Multiple diguanylate cyclase-coordinated regulation of pyoverdine synthesis in Pseudomonas aeruginosa

The nucleotide signalling molecule bis-(3'-5')-cyclic dimeric guanosine monophosphate (c-di-GMP) plays an essential role in regulating microbial virulence and biofilm formation. C-di-GMP is synthesized by diguanylate cyclase (DGC) enzymes and degraded by phosphodiesterase (PDE) enzymes. One intrinsic feature of c-di-GMP signalling is the abundance of DGCs and PDEs encoded by many bacterial species. It is unclear whether the different DGCs or PDEs coordinately establish the c-di-GMP regulation or function independently of each other. Here, we provide evidence that multiple DGCs are involved in regulation of c-di-GMP on synthesis of the major iron siderophore pyoverdine in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Constitutive expression of the WspG or YedQ DGC in P. aeruginosa is able to induce its pyoverdine synthesis. Induction of pyoverdine synthesis by high intracellular c-di-GMP depends on the synthesis of exopolysaccharides and another two DGCs, SiaD and SadC. SiaD was found to boost the c-di-GMP synthesis together with constitutively expressing YedQ. The exopolysaccharides and the SiaD DGC were found to modulate the expression of the RsmY/RsmZ ncRNAs. Induction of the RsmY/RsmZ ncRNAs might enhance the pyoverdine synthesis through SadC. Our study sheds light on a novel multiple DGC-coordinated c-di-GMP regulatory mechanism of bacteria.