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Xanthomonas
Infection Transforms the Apoplast into an Accessible and Habitable Niche for Salmonella enterica. Appl Environ Microbiol 2022; 88:e0133022. [PMID: 36314834 PMCID: PMC9680631 DOI: 10.1128/aem.01330-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Bacterial spot disease caused by
Xanthomonas
species devastates tomato production worldwide. Salmonellosis outbreaks from consumption of raw produce have been linked to the arrival of
Salmonella enterica
on crop plants in the field via contaminated irrigation water.
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2
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Dynamic nutrient acquisition from a hydrated apoplast supports biotrophic proliferation of a bacterial pathogen of maize. Cell Host Microbe 2022; 30:502-517.e4. [PMID: 35421350 DOI: 10.1016/j.chom.2022.03.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2021] [Revised: 02/09/2022] [Accepted: 03/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Plant pathogens perturb their hosts to create environments suitable for their proliferation, including the suppression of immunity and promotion of water and nutrient availability. Although necrotrophs obtain water and nutrients by disrupting host-cell integrity, it is unknown whether hemibiotrophs, such as the bacterial pathogen Pantoea stewartii subsp. stewartii (Pnss), actively liberate water and nutrients during the early, biotrophic phase of infection. Here, we show that water and metabolite accumulation in the apoplast of Pnss-infected maize leaves precedes the disruption of host-cell integrity. Nutrient acquisition during this biotrophic phase is a dynamic process; the partitioning of metabolites into the apoplast rate limiting for their assimilation by proliferating Pnss cells. The formation of a hydrated and nutritive apoplast is driven by an AvrE-family type III effector, WtsE. Given the broad distribution of AvrE-family effectors, this work highlights the importance of actively acquiring water and nutrients for the proliferation of phytopathogenic bacteria during biotrophy.
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3
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Bartholomew HP, Reynoso G, Thomas BJ, Mullins CM, Smith C, Gentzel IN, Giese LA, Mackey D, Stevens AM. The Transcription Factor Lrp of Pantoea stewartii subsp. stewartii Controls Capsule Production, Motility, and Virulence Important for in planta Growth. Front Microbiol 2022; 12:806504. [PMID: 35237242 PMCID: PMC8882988 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.806504] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2021] [Accepted: 12/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The bacterial phytopathogen Pantoea stewartii subsp. stewartii causes leaf blight and Stewart's wilt disease in susceptible corn varieties. A previous RNA-Seq study examined P. stewartii gene expression patterns during late-stage infection in the xylem, and a Tn-Seq study using a P. stewartii mutant library revealed genes essential for colonization of the xylem. Based on these findings, strains with in-frame chromosomal deletions in the genes encoding seven transcription factors (NsrR, IscR, Nac, Lrp, DSJ_00125, DSJ_03645, and DSJ_18135) and one hypothetical protein (DSJ_21690) were constructed to further evaluate the role of the encoded gene products during in vitro and in planta growth. Assays for capsule production and motility indicate that Lrp plays a role in regulating these two key physiological outputs in vitro. Single infections of each deletion strain into the xylem of corn seedlings determined that Lrp plays a significant role in P. stewartii virulence. In planta xylem competition assays between co-inoculated deletion and the corresponding complementation or wild-type strains as well as in vitro growth curves determined that Lrp controls functions important for P. stewartii colonization and growth in corn plants, whereas IscR may have a more generalized impact on growth. Defining the role of essential transcription factors, such as Lrp, during in planta growth will enable modeling of key components of the P. stewartii regulatory network utilized during growth in corn plants.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Guadalupe Reynoso
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, United States
| | - Brandi J. Thomas
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, United States
| | - Chase M. Mullins
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, United States
| | - Chastyn Smith
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, United States
| | - Irene N. Gentzel
- Department of Horticulture & Crop Science, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, United States
| | - Laura A. Giese
- Department of Horticulture & Crop Science, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, United States
| | - David Mackey
- Department of Horticulture & Crop Science, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, United States
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Center for Applied Plant Sciences, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, United States
| | - Ann M. Stevens
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, United States
- Center for Emerging, Zoonotic and Arthropod-Borne Pathogens, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, United States
