Downstream divergence of the ethylene signaling pathway for harpin-stimulated Arabidopsis growth and insect defense

Ethylene (ET) signal transduction may regulate plant growth and defense, depending on which components are recruited into the pathway in response to different stimuli. We report here that the ET pathway controls both insect resistance (IR) and plant growth enhancement (PGE) in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) plants responding to harpin, a protein produced by a plant pathogenic bacterium. PGE may result from spraying plant tops with harpin or by soaking seeds in harpin solution; the latter especially enhances root growth. Plants treated similarly develop resistance to the green peach aphid (Myzus persicae). The salicylic acid pathway, although activated by harpin, does not lead to PGE and IR. By contrast, PGE and IR are induced in both wild-type plants and genotypes that have defects in salicylic acid signaling. In response to harpin, levels of jasmonic acid (JA) decrease, and the COI1 gene, which is indispensable for JA signal transduction, is not expressed in wild-type plants. However, PGE and IR are stimulated in the JA-resistant mutant jar1-1. In the wild type, PGE and IR develop coincidently with increases in ET levels and the expression of several genes essential for ET signaling. The ET receptor gene ETR1 is required because both phenotypes are arrested in the etr1-1 mutant. Consistently, inhibition of ET perception nullifies the induction of both PGE and IR. The signal transducer EIN2 is required for IR, and EIN5 is required for PGE because IR and PGE are impaired correspondingly in the ein2-1 and ein5-1 mutants. Therefore, harpin activates ET signaling while conscribing EIN2 and EIN5 to confer IR and PGE, respectively.

The Erwinia chrysanthemi EC16 hrp/hrc gene cluster encodes an active Hrp type III secretion system that is flanked by virulence genes functionally unrelated to the Hrp system

Erwinia chrysanthemi is a host-promiscuous plant pathogen that possesses a type III secretion system (TTSS) similar to that of the host-specific pathogens E. amylovora and Pseudomonas syringae. The regions flanking the TTSS-encoding hrp/hrc gene clusters in the latter pathogens encode various TTSS-secreted proteins. DNA sequencing of the complete E. chrysanthemi hrp/hrc gene cluster and approximately 12 kb of the flanking regions (beyond the previously characterized hecA adhesin gene in the left flank) revealed that the E. chrysanthemi TTSS genes were syntenic and similar (>50% amino-acid identity) with their E. amylovora orthologs. However, the hrp/hrc cluster was interrupted by a cluster of four genes, only one of which, a homolog of lytic transglycosylases, is implicated in TTSS functions. Furthermore, the regions flanking the hrp/hrc cluster lacked genes that were likely to encode TTSS substrates. Instead, some of the genes in these regions predict ABC transporters and methyl-accepting chemotaxis proteins that could have alternative roles in virulence. Mutations affecting all of the genes in the regions flanking or interrupting the hrp/hrc cluster were constructed in E. chrysanthemi CUCPB5047, a mutant whose reduced pectolytic capacity can enhance the phenotype of minor virulence factors. Mutants were screened in witloof chicory leaves and then in potato tubers and Nicotiana clevelandii seedlings. Mu dII1734 insertion in one gene, designated virA, resulted in strongly reduced virulence in all three tests. virA is immediately downstream of hecA, has an unusually low G+C content of 38%, and predicts an unknown protein of 111 amino acids. The E. chrysanthemi TTSS was shown to be active by its ability to translocate AvrPto-Cya (a P. syringae TTSS effector fused to an adenylate cyclase reporter that is active in the presence of eukaryote calmodulin) into N. benthamiana leaf cells. However, VirA(1-61)-Cya was not translocated into plant cells, and virA expression was not affected by mutations in E. chrysanthemi Hrp regulator genes hrpL and hrpS. Thus, the 44-kb region of the E. chrysanthemi EC16 genome that is centered on the hrplhrc cluster encodes a potpourri of virulence factors, but none of these appear to be a TTSS effector.

