RpoN

Abstract

The production of phenazine-1-carboxylic acid (PCA) and 2-hydroxyphenazine (2-OH-PHZ) makes Pseudomonas chlororaphis GP72 an effective biocontrol agent. In order to understand how production of PCA is regulated by RpoN, an insertional mutation in rpoN has been made in P. chlororaphis GP72. Production of PCA in the rpoN mutant strain GP72N decreased both in King’s B medium and in Pigment Producing Medium. Moreover, the expression of the translational fusion phzA´–´lacZ was reduced about 2-fold in GP72N compared to wild type strain, whatever the growth medium is. Complementation of rpoN gene in mutant GP72N restored its motility and its PCA biosynthesis ability. However, overexpression of RpoN had no major effects on the expression of the RpoN-dependent phenotypes described in this study for P. chlororaphis GP72. These results suggest that RpoN is involved as a positive regulator in the regulation of PCA biosynthesis in P. chlororaphis GP72.