The acetylome analysis of lysine acetylation in the plant pathogenic bacterium Brenneria nigrifluens

Protein lysine acetylation, a dynamic and reversible posttranslational modification, plays a crucial role in several cellular processes including cell cycle regulation, metabolic pathways, enzymatic activities and protein interactions. Brenneria nigrifluens is the pathogen of shallow bark canker of walnut trees and can cause serious disease on walnut trees. Up to now, it is little known about the roles of lysine acetylation in the plant pathogenic bacteria. In the present study, the lysine acetylome of B. nigrifluens was determined by high-resolution LC-MS/MS analysis. In total, we identified 1,866 lysine acetylation sites distributed in 737 acetylated proteins. Bioinformatics results indicate that acetylated proteins participate in many different biological functions in B. nigrifluens. Four conserved motifs, namely, LKac, Kac*F, I*Kac and L*Kac, were identified in this bacterium. Protein interaction network analysis indicates that all kinds of interactions are modulated by protein lysine acetylation. Overall, 14 acetylated proteins are related to the virulence of B. nigrifluens.