Pre- and Post-harvest Harpin Treatments of Apples Induce Resistance to Blue Mold

Harpin was studied for its ability to induce resistance in apple fruit to blue mold caused by Penicillium expansum after harvest. Red Delicious fruit were harvested and sprayed with harpin at 0, 40, 80, and 160 mg/liter applied as a commercial formulation. At 48, 96, and 144 h after treatment, fruit were wound inoculated with spore suspensions of P. expansum at 10³, 5 × 10³, or 10⁴ spores/ml. The diameters of the resulting lesions were directly proportional to the inoculum concentration. Fewer fruit treated with harpin became infected relative to the controls, and disease progress was considerably reduced. In a second experiment, apple trees of the cultivars McIntosh, Empire, and Red Delicious were sprayed with different concentrations of harpin 8 or 4 days before harvest. Fruit were harvested, wounded, inoculated with the fungus, and stored in a commercial cold room. Fewer fruit treated with harpin became infected compared with the controls. Greater control resulted from the higher concentrations of harpin, but no difference in control occurred as a function of interval between the spray time and harvest. Spraying apple trees with harpin a few days before harvest is a promising strategy for reducing blue mold decay in storage.

Alternative disease control agents induce resistance to blue mold in harvested 'red delicious' apple fruit

ABSTRACT Alternative control agents, including UV-type C (254 nm) irradiation, yeasts antagonistic to fungal growth, chitosan and harpin, were evaluated for their ability to induce resistance in cv. Red Delicious apple fruit against postharvest blue mold caused by Penicillium expansum. Freshly harvested and controlled atmosphere (CA)-stored fruit were treated with these agents at different doses and concentrations or with paired combinations of the agents. Treated fruit were inoculated with P. expansum 24, 48, or 96 h following treatment, and stored at 24 degrees C in the dark. The fruit were evaluated for development of disease every 2 days for 14 days by measuring the diameter of lesions that formed. The area under the disease progress curve (AUDPC) was calculated and analyzed statistically. All treatments were effective in reducing the AUDPC; UV-C was most effective, followed by harpin, chitosan, and the yeasts, respectively. Regardless of treatment, fresh fruit were more responsive to treatments than CA-stored fruit. There was a clear time-dependent response of the fruit to the treatments, in which treatments applied 96 h before inoculation provided the best results. In a few situations, the combinations of agents did provide an additive effect, but no synergistic effects were detected. Moreover, disease severity in fruit treated by any combination was markedly better than that in the controls. Although the combinations of treatments was overall less effective than the single treatments, they did provide significant reductions of the progress of disease in comparison with the controls. Because the fungus did not come into contact with any of the control agents, this study showed conclusively that the agents studied were able to induce resistance in the fruit rather than merely inhibit the pathogen directly. It also showed, for the first time, that harpin is able to induce resistance in harvested apple fruit. The use of these control agents may minimize the costs of control strategies and reduce the risks associated with the excessive use of fungicides in harvested apple fruit.

Pantoea agglomerans strain EH318 produces two antibiotics that inhibit Erwinia amylovora in vitro

Pantoea agglomerans (synonym: Erwinia herbicola) strain Eh318 produces through antibiosis a complex zone of inhibited growth in an overlay seeded with Erwinia amylovora, the causal agent of fire blight. This zone is caused by two antibiotics, named pantocin A and B. Using a genomic library of Eh318, two cosmids, pCPP702 and pCPP704, were identified that conferred on Escherichia coli the ability to inhibit growth of E. amylovora. The two cosmids conferred different antibiotic activities on E. coli DH5alpha and had distinct restriction enzyme profiles. A smaller, antibiotic-conferring DNA segment from each cosmid was cloned. Each subclone was characterized and mutagenized with transposons to generate clones that were deficient in conferring pantocin A and B production, respectively. Mutated subclones were introduced into Eh318 to create three antibiotic-defective marker exchange mutants: strain Eh421 (pantocin A deficient); strain Eh439 (pantocin B deficient), and Eh440 (deficient in both pantocins). Cross-hybridization results, restriction maps, and spectrum-of-activity data using the subclones and marker exchange mutants, supported the presence of two distinct antibiotics, pantocin A and pantocin B, whose biosynthetic genes were present in pCPP702 and pCPP704, respectively. The structure of pantocin A is unknown, whereas that of pantocin B has been determined as (R)-N-[((S)-2-amino-propanoylamino)-methyl]-2-methanesulfonyl-s uccina mic acid. The two pantocins mainly affect other enteric bacteria, based on limited testing.