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Doblas-Ibáñez P, Deng K, Vasquez MF, Giese L, Cobine PA, Kolkman JM, King H, Jamann TM, Balint-Kurti P, De La Fuente L, Nelson RJ, Mackey D, Smith LG. Dominant, Heritable Resistance to Stewart's Wilt in Maize Is Associated with an Enhanced Vascular Defense Response to Infection with Pantoea stewartii. MOLECULAR PLANT-MICROBE INTERACTIONS : MPMI 2019; 32:1581-1597. [PMID: 31657672 DOI: 10.1094/mpmi-05-19-0129-r] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Vascular wilt bacteria such as Pantoea stewartii, the causal agent of Stewart's bacterial wilt of maize (SW), are destructive pathogens that are difficult to control. These bacteria colonize the xylem, where they form biofilms that block sap flow leading to characteristic wilting symptoms. Heritable forms of SW resistance exist and are used in maize breeding programs but the underlying genes and mechanisms are mostly unknown. Here, we show that seedlings of maize inbred lines with pan1 mutations are highly resistant to SW. However, current evidence suggests that other genes introgressed along with pan1 are responsible for resistance. Genomic analyses of pan1 lines were used to identify candidate resistance genes. In-depth comparison of P. stewartii interaction with susceptible and resistant maize lines revealed an enhanced vascular defense response in pan1 lines characterized by accumulation of electron-dense materials in xylem conduits visible by electron microscopy. We propose that this vascular defense response restricts P. stewartii spread through the vasculature, reducing both systemic bacterial colonization of the xylem network and consequent wilting. Though apparently unrelated to the resistance phenotype of pan1 lines, we also demonstrate that the effector WtsE is essential for P. stewartii xylem dissemination, show evidence for a nutritional immunity response to P. stewartii that alters xylem sap composition, and present the first analysis of maize transcriptional responses to P. stewartii infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paula Doblas-Ibáñez
- Section of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, U.S.A
| | - Kaiyue Deng
- Section of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, U.S.A
| | - Miguel F Vasquez
- Section of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, U.S.A
| | - Laura Giese
- Department of Horticulture and Crop Sciences, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, U.S.A
| | - Paul A Cobine
- Department of Biological Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849, U.S.A
| | - Judith M Kolkman
- School of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, U.S.A
| | - Helen King
- Section of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, U.S.A
| | - Tiffany M Jamann
- Department of Crop Sciences, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, U.S.A
| | - Peter Balint-Kurti
- United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service, Plant Science Research Unit, Raleigh, NC 27695, U.S.A. and Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, U.S.A
| | | | - Rebecca J Nelson
- School of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, U.S.A
| | - David Mackey
- Department of Horticulture and Crop Sciences, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, U.S.A
| | - Laurie G Smith
- Section of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, U.S.A
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Gambetta GA, Matthews MA, Syvanen M. The Xylella fastidosa RTX operons: evidence for the evolution of protein mosaics through novel genetic exchanges. BMC Genomics 2018; 19:329. [PMID: 29728072 PMCID: PMC5935956 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-018-4731-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2017] [Accepted: 04/26/2018] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Xylella fastidiosa (Xf) is a gram negative bacterium inhabiting the plant vascular system. In most species this bacterium lives as a benign symbiote, but in several agriculturally important plants (e.g. coffee, citrus, grapevine) Xf is pathogenic. Xf has four loci encoding homologues to hemolysin RTX proteins, virulence factors involved in a wide range of plant pathogen interactions. RESULTS We show that all four genes are expressed during pathogenesis in grapevine. The sequences from these four genes have a complex repetitive structure. At the C-termini, sequence diversity between strains is what would be expected from orthologous genes. However, within strains there is no N-terminal homology, indicating these loci encode RTXs of different functions and/or specificities. More striking is that many of the orthologous loci between strains share this extreme variation at the N-termini. Thus these RTX orthologues are most easily visualized as fusions between the orthologous C-termini and different N-termini. Further, the four genes are found in operons having a peculiar structure with an extensively duplicated module encoding a small protein with homology to the N-terminal region of the full length RTX. Surprisingly, some of these small peptides are most similar not to their corresponding full length RTX, but to the N-termini of RTXs from other Xf strains, and even other remotely related species. CONCLUSIONS These results demonstrate that these genes are expressed in planta during pathogenesis. Their structure suggests extensive evolutionary restructuring through horizontal gene transfers and heterologous recombination mechanisms. The sum of the evidence suggests these repetitive modules are a novel kind of mobile genetic element.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gregory A Gambetta
- Bordeaux Science Agro, Institut des Sciences de la Vigne et du Vin, Ecophysiologie et Génomique Fonctionnelle de la Vigne, UMR 1287, F- 33140, Villenave d'Ornon, France.
