Xanthomonas campestris dynamic protein phosphorylation

What is it about?

This study analyzes proteins of Xanthomonas campestris. This bacterium is an important model organism that represents plant pathogens which cause substantial losses in crops cultivated world-wide. It is also applied in biotechnology to produce the thickening agent xanthan. Our study shows that some Xanthomonas campestris proteins are modified by additional phosphate groups, and that these modifications change over time during the growth of the bacteria.

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Why is it important?

Proteins perform many of the important tasks in the life of organisms, including pathogenic bacteria like Xanthomonas. Modification of proteins by adding phosphate groups can have a huge impact on the activity of the proteins. Hence, analyzing this process in more detail may help to better understand processes important for the pathogen. This knowledge may be helpful to device effective countermeasures against infections by such crop hazards. Likewise, xanthan production may benefit from this knowledge.