Regulation of hrp genes and type III protein secretion in Erwinia amylovora by HrpX/HrpY, a novel two-component system, and HrpS

Two novel regulatory components, hrpX and hrpY, of the hrp system of Erwinia amylovora were identified. The hrpXY operon is expressed in rich media, but its transcription is increased threefold by low pH, nutrient, and temperature levels--conditions that mimic the plant apoplast. hrpXY is autoregulated and directs the expression of hrpL; hrpL, in turn, activates transcription of other loci in the hrp gene cluster (Z.-M. Wei and S. V. Beer, J. Bacteriol. 177:6201-6210, 1995). The deduced amino -acid sequences of hrpX and hrpY are similar to bacterial two-component regulators including VsrA/VsrD of Pseudomonas (Ralstonia) solanacearum, DegS/DegU of Bacillus subtilis, and UhpB/UhpA and NarX/NarP, NarL of Escherichia coli. The N-terminal signal-input domain of HrpX contains PAS domain repeats. hrpS, located downstream of hrpXY, encodes a protein with homology to WtsA (HrpS) of Erwinia (Pantoea) stewartii, HrpR and HrpS of Pseudomonas syringae, and other delta54-dependent, enhancer-binding proteins. Transcription of hrpS also is induced under conditions that mimic the plant apoplast. However, hrpS is not autoregulated, and its expression is not affected by hrpXY. When hrpS or hrpL were provided on multicopy plasmids, both hrpX and hrpY mutants recovered the ability to elicit the hypersensitive reaction in tobacco. This confirms that hrpS and hrpL are not epistatic to hrpXY. A model of the regulatory cascades leading to the induction of the E. amylovora type III system is proposed.

Riboflavin induces disease resistance in plants by activating a novel signal transduction pathway

ABSTRACT The role of riboflavin as an elicitor of systemic resistance and an activator of a novel signaling process in plants was demonstrated. Following treatment with riboflavin, Arabidopsis thaliana developed systemic resistance to Peronospora parasitica and Pseudomonas syringae pv. Tomato, and tobacco developed systemic resistance to Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) and Alternaria alternata. Riboflavin, at concentrations necessary for resistance induction, did not cause cell death in plants or directly affect growth of the culturable pathogens. Riboflavin induced expression of pathogenesis-related (PR) genes in the plants, suggesting its ability to trigger a signal transduction pathway that leads to systemic resistance. Both the protein kinase inhibitor K252a and mutation in the NIM1/NPR1 gene which controls transcription of defense genes, impaired responsiveness to riboflavin. In contrast, riboflavin induced resistance and PR gene expression in NahG plants, which fail to accumulate salicylic acid (SA). Thus, riboflavin-induced resistance requires protein kinase signaling mechanisms and a functional NIM1/NPR1 gene, but not accumulation of SA. Riboflavin is an elicitor of systemic resistance, and it triggers resistance signal transduction in a distinct manner.