| | - Mark A Matthews
- Department of Viticulture and Enology, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616-8645, USA
| | - Michael Syvanen
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616-8645, USA
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Tchagang CF, Xu R, Doumbou CL, Tambong JT. Genome analysis of two novel Pseudomonas strains exhibiting differential hypersensitivity reactions on tobacco seedlings reveals differences in nonflagellar T3SS organization and predicted effector proteins. Microbiologyopen 2018; 7:e00553. [PMID: 29464939 PMCID: PMC5911992 DOI: 10.1002/mbo3.553] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2017] [Revised: 07/17/2017] [Accepted: 07/18/2017] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Multilocus sequence analysis (MLSA) of two new biological control strains (S1E40 and S3E12) of Pseudomonas was performed to assess their taxonomic position relative to close lineages, and comparative genomics employed to investigate whether these strains differ in key genetic features involved in hypersensitivity responses (HRs). Strain S3E12, at high concentration, incites HRs on tobacco and corn plantlets while S1E40 does not. Phylogenies based on individual genes and 16S rRNA-gyrB-rpoB-rpoD concatenated sequence data show strains S1E40 and S3E12 clustering in distinct groups. Strain S3E12 consistently clustered with Pseudomonas marginalis, a bacterium causing soft rots on plant tissues. MLSA data suggest that strains S1E40 and S3E12 are novel genotypes. This is consistent with the data of genome-based DNA-DNA homology values that are below the proposed cutoff species boundary. Comparative genomics analysis of the two strains revealed major differences in the type III secretion systems (T3SS) as well as the predicted T3SS secreted effector proteins (T3Es). One nonflagellar (NF-T3SS) and two flagellar T3SSs (F-T3SS) clusters were identified in both strains. While F-T3SS clusters in both strains were relatively conserved, the NF-T3SS clusters differed in the number of core components present. The predicted T3Es also differed in the type and number of CDSs with both strains having unique predicted protease-related effectors. In addition, the T1SS organization of the S3E12 genome has protein-coding sequences (CDSs) encoding for key factors such as T1SS secreted agglutinin repeats-toxins (a group of cytolysins and cytotoxins), a membrane fusion protein (LapC), a T1SS ATPase of LssB family (LapB), and T1SS-associated transglutaminase-like cysteine proteinase (LapP). In contrast, strain S1E40 has all CDSs for the seven-gene operon (pelA-pelG) required for Pel biosynthesis but not S3E12, suggesting that biofilm formation in these strains is modulated differently. The data presented here provide an insight of the genome organization of these two phytobacterial strains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caetanie F. Tchagang
- Ottawa Research and Development CentreOttawaONCanada
- Institut des sciences de santé et de la vie Collège La CitéOttawaONCanada
| | - Renlin Xu
- Ottawa Research and Development CentreOttawaONCanada
| | - Cyr Lézin Doumbou
- Institut des sciences de santé et de la vie Collège La CitéOttawaONCanada
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Duong DA, Jensen RV, Stevens AM. Discovery of Pantoea stewartii ssp. stewartii genes important for survival in corn xylem through a Tn-Seq analysis. MOLECULAR PLANT PATHOLOGY 2018; 19:1929-1941. [PMID: 29480976 PMCID: PMC6638119 DOI: 10.1111/mpp.12669] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2017] [Revised: 02/21/2018] [Accepted: 02/22/2018] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
The bacterium Pantoea stewartii ssp. stewartii causes Stewart's wilt disease in corn. Pantoea stewartii is transmitted to plants via corn flea beetles, where it first colonizes the apoplast causing water-soaked lesions, and then migrates to the xylem and forms a biofilm that blocks water transport. Bacterial quorum sensing ensures that the exopolysaccharide production necessary for biofilm formation occurs only at high cell density. A genomic-level transposon sequencing (Tn-Seq) analysis was performed to identify additional bacterial genes essential for survival in planta and to provide insights into the plant-microbe interactions occurring during wilt disease. A mariner transposon library of approximately 40 000 mutants was constructed and used to inoculate corn seedlings through a xylem infection model. Cultures of the library grown in Luria-Bertani (LB) broth served as the in vitro pre-inoculation control. Tn-Seq analysis showed that the number of transposon mutations was reduced by more than 10-fold for 486 genes in planta compared with the