The ChvG-ChvI Regulatory Network: A Conserved Global Regulatory Circuit Among the Alphaproteobacteria with Pervasive Impacts on Host Interactions and Diverse Cellular Processes.

The ChvG-ChvI two-component system is conserved among multiple Alphaproteobacteria . ChvG is a canonical two-component system sensor kinase with a single large periplasmic loop. Active ChvG directs phosphotransfer to its cognate response regulator ChvI, which controls transcription of target genes. In many alphaproteobacteria, ChvG is regulated by a third component, a periplasmic protein called ExoR, that maintains ChvG in an inactive state through direct interaction. Acidic pH stimulates proteolysis of ExoR, unfettering ChvG-ChvI to control its regulatory targets. Activated ChvI among different alphaproteobacteria controls a broad range of cellular processes, including symbiosis and virulence, exopolysaccharide production, biofilm formation, motility, type VI secretion, cellular metabolism, envelope composition, and growth. Low pH is a virulence signal in Agrobacterium tumefaciens , but in other systems, conditions that cause envelope stress may also generally activate ChvG-ChvI. There is mounting evidence that these regulators influence diverse aspects of bacterial physiology, including but not limited to host interactions. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Microbiology , Volume 77 is September 2023. Please see https://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.