Harpin induces disease resistance in Arabidopsis through the systemic acquired resistance pathway mediated by salicylic acid and the NIM1 gene

Harpin, the product of the hrpN gene of Erwinia amylovora, elicits the hypersensitive response and disease resistance in many plants. Harpin and known inducers of systemic acquired resistance (SAR) were tested on five genotypes of Arabidopsis thaliana to assess the role of SAR in harpin-induced resistance. In wild-type plants, harpin elicited systemic resistance to Peronospora parasitica and Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato, accompanied by induction of the SAR genes PR-1 and PR-2. However, in experiments with transgenic Arabidopsis plants containing the nahG gene which prevents accumulation of salicylic acid (SA), harpin neither elicited resistance nor activated SAR gene expression. Harpin also failed to activate SAR when applied to nim1 (non-inducible immunity) mutants, which are defective in responding to SA and regulation of SAR. In contrast, mutants compromised in responsiveness to methyl jasmonate and ethylene developed the same resistance as did wild-type plants. Thus, harpin elicits disease resistance through the NIM1-mediated SAR signal transduction pathway in an SA-dependent fashion. The site of action of harpin in the SAR regulatory pathway is upstream of SA.

Assessment of Phenotypic Variability in Erwinia stewartii Based on Metabolic Profiles

One hundred twenty-four bacterial isolates originating from sweet corn or corn flea beetles in the northeastern, midwestern, and mid-Atlantic United States were verified as Erwinia stewartii (Pantoea stewartii subsp. stewartii) and characterized phenotypically by their respiratory response to 91 carbon sources. The unweighted pair group method of averages (UPGMA) was used to construct a dendrogram that revealed homogeneous metabolic profiles at 93% similarity. Two-thirds of the isolates formed 18 separate groups, each sharing the same metabolic profile. One-third of the isolates had distinct metabolic profiles. Most groups shared either isolation source, geographical location, and/or year of isolation. Members of some groups persisted through time and had been isolated from diverse geographical locations. Four representative strains of the proposed Pantoea stewartii subsp. indologenes were also characterized; their metabolic profiles were most similar to those of Erwinia herbicola (Pantoea agglomerans).

HrpW of Erwinia amylovora, a new harpin that contains a domain homologous to pectate lyases of a distinct class

Harpins, such as HrpN of Erwinia amylovora, are extracellular glycine-rich proteins that elicit the hypersensitive reaction (HR). We identified hrpW of E. amylovora, which encodes a protein similar to known harpins in that it is acidic, rich in glycine and serine, and lacks cysteine. A putative HrpL-dependent promoter was identified upstream of hrpW, and Western blot analysis of hrpL mutants indicated that the production of HrpW is regulated by hrpL. HrpW is secreted via the Hrp (type III) pathway based on analysis of wild-type strains and hrp secretion mutants. When infiltrated into plants, HrpW induced rapid tissue collapse, which required active plant metabolism. The HR-eliciting activity was heat stable and protease sensitive. Thus, we concluded that HrpW is a new harpin. HrpW of E. amylovora consists of two domains connected by a Pro and Ser-rich sequence. A fragment containing the N-terminal domain was sufficient to elicit the HR. Although no pectate lyase activity was detected, the C-terminal region of HrpW is homologous to pectate lyases of a unique class, suggesting that HrpW may be targeted to the plant cell wall. Southern analysis indicated that hrpW is conserved among several Erwinia species, and hrpW, provided in trans, enhanced the HR-inducing ability of a hrpN mutant. However, HrpW did not increase the virulence of a hrpN mutant in host tissue, and hrpW mutants retained the wild-type ability to elicit the HR in nonhosts and to cause disease in hosts.

The hrpC and hrpN operons of Erwinia chrysanthemi EC16 are flanked by plcA and homologs of hemolysin/adhesin genes and accompanying activator/transporter genes

The hrpC operon of Erwinia chrysanthemi EC16 encodes five genes conserved in Erwinia amylovora and Pseudomonas syringae. Mutagenesis indicated that hrcC is required for elicitation of the hypersensitive reaction in tobacco leaves. The unexpected presence of plcA and homologs of hemolysin/activator genes in the regions flanking the hrcC and hrpN operons is reported.

