Salmonella enterica Elicits and Is Restricted by Nitric Oxide and Reactive Oxygen Species on Tomato

Whole-genome sequencing of Pseudoalteromonas piscicida 2515 revealed its antibacterial potency against Vibrio anguillarum: a preliminary invitro study

Pseudoalteromonas piscicida 2515, isolated from Litopenaeus vannamei culture water, is a potential marine probiotic with broad anti-Vibrio properties. However, genomic information on P. piscicida 2515 is scarce. In this study, the general genomic characteristics and probiotic properties of the P. piscicida 2515 strain were analysed. In addition, we determined the antibacterial mechanism of this bacterial strain by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results indicated that the whole-genome sequence of P. piscicida 2515 contained one chromosome and one plasmid, including a total length of 5,541,406 bp with a G + C content of 43.24%, and 4679 protein-coding genes were predicted. Various adhesion-related genes, amino acid and vitamin metabolism and biosynthesis genes, and stress-responsive genes were found with genome mining tools. The presence of genes encoding chitin, bromocyclic peptides, lantibiotics, and sactipeptides showed the strong antibacterial activity of the P. piscicida 2515 strain. Moreover, in coculture with Vibrio anguillarum, P. piscicida 2515 displayed vesicle/pilus-like structures located on its surface that possibly participated in its bactericidal activity, representing an antibacterial mechanism. Additionally, 16 haemolytic genes and 3 antibiotic resistance genes, including tetracycline, fluoroquinolone, and carbapenem were annotated, but virulence genes encoding enterotoxin FM (entFM), cereulide (ces), and cytotoxin K were not detected. Further tests should be conducted to confirm the safety characteristics of P. piscicida 2515, including long-term toxicology tests, ecotoxicological assessment, and antibiotic resistance transfer risk assessment. Our results here revealed a new understanding of the probiotic properties and antibacterial mechanism of P. piscicida 2515, in addition to theoretical information for its application in aquaculture.

Bidirectional Comparisons Revealed Functional Patterns in Interaction between Salmonella enterica and Plants

Plants may harbor the human pathogen Salmonella enterica. Interactions between S. enterica and different plant species have been studied in individual reports. However, disparities arising from the distinct experimental conditions may render a meaningful comparison very difficult. This study explored interaction patterns between different S. enterica strains including serovars Typhimurium 14028s and LT2 and serovar Senftenberg, and different plants (Arabidopsis, lettuce, and tomato) in one approach. Better persistence of S. enterica serovar Typhimurium strains was observed in all tested plants, whereas the resulting symptoms varied depending on plant species. Genes encoding pathogenesis-related proteins were upregulated in plants inoculated with Salmonella. Furthermore, transcriptome of tomato indicated dynamic responses to Salmonella, with strong and specific responses already 24 h after inoculation. By comparing with publicly accessible Arabidopsis and lettuce transcriptome results generated in a similar manner, constants and variables were displayed. Plants responded to Salmonella with metabolic and physiological adjustments, albeit with variability in reprogrammed orthologues. At the same time, Salmonella adapted to plant leaf-mimicking media with changes in biosynthesis of cellular components and adjusted metabolism. This study provides insights into the Salmonella-plant interaction, allowing for a direct comparison of responses and adaptations in both organisms.

Adaptation of Commensal Escherichia coli in Tomato Fruits: Motility, Stress, Virulence

Food contamination can be a serious concern for public health because it can be related to the severe spreading of pathogens. This is a main issue, especially in the case of fresh fruits and vegetables; indeed, they have often been associated with gastrointestinal outbreak events, due to contamination with pathogenic bacteria. However, little is known about the physiological adaptation and bacterial response to stresses encountered in the host plant. Thus, this work aimed to investigate the adaptation of a commensal E. coli strain while growing in tomato pericarp. Pre-adapted and non-adapted cells were compared and used to contaminate tomatoes, demonstrating that pre-adaptation boosted cell proliferation. DNA extracted from pre-adapted and non-adapted cells was sequenced, and their methylation profiles were compared. Hence, genes involved in cell adhesion and resistance against toxic compounds were identified as genes involved in adaptation, and their expression was compared in these two experimental conditions. Finally, pre-adapted and non-adapted E. coli were tested for their ability to resist the presence of toxic compounds, demonstrating that adaptation exerted a protective effect. In conclusion, this work provides new information about the physiological adaptation of bacteria colonizing the tomato fruit pericarp.