library that grew in LB, suggesting that they are important for xylem survival. Interestingly, a small set of genes had a higher abundance of mutants in planta versus in vitro conditions, indicating enhanced strain fitness with loss of these genes inside the host. In planta competition assays retested the trends of the Tn-Seq data for several genes, including two outer membrane proteins, Lon protease and two quorum sensing-associated transcription factors, RcsA and LrhA. Virulence assays were performed to check for correlation between growth/colonization and pathogenicity. This study demonstrates the capacity of a Tn-Seq approach to advance our understanding of P. stewartii-corn interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Duy An Duong
- Department of Biological SciencesVirginia TechBlacksburgVA 24061USA
| | | | - Ann M. Stevens
- Department of Biological SciencesVirginia TechBlacksburgVA 24061USA
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De Maayer P, Aliyu H, Vikram S, Blom J, Duffy B, Cowan DA, Smits THM, Venter SN, Coutinho TA. Phylogenomic, Pan-genomic, Pathogenomic and Evolutionary Genomic Insights into the Agronomically Relevant Enterobacteria Pantoea ananatis and Pantoea stewartii. Front Microbiol 2017; 8:1755. [PMID: 28959245 PMCID: PMC5603701 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2017.01755] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2017] [Accepted: 08/29/2017] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Pantoea ananatis is ubiquitously found in the environment and causes disease on a wide range of plant hosts. By contrast, its sister species, Pantoea stewartii subsp. stewartii is the host-specific causative agent of the devastating maize disease Stewart's wilt. This pathogen has a restricted lifecycle, overwintering in an insect vector before being introduced into susceptible maize cultivars, causing disease and returning to overwinter in its vector. The other subspecies of P. stewartii subsp. indologenes, has been isolated from different plant hosts and is predicted to proliferate in different environmental niches. Here we have, by the use of comparative genomics and a comprehensive suite of bioinformatic tools, analyzed the genomes of ten P. stewartii and nineteen P. ananatis strains. Our phylogenomic analyses have revealed that there are two distinct clades within P. ananatis while far less phylogenetic diversity was observed among the P. stewartii subspecies. Pan-genome analyses revealed a large core genome comprising of 3,571 protein coding sequences is shared among the twenty-nine compared strains. Furthermore, we showed that an extensive accessory genome made up largely by a mobilome of plasmids, integrated prophages, integrative and conjugative elements and insertion elements has resulted in extensive diversification of P. stewartii and P. ananatis. While these organisms share many pathogenicity determinants, our comparative genomic analyses show that they differ in terms of the secretion systems they encode. The genomic differences identified in this study have allowed us to postulate on the divergent evolutionary histories of the analyzed P. ananatis and P. stewartii strains and on the molecular basis underlying their ecological success and host range.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pieter De Maayer
- School of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of the WitwatersrandJohannesburg, South Africa
| | - Habibu Aliyu
- Centre for Microbial Ecology and Genomics, Genomics Research Institute, University of PretoriaPretoria, South Africa
| | - Surendra Vikram
- Centre for Microbial Ecology and Genomics, Genomics Research Institute, University of PretoriaPretoria, South Africa
| | - Jochen Blom
- Department of Bioinformatics and Systems Biology, Justus-Liebig-University GiessenGiessen, Germany
| | - Brion Duffy
- Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology Research Group, Institute for Natural Resource Sciences, Zurich University of Applied SciencesWinterthur, Switzerland
| | - Don A. Cowan
- Centre for Microbial Ecology and Genomics, Genomics Research Institute, University of PretoriaPretoria, South Africa
| | - Theo H. M. Smits
- Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology Research Group, Institute for Natural Resource Sciences, Zurich University of Applied SciencesWinterthur, Switzerland
| | - Stephanus N. Venter
- Department of Microbiology, Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute, University of PretoriaPretoria, South Africa
| | - Teresa A. Coutinho
- Department of Microbiology, Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute, University of PretoriaPretoria, South Africa
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