Erwinia amylovora secretes DspE, a pathogenicity factor and functional AvrE homolog, through the Hrp (type III secretion) pathway

Erwinia amylovora was shown to secrete DspE, a pathogenicity factor of 198 kDa and a functional homolog of AvrE of Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato. DspE was identified among the supernatant proteins isolated from cultures grown in an hrp gene-inducing minimal medium by immunodetection with a DspE-specific antiserum. Secretion required an intact Hrp pathway.

Homology and functional similarity of an hrp-linked pathogenicity locus, dspEF, of Erwinia amylovora and the avirulence locus avrE of Pseudomonas syringae pathovar tomato

The "disease-specific" (dsp) region next to the hrp gene cluster of Erwinia amylovora is required for pathogenicity but not for elicitation of the hypersensitive reaction. A 6.6-kb apparent operon, dspEF, was found responsible for this phenotype. The operon contains genes dspE and dspF and is positively regulated by hrpL. A BLAST search revealed similarity in the dspE gene to a partial sequence of the avrE locus of Pseudomonas syringae pathovar tomato. The entire avrE locus was sequenced. Homologs of dspE and dspF were found in juxtaposed operons and were designated avrE and avrF. Introduced on a plasmid, the dspEF locus rendered P. syringae pv. glycinea race 4 avirulent on soybean. An E. amylovora dspE mutant, however, elicited a hypersensitive reaction in soybean. The avrE locus in trans restored pathogenicity to dspE strains of E. amylovora, although restored strains were low in virulence. DspE and AvrE are large (198 kDa and 195 kDa) and hydrophilic. DspF and AvrF are small (16 kDa and 14 kDa) and acidic with predicted amphipathic alpha helices in their C termini; they resemble chaperones for virulence factors secreted by type III secretion systems of animal pathogens.

Characterization of Erwinia amylovora strains using random amplified polymorphic DNA fragments (RAPDs)

The genetic diversity among 16 strains of Erwinia amylovora, chosen to represent different host plant origins and geographical regions, was investigated by RAPD analysis. One strain of Erwinia herbicola and one of Agrobacterium vitis were used as outgroups. Ninety-eight different RAPD fragments were produced by polymerase chain reaction amplification with six different 10-mer primers. RAPD banding profiles were found that enabled the Erw. amylovora strains to be distinguished from one another. Cluster analysis based on the number of RAPD fragments shared between strains showed that strains of Erw. amylovora isolated from subfamily Pomoideae formed a single group, whereas two strains from Rubus (subfamily Rosoideae) formed a second group. Two strains isolated from Asian pear on Hokkaido, Japan, formed a third group. Sets of RAPD fragments were identified that enabled each of the two host-range groups and one geographical region (Hokkaido) of Erw. amylovora strains to be unambiguously distinguished from one another and from the outgroups. This study shows that strains of Erw. amylovora exhibit genetic diversity detectable by RAPD analysis, and that molecular and statistical analysis of RAPD fragments can be used both to distinguish between strains and to determine relatedness between them.

The hrpA and hrpC operons of Erwinia amylovora encode components of a type III pathway that secretes harpin