Tomato Cultivar Nyagous Fruit Surface Metabolite Changes during Ripening Affect Salmonella Newport

ABSTRACT

Tomatoes are a valuable crop consumed year-round. Ripe fruit is picked for local sale, whereas tomatoes intended for transit may be harvested at late mature green or breaker stages when fruit firmness preserves quality. In this study, we evaluated Solanum lycopersicum cv. BHN602 association with three Salmonella serotypes and S. lycopersicum cv. Nyagous with Salmonella Newport using fruit at two ripeness stages. Counts of Salmonella Javiana and Typhimurium were higher from red ripe fruit surfaces of BHN602, and counts of Salmonella Newport were higher from ripe Nyagous fruit than from mature green fruit (P < 0.05). Aqueous fruit washes containing fruit surface compounds collected from ripe Nyagous fruit supported more Salmonella Newport growth than green fruit washes (P < 0.05). Growth curve analysis showed that between 2 and 6 h, Salmonella Newport grew at a rate of 0.25 log CFU/h in red fruit wash compared with 0.17 log CFU/h in green fruit wash (P < 0.05). The parallel trend in Salmonella interaction between fruit and wash suggested that surface metabolite differences between unripe and ripe fruit affect Salmonella dynamics. Untargeted phytochemical profiling of tomato fruit surface washes with gas chromatography time-of-flight mass spectrometry showed that ripe fruit had threefold-lower amino acid and fourfold-higher sugar (fructose, glucose, and xylose) levels than green fruit. Green fruit had higher levels of lauric, palmitic, margaric, and arachidic acids, whereas red fruit had more capric acid. The phenolics ferulic, chlorogenic, and vanillic acid, as well as tyrosol, also decreased with ripening. Although limitations of this study preclude conclusions on how specific compounds affect Salmonella, our study highlights the complexity of the plant niche for foodborne pathogens and the importance of understanding the metabolite landscape Salmonella encounters on fresh produce. Fruit surface phytochemical profiling generated testable hypotheses for future studies exploring the differential Salmonella interactions with tomato varieties and fruit at various ripeness stages.

HIGHLIGHTS

Xanthomonas Infection Transforms the Apoplast into an Accessible and Habitable Niche for Salmonella enterica

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.

Dual transcriptomic analysis reveals metabolic changes associated with differential persistence of human pathogenic bacteria in leaves of Arabidopsis and lettuce

Understanding the molecular determinants underlying the interaction between the leaf and human pathogenic bacteria is key to provide the foundation to develop science-based strategies to prevent or decrease the pathogen contamination of leafy greens. In this study, we conducted a dual RNA-sequencing analysis to simultaneously define changes in the transcriptomic profiles of the plant and the bacterium when they come in contact. We used an economically relevant vegetable crop, lettuce (Lactuca sativa L. cultivar Salinas), and a model plant, Arabidopsis thaliana Col-0, as well as two pathogenic bacterial strains that cause disease outbreaks associated with fresh produce, Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium 14028s (STm 14028s). We observed commonalities and specificities in the modulation of biological processes between Arabidopsis and lettuce and between O157:H7 and STm 14028s during early stages of the interaction. We detected a larger alteration of gene expression at the whole transcriptome level in lettuce and Arabidopsis at 24 h post inoculation with STm 14028s compared to that with O157:H7. In addition, bacterial transcriptomic adjustments were substantially larger in Arabidopsis than in lettuce. Bacterial transcriptome was affected at a larger extent in the first 4 h compared to the subsequent 20 h after inoculation. Overall, we gained valuable knowledge about the responses and counter-responses of both bacterial pathogen and plant host when these bacteria are residing in the leaf intercellular space. These findings and the public genomic resources generated in this study are valuable for additional data mining.

Plant Bioactive Compounds as an Intrinsic and Sustainable Tool to Enhance the Microbial Safety of Crops

Outbreaks of produce-associated foodborne illness continue to pose a threat to human health worldwide. New approaches are necessary to improve produce safety. Plant innate immunity has potential as a host-based strategy for the deactivation of enteric pathogens. In response to various biotic and abiotic threats, plants mount defense responses that are governed by signaling pathways. Once activated, these result in the release of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species in addition to secondary metabolites that aim at tempering microbial infection and pest attack. These phytochemicals have been investigated as alternatives to chemical sanitization, as many are effective antimicrobial compounds in vitro. Their antagonistic activity toward enteric pathogens may also provide an intrinsic hurdle to their viability and multiplication in planta. Plants can detect and mount basal defenses against enteric pathogens. Evidence supports the role of plant bioactive compounds in the physiology of Salmonella enterica, Escherichia coli, and Listeria monocytogenes as well as their fitness on plants. Here, we review the current state of knowledge of the effect of phytochemicals on enteric pathogens and their colonization of plants. Further understanding of the interplay between foodborne pathogens and the chemical environment on/in host plants may have lasting impacts on crop management for enhanced microbial safety through translational applications in plant breeding, editing technologies, and defense priming.

