Virulence and Stress Responses of Pseudomonas plecoglossicida Regulated by PhoP/PhoQ

Pseudomonas plecoglossicida is a pathogenic bacterium affecting aquatic animals, responsible for causing a highly fatal disease known as Visceral White Spot Disease in various economically important fish species, leading to significant economic losses. The two-component PhoP/PhoQ system plays a crucial role in bacterial responses to environmental stimuli and regulates the expression of virulence-related genes; however, its role in P. plecoglossicida has not been thoroughly studied. In this study, we constructed a phoQ gene deletion strain and a complemented strain of P. plecoglossicida to explore the biological characteristics mediated by the phoQ gene and its impact on the host.