%0 Journal Article %A Borland, Stéphanie %A Prigent-Combaret, Claire %A Wisniewski-Dyé, Florence %T Bacterial hybrid histidine kinases in plant–bacteria interactions %D 2016 %J Microbiology, %V 162 %N 10 %P 1715-1734 %@ 1465-2080 %R https://doi.org/10.1099/mic.0.000370 %K phosphorelay %K symbiosis %K rhizosphere %K Hybrid histidine kinase %K two-component systems %K pathogenicity %I Microbiology Society, %X Two-component signal transduction systems are essential for many bacteria to maintain homeostasis and adapt to environmental changes. Two-component signal transduction systems typically involve a membrane-bound histidine kinase that senses stimuli, autophosphorylates in the transmitter region and then transfers the phosphoryl group to the receiver domain of a cytoplasmic response regulator that mediates appropriate changes in bacterial physiology. Although usually found on distinct proteins, the transmitter and receiver modules are sometimes fused into a so-called hybrid histidine kinase (HyHK). Such structure results in multiple phosphate transfers that are believed to provide extra-fine-tuning mechanisms and more regulatory checkpoints than classical phosphotransfers. HyHK-based regulation may be crucial for finely tuning gene expression in a heterogeneous environment such as the rhizosphere, where intricate plant–bacteria interactions occur. In this review, we focus on roles fulfilled by bacterial HyHKs in plant-associated bacteria, providing recent findings on the mechanistic of their signalling properties. Recent insights into understanding additive regulatory properties fulfilled by the tethered receiver domain of HyHKs are also addressed. %U https://www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/journal/micro/10.1099/mic.0.000370