Effect of Plant Systemic Resistance Elicited by Biological and Chemical Inducers on the Colonization of the Lettuce and Basil Leaf Apoplast by Salmonella enterica

Mitigation strategies to prevent microbial contamination of crops are lacking. We tested the hypothesis that induction of plant systemic resistance by biological (induced systemic resistance [ISR]) and chemical (systemic acquired resistance [SAR]) elicitors reduces endophytic colonization of leaves by Salmonella enterica serovars Senftenberg and Typhimurium. S. Senftenberg had greater endophytic fitness than S. Typhimurium in basil and lettuce. The apoplastic population sizes of serovars Senftenberg and Typhimurium in basil and lettuce, respectively, were significantly reduced approximately 10- to 100-fold by root treatment with microbial inducers of systemic resistance compared to H2O treatment. Rhodotorula glutinis effected the lowest population increases of S. Typhimurium in lettuce and S. Senftenberg in basil leaves, respectively 120- and 60-fold lower than those seen with the H2O treatment over 10 days postinoculation. Trichoderma harzianum and Pichia guilliermondii did not have any significant effect on S. Senftenberg in the basil apoplast. The chemical elicitors acidobenzolar-S-methyl and dl-β-amino-butyric acid inhibited S. Typhimurium multiplication in the lettuce apoplast 10- and 2-fold, respectively, compared to H2O-treated plants. All ISR and SAR inducers applied to lettuce roots in this study increased leaf expression of the defense gene PR1, as did Salmonella apoplastic colonization in H2O-treated lettuce plants. Remarkably, both acidobenzolar-S-methyl upregulation and R. glutinis upregulation of PR1 were repressed by the presence of Salmonella in the leaves. However, enhanced PR1 expression was sustained longer and at greater levels upon elicitor treatment than by Salmonella induction alone. These results serve as a proof of concept that priming of plant immunity may provide an intrinsic hurdle against the endophytic establishment of enteric pathogens in leafy vegetables. IMPORTANCE Fruit and vegetables consumed raw have become an important vehicle of foodborne illness despite a continuous effort to improve their microbial safety. Salmonella enterica has caused numerous recalls and outbreaks of infection associated with contaminated leafy vegetables. Evidence is increasing that enteric pathogens can reach the leaf apoplast, where they confront plant innate immunity. Plants may be triggered for induction of their defense signaling pathways by exposure to chemical or microbial elicitors. This priming for recognition of microbes by plant defense pathways has been used to inhibit plant pathogens and limit disease. Given that current mitigation strategies are insufficient in preventing microbial contamination of produce and associated outbreaks, we investigated the effect of plant-induced resistance on S. enterica colonization of the lettuce and basil leaf apoplast in order to gain a proof of concept for the use of such an intrinsic approach to inhibit human pathogens in leafy vegetables.

Stress response, amino acid biosynthesis and pathogenesis genes expressed in Salmonella enterica colonizing tomato shoot and root surfaces

Salmonella enterica can colonize all parts of the tomato plant. Tomatoes have been frequently implicated in salmonellosis outbreaks. In agricultural settings, Salmonella must overcome stress, nutritional and competition barriers to become established on plant surfaces. Knowledge of the genetic mechanisms underlying Salmonella-plant associations is limited, especially when growing epiphytically. A genome-wide transcriptomic analysis of Salmonella Typhimurium (SeT) was conducted with RNA-Seq to elucidate strategies for epiphytic growth on live, intact tomato shoot and root surfaces. Six plasmid-encoded and 123 chromosomal genes were significantly (using Benjamini-Hochberg adjusted p-values) up-regulated; 54 and 110 detected in SeT on shoots and roots, respectively, with 35 common to both. Key signals included NsrR regulon genes needed to mitigate nitrosative stress, oxidative stress genes and host adaptation genes, including environmental stress, heat shock and acid-inducible genes. Several amino acid biosynthesis genes and genes indicative of sulphur metabolism and anaerobic respiration were up-regulated. Some Type III secretion system (T3SS) effector protein genes and their chaperones from pathogenicity island-2 were expressed mostly in SeT on roots. Gene expression in SeT was validated against SeT and also the tomato outbreak strain Salmonella Newport with a high correlation (R ² = 0.813 and 0.874, respectively; both p < 0.001). Oxidative and nitrosative stress response genes, T3SS2 genes and amino acid biosynthesis may be needed for Salmonella to successfully colonize tomato shoot and root surfaces.