Variation of 16S-23S internally transcribed spacer sequence and intervening sequence in rDNA among the three major Agrobacterium species

The Ecology of Agrobacterium vitis and Management of Crown Gall Disease in Vineyards

Agrobacterium vitis is the primary causal agent of grapevine crown gall worldwide. Symptoms of grapevine crown gall disease include tumor formation on the aerial plant parts, whereas both tumorigenic and nontumorigenic strains of A. vitis cause root necrosis. Genetic and genomic analyses indicated that A. vitis is distinguishable from the members of the Agrobacterium genus and its transfer to the genus Allorhizobium was suggested. A. vitis is genetically diverse, with respect to both chromosomal and plasmid DNA. Its pathogenicity is mainly determined by a large conjugal tumor-inducing (Ti) plasmid characterized by a mosaic structure with conserved and variable regions. Traditionally, A. vitis Ti plasmids and host strains were differentiated into octopine/cucumopine, nopaline, and vitopine groups, based on opine markers. However, tumorigenic and nontumorigenic strains of A. vitis may carry other ecologically important plasmids, such as tartrate- and opine-catabolic plasmids. A. vitis colonizes vines endophytically. It is also able to survive epiphytically on grapevine plants and is detected in soil exclusively in association with grapevine plants. Because A. vitis persists systemically in symptomless grapevine plants, it can be efficiently disseminated to distant geographical areas via international trade of propagation material. The use of healthy planting material in areas with no history of the crown gall represents the crucial measure of disease management. Moreover, biological control and production of resistant grape varieties are encouraging as future control measures.

Estimating Divergence Times and Substitution Rates in Rhizobia

Accurate estimation of divergence times of soil bacteria that form nitrogen-fixing associations with most leguminous plants is challenging because of a limited fossil record and complexities associated with molecular clocks and phylogenetic diversity of root nodule bacteria, collectively called rhizobia. To overcome the lack of fossil record in bacteria, divergence times of host legumes were used to calibrate molecular clocks and perform phylogenetic analyses in rhizobia. The 16S rRNA gene and intergenic spacer region remain among the favored molecular markers to reconstruct the timescale of rhizobia. We evaluate the performance of the random local clock model and the classical uncorrelated lognormal relaxed clock model, in combination with four tree models (coalescent constant size, birth-death, birth-death incomplete sampling, and Yule processes) on rhizobial divergence time estimates. Bayes factor tests based on the marginal likelihoods estimated from the stepping-stone sampling analyses strongly favored the random local clock model in combination with Yule process. Our results on the divergence time estimation from 16S rRNA gene and intergenic spacer region sequences are compatible with age estimates based on the conserved core genes but significantly older than those obtained from symbiotic genes, such as nodIJ genes. This difference may be due to the accelerated evolutionary rates of symbiotic genes compared to those of other genomic regions not directly implicated in nodulation processes.

Biodegradation of the cross-linked copolymer of acrylamide and potassium acrylate by soil bacteria

Chemical cross-linking and the high molecular weight of superabsorbent copolymers (SAPs) are the two main causes of their resistance to biodegradation. However, SAP particles are colonized by microorganisms. For the purposes of this study, the dry technical copolymer of acrylamide and potassium acrylate containing 5.28 % of unpolymerized monomers was wrapped in a geotextile and incubated in unsterile Haplic Luvisol soil as a water absorbing geocomposite. The highest number of soil bacteria that colonized the hydrated SAP and utilized it as the sole carbon and energy source was found after the first month of incubation in soil. It was equal to 7.21-7.49 log10 cfu g(-1) of water absorbed by the SAP and decreased by 1.35-1.61 log10 units within the next 8 months. During this time, the initial SAP water holding capacity of 1665.8 g has decreased by 24.40 %. Moreover, the 5 g of SAP dry mass has declined by 31.70 %. Two bacteria, Rhizobium radiobacter 28SG and Bacillus aryabhattai 31SG isolated from the watered SAP were found to be able to biodegrade this SAP in pure cultures. They destroyed 25.07 and 41.85 mg of 300 mg of the technical SAP during the 60-day growth in mineral Burk's salt medium, and biodegradation activity was equal to 2.95 and 6.72 μg of SAP μg(-1) of protein, respectively. B. aryabhattai 31SG and R. radiobacter 28SG were also able to degrade 9.99 and 29.70 mg of 82 mg of the ultra-pure SAP in synthetic root exudate medium during the 30-day growth, respectively.

Detection of horizontal gene transfers from phylogenetic comparisons

Bacterial phylogenies have become one of the most important challenges for microbial ecology. This field started in the mid-1970s with the aim of using the sequence of the small subunit ribosomal RNA (16S) tool to infer bacterial phylogenies. Phylogenetic hypotheses based on other sequences usually give conflicting topologies that reveal different evolutionary histories, which in some cases may be the result of horizontal gene transfer events. Currently, one of the major goals of molecular biology is to understand the role that horizontal gene transfer plays in species adaptation and evolution. In this work, we compared the phylogenetic tree based on 16S with the tree based on dszC, a gene involved in the cleavage of carbon-sulfur bonds. Bacteria of several genera perform this survival task when living in environments lacking free mineral sulfur. The biochemical pathway of the desulphurization process was extensively studied due to its economic importance, since this step is expensive and indispensable in fuel production. Our results clearly show that horizontal gene transfer events could be detected using common phylogenetic methods with gene sequences obtained from public sequence databases.