A 6.2-kb region of DNA corresponding to complementation groups II and III of the Erwinia amylovora hrp gene cluster was analyzed. Transposon mutagenesis indicated that the two complementation groups are required for secretion of harpin, an elicitor of the hypersensitive reaction. The sequence of the region revealed 10 open reading frames in two putative transcription units: hrpA, hrpB, hrcJ, hrpD, and hrpE in the hrpA operon (group III) and hrpF, hrpG, hrcC, hrpT, and hrpV in the hrpC operon (group II). From promoter regions of the hrpA, hrpC, and hrpN operons, sequences similar to those of the HrpL-dependent promoters of Pseudomonas syringae pathovars were identified with a consensus sequence of 5'-GGAAC-N17-18-CACTNAA-3'. The protein products of seven genes, hrpA, hrcJ, hrpE, hrpF, hrpG, hrcC, and hrpV, were visualized with a T7 polymerase/promoter expression system. HrcC, HrcJ, and HrpT sequences contained potential signal peptides, and HrcC appeared to be envelope associated based on a TnphoA translational fusion. Comparison of deduced amino acid sequences indicated that many of the proteins are homologous to proteins that function in the type III protein secretion pathway. HrcC is a member of the YscC-containing subgroup in the PulD/pIV superfamily of outer membrane proteins. HrcJ is a member of a lipoprotein family that includes YscJ of Yersinia spp., MxiJ of Shigella flexneri, and NolT of Rhizobim fredii. Additional similarities were detected between HrpB and YscI and between HrpE and YscL. HrcJ and HrpE were similar to flagellar biogenesis proteins FliF and FliH, respectively. In addition, HrpA, HrpB, HrcJ, HrpD, HrpE, HrpF, and HrcC showed various degrees of similarity to corresponding proteins of P. syringae. Comparison of hrp clusters with respect to gene organization and similarity of individual proteins confirms that the hrp systems of E. amylovora and P. syringae are closely related to each other and distinct from those of Ralstonia (Pseudomonas) solanacearum and Xanthomonas campestris. Possible implications of extensive similarities between the E. amylovora and P. syringae hrp systems in pathogenesis mechanisms are discussed.

Erwinia amylovora secretes harpin via a type III pathway and contains a homolog of yopN of Yersinia spp

Type III secretion functions in flagellar biosynthesis and in export of virulence factors from several animal pathogens, and for plant pathogens, it has been shown to be involved in the export of elicitors of the hypersensitive reaction. Typified by the Yop delivery system of Yersinia spp., type III secretion is sec independent and requires multiple components. Sequence analysis of an 11.5-kb region of the hrp gene cluster of Erwinia amylovora containing hrpI, a previously characterized type III gene, revealed a group of eight or more type III genes corresponding to the virB or lcrB (yscN-to-yscU) locus of Yersinia spp. A homolog of another Yop secretion gene, yscD, was found between hrpI and this group downstream. Immediately upstream of hrpI, a homolog of yopN was discovered. yopN is a putative sensor involved in host-cell-contact-triggered expression and transfer of protein, e.g., YopE, to the host cytoplasm. In-frame deletion mutagenesis of one of the type III genes, designated hrcT, was nonpolar and resulted in a Hrp- strain that produced but did not secrete harpin, an elicitor of the hypersensitive reaction that is also required for pathogenesis. Cladistic analysis of the HrpI (herein renamed HrcV) or LcrD protein family revealed two distinct groups for plant pathogens. The Yersinia protein grouped more closely with the plant pathogen homologs than with homologs from other animal pathogens; flagellar biosynthesis proteins grouped distinctly. A possible evolutionary history of type III secretion is presented, and the potential significance of the similarity between the harpin and Yop export systems is discussed, particularly with respect to a potential role for the YopN homolog in pathogenesis of plants.

hrpL activates Erwinia amylovora hrp gene transcription and is a member of the ECF subfamily of sigma factors

hrpL of Erwinia amylovora Ea321 encodes a 21.7-kDa regulatory protein, similar to members of the ECF (extra cytoplasmic functions) subfamily of eubacterial RNA polymerase sigma factors. hrpL is a single-gene operon in complementation group VI of the E. amylovora hrp gene cluster. Its product is required by Ea321 to elicit the hypersensitive response (HR) and to cause disease. HrpL controls the expression of five independent hrp loci, including hrpN, which encodes harpin, a proteinaceous elicitor of the HR. hrpL is environmentally regulated, and its expression is affected by hrpS, another regulatory gene of the hrp gene cluster of E. amylovora. pCPP1078, a multicopy plasmid carrying hrpL, is able to restore HR-eliciting ability to hrpS mutants. A conserved motif was identified upstream of the hrpI and hrpN operons, which are transcriptionally regulated by hrpL. This conserved motif shares a high degree of similarity with other biochemically defined or putative ECF-dependent promoter sequences, including sequences upstream of Streptomyces coelicolor dagA P2, Pseudomonas aeruginosa algD, Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae 61 hrpZ, and P. syringae pv. tomato avrD. In spite of the similarity between the hrpL genes of E. amylovora and P. syringae 61, no functional cross-complementation was observed.

Erwinia chrysanthemi harpinEch: an elicitor of the hypersensitive response that contributes to soft-rot pathogenesis

Mutants of the soft-rot pathogen Erwinia chrysanthemi EC16 that are deficient in the production of the pectate lyase isozymes PelABCE can elicit the hypersensitive response (HR) in tobacco leaves. The hrpNEch gene was identified in a collection of cosmids carrying E. chrysanthemi hrp genes by its hybridization with the Erwinia amylovora hrpNEa gene. hrpNEch appears to be in a monocistronic operon, and it encodes a predicted protein of 340 amino acids that is glycine-rich, lacking in cysteine, and highly similar to HrpNEa in its C-terminal half. Escherichia coli DH5 alpha cells expressing hrpNEch from the lac promoter of pBluescript II accumulated HrpNEch in inclusion bodies. The protein was readily purified from cell lysates carrying these inclusion bodies by solubilization in 4.5 M guanidine-HCl and reprecipitation upon dialysis against dilute buffer. HrpNEch suspensions elicited a typical HR in tobacco leaves, and elicitor activity was heat-stable. Tn5-gusA1 mutations were introduced into the cloned hrpNEch and then marker-exchanged into the genomes of E. chrysanthemi strains AC4150 (wild type), CUCPB5006 (delta pelABCE), and CUCPB5030 (delta pelABCE outD::TnphoA). hrpNEch::Tn5-gusA1 mutations in CUCPB5006 abolished the ability of the bacterium to elicit the HR in tobacco leaves unless complemented with an hrpNEch subclone. An hrpNEch::Tn5-gusA1 mutation also reduced the ability of AC4150 to incite infections in witloof chicory leaves, but it did not reduce the size of lesions that did develop. Purified HrpNEch and E. chrysanthemi strains CUCPB5006 and CUCPB5030 elicited HR-like necrosis in leaves of tomato, pepper, African violet, petunia, and pelargonium, whereas hrpNEch mutants did not.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Erwinia chrysanthemi hrp genes and their involvement in soft rot pathogenesis and elicitation of the hypersensitive response

Unlike the bacterial pathogens that typically cause the hypersensitive response (HR) in plants, Erwinia chrysanthemi has a wide host range, rapidly kills and macerates host tissues, and secretes several isozymes of the macerating enzyme pectate lyase (Pel). PelABCE- and Out- (secretion-deficient) mutants were observed to produce a rapid necrosis in tobacco leaves that was indistinguishable from the HR elicited by the narrow-host-range pathogens E. amylovora Ea321 and Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae 61. E. amylovora Ea321 hrp genes were used to identify hybridizing cosmids in a cosmid library of E. chrysanthemi EC16 DNA in Escherichia coli. A 16-kb BamHI fragment in one of these cosmids, pCPP2030, hybridized with E. amylovora hrp genes and was mutagenized with Tn10mini-kan. The mutations were introduced into the PelABCE- mutant CUCPB5006 by marker exchange. Two of the resultant hrp::Tn10mini-kan mutations were found to abolish the ability of CUCPB5006 to cause any necrosis in tobacco leaves unless complemented with pCPP2030. These two mutations were also marker-exchanged into the genome of wild-type strain AC4150. Analysis of DNA sequences flanking the hrp-2::Tn10mini-kan insertion revealed the mutated gene to be similar to a gene in E. amylovora Ea321 hrp complementation group VIII and to P. s. pv. syringae 61 hrpX. Neither of the hrp::Tn10mini-kan mutations affected the production or secretion of pectic enzymes by AC4150 or CUCPB5006. However, the hrp mutations reduced the ability of both AC4150 and CUCPB5006 to incite successful infections in witloof chicory leaves.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)