Hippea jasoniae sp. nov. and Hippea alviniae sp. nov., thermoacidophilic members of the class Deltaproteobacteria isolated from deep-sea hydrothermal vent deposits

Thirteen novel, obligately anaerobic, thermoacidophilic bacteria were isolated from deep-sea hydrothermal vent sites. Four of the strains, designated EP5-r(T), KM1, Mar08-272r(T) and Mar08-368r, were selected for metabolic and physiological characterization. With the exception of strain EP5-r(T), all strains were short rods that grew between 40 and 72 °C, with optimal growth at 60-65 °C. Strain EP5-r(T) was more ovoid in shape and grew between 45 and 75 °C, with optimum growth at 60 °C. The pH range for growth of all the isolates was between pH 3.5 and 5.5 (optimum pH 4.5 to 5.0). Strain Mar08-272r(T) could only grow up to pH 5.0. Elemental sulfur was required for heterotrophic growth on acetate, succinate, Casamino acids and yeast extract. Strains EP5-r(T), Mar08-272r(T) and Mar08-368r could also use fumarate, while strains EP5-r(T), KM1 and Mar08-272r(T) could also use propionate. All isolates were able to grow chemolithotrophically on H(2), CO(2), sulfur and vitamins. Phylogenetic analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences placed all isolates within the family Desulfurellaceae of the class Deltaproteobacteria, with the closest cultured relative being Hippea maritima MH(2)(T) (~95-98 % gene sequence similarity). Phylogenetic analysis also identified several isolates with at least one intervening sequence within the 16S rRNA gene. The genomic DNA G+C contents of strains EP5-r(T), KM1, Mar08-272r(T) and Mar08-368r were 37.1, 42.0, 35.6 and 37.9 mol%, respectively. The new isolates differed most significantly from H. maritima MH(2)(T) in their phylogenetic placement and in that they were obligate thermoacidophiles. Based on these phylogenetic and phenotypic properties, the following two novel species are proposed: Hippea jasoniae sp. nov. (type strain Mar08-272r(T) = DSM 24585(T) = OCM 985(T)) and Hippea alviniae sp. nov. (type strain EP5-r(T) = DSM 24586(T) = OCM 986(T)).

Construction of disarmed Ti plasmids transferable between Escherichia coli and Agrobacterium species

Agrobacterium-mediated plant transformation has been used widely, but there are plants that are recalcitrant to this type of transformation. This transformation method uses bacterial strains harboring a modified tumor-inducing (Ti) plasmid that lacks the transfer DNA (T-DNA) region (disarmed Ti plasmid). It is desirable to develop strains that can broaden the host range. A large number of Agrobacterium strains have not been tested yet to determine whether they can be used in transformation. In order to improve the disarming method and to obtain strains disarmed and ready for the plant transformation test, we developed a simple scheme to make certain Ti plasmids disarmed and simultaneously maintainable in Escherichia coli and mobilizable between E. coli and Agrobacterium. To establish the scheme in nopaline-type Ti plasmids, a neighboring segment to the left of the left border sequence, a neighboring segment to the right of the right border sequence of pTi-SAKURA, a cassette harboring the pSC101 replication gene between these two segments, the broad-host-range IncP-type oriT, and the gentamicin resistance gene were inserted into a suicide-type sacB-containing vector. Replacement of T-DNA with the cassette in pTiC58 and pTi-SAKURA occurred at a high frequency and with high accuracy when the tool plasmid was used. We confirmed that there was stable maintenance of the modified Ti plasmids in E. coli strain S17-1lambdapir and conjugal transfer from E. coli to Ti-less Agrobacterium strains and that the reconstituted Agrobacterium strains were competent to transfer DNA into plant cells. As the modified plasmid delivery system was simple and efficient, conversion of strains to the disarmed type was easy and should be applicable in studies to screen for useful strains.

Ability of Agrobacterium tumefaciens and A. rhizogenes strains, inability of A. vitis and A. rubi strains to adapt to salt-insufficient environment, and taxonomic significance of a simple salt requirement test in the pathogenic Agrobacterium species

Resistance to a 1% or higher concentration of NaCl is an important trait for taxonomic discrimination of species in the family Rhizobiaceae. However, we have little knowledge about how much salt rhizobia require. In this study, we examined the requirement of NaCl for growth in relation to the NaCl sensitivity in the pathogenic Agrobacterium species. Consistent with the previous salt resistance data, the standard Luria Bertani medium containing 0.5% NaCl (LB) permitted A. tumefaciens and A. vitis strains to grow well, but not A. rhizogenes strains. In contrast, LB lacking NaCl (LB-NaCl) allowed the A. rhizogenes and A. tumefaciens strains to grow well but not the A. vitis strains. In LB-NaCl, viability of A. vitis strains decreased 500-fold in 24 h. The addition of KCl, MgCl(2) or MgSO(4) to LB-NaCl restored the growth of A. vitis strains. These data indicate higher salt requirements in A. vitis than those in A. tumefaciens and A. rhizogenes and adaptability of A. tumefaciens to salt-insufficient environments. An A. rubi strain was salt dependent like A. vitis. The experiment was extended to strains in related genera. Checking growth on the two media was very easy, gave a new trait and clear results, and thereby proved useful as an additional method for taxonomic identification.