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Ilahi H, Zampieri E, Sbrana C, Brescia F, Giovannini L, Mahmoudi R, Gohari G, El Idrissi MM, Alfeddy MN, Schillaci M, Ouahmane L, Calvo A, Sillo F, Fotopoulos V, Balestrini R, Mnasri B. Impact of two Erwinia sp. on the response of diverse Pisum sativum genotypes under salt stress. Physiol Mol Biol Plants 2024; 30:249-267. [PMID: 38623163 PMCID: PMC11016052 DOI: 10.1007/s12298-024-01419-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2023] [Revised: 02/16/2024] [Accepted: 02/20/2024] [Indexed: 04/17/2024]
Abstract
Currently, salinization is impacting more than 50% of arable land, posing a significant challenge to agriculture globally. Salt causes osmotic and ionic stress, determining cell dehydration, ion homeostasis, and metabolic process alteration, thus negatively influencing plant development. A promising sustainable approach to improve plant tolerance to salinity is the use of plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB). This work aimed to characterize two bacterial strains, that have been isolated from pea root nodules, initially called PG1 and PG2, and assess their impact on growth, physiological, biochemical, and molecular parameters in three pea genotypes (Merveille de Kelvedon, Lincoln, Meraviglia d'Italia) under salinity. Bacterial strains were molecularly identified, and characterized by in vitro assays to evaluate the plant growth promoting abilities. Both strains were identified as Erwinia sp., demonstrating in vitro biosynthesis of IAA, ACC deaminase activity, as well as the capacity to grow in presence of NaCl and PEG. Considering the inoculation of plants, pea biometric parameters were unaffected by the presence of the bacteria, independently by the considered genotype. Conversely, the three pea genotypes differed in the regulation of antioxidant genes coding for catalase (PsCAT) and superoxide dismutase (PsSOD). The highest proline levels (212.88 μmol g-1) were detected in salt-stressed Lincoln plants inoculated with PG1, along with the up-regulation of PsSOD and PsCAT. Conversely, PG2 inoculation resulted in the lowest proline levels that were observed in Lincoln and Meraviglia d'Italia (35.39 and 23.67 μmol g-1, respectively). Overall, this study highlights the potential of these two strains as beneficial plant growth-promoting bacteria in saline environments, showing that their inoculation modulates responses in pea plants, affecting antioxidant gene expression and proline accumulation. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12298-024-01419-8.
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Affiliation(s)
- Houda Ilahi
- Faculty of Sciences of Tunis, University Tunis El Manar, 2092 Tunis, Tunisia
- Laboratory of Legumes and Sustainable Agroecosystems, Centre of Biotechnology of Borj-Cédria, BP 901, 2050 Hammam-Lif, Tunisia
| | - Elisa Zampieri
- Institute for Sustainable Plant Protection (IPSP), National Research Council of Italy, Strada Delle Cacce 73, 10135 Turin, Italy
| | - Cristiana Sbrana
- Institute of Agricultural Biology and Biotechnology (IBBA), National Research Council of Italy, Via Moruzzi 1, 56124 Pisa, Italy
| | - Francesca Brescia
- Institute for Sustainable Plant Protection (IPSP), National Research Council of Italy, Strada Delle Cacce 73, 10135 Turin, Italy
| | - Luca Giovannini
- Institute for Sustainable Plant Protection (IPSP), National Research Council of Italy, Strada Delle Cacce 73, 10135 Turin, Italy
| | - Roghayyeh Mahmoudi
- Department of Agricultural Sciences, Biotechnology and Food Science, Cyprus University of Technology, 3036 Limassol, Cyprus
| | - Gholamreza Gohari
- Department of Agricultural Sciences, Biotechnology and Food Science, Cyprus University of Technology, 3036 Limassol, Cyprus
| | - Mustapha Missbah El Idrissi
- Faculty of Sciences, Centre de Biotechnologies Végétale et Microbienne, Biodiversité et Environnement, Mohammed V University in Rabat, Rabat, Morocco
| | - Mohamed Najib Alfeddy
- Phytobacteriology Laboratory Plant Protection Research, Unit CRRA Marrakesh National Institute for Agronomical Research Marrakesh, 40000 Marrakesh, Morocco
| | - Martino Schillaci
- Institute for Sustainable Plant Protection (IPSP), National Research Council of Italy, Strada Delle Cacce 73, 10135 Turin, Italy
| | - Lahcen Ouahmane
- Laboratory of Microbial Biotechnologies Agrosciences and Environment, Cadi Ayyad University, 40000 Marrakesh, Morocco
| | - Alice Calvo
- Institute for Sustainable Plant Protection (IPSP), National Research Council of Italy, Strada Delle Cacce 73, 10135 Turin, Italy
| | - Fabiano Sillo
- Institute for Sustainable Plant Protection (IPSP), National Research Council of Italy, Strada Delle Cacce 73, 10135 Turin, Italy
| | - Vasileios Fotopoulos
- Department of Agricultural Sciences, Biotechnology and Food Science, Cyprus University of Technology, 3036 Limassol, Cyprus
| | - Raffaella Balestrini
- Institute for Sustainable Plant Protection (IPSP), National Research Council of Italy, Strada Delle Cacce 73, 10135 Turin, Italy
| | - Bacem Mnasri
- Laboratory of Legumes and Sustainable Agroecosystems, Centre of Biotechnology of Borj-Cédria, BP 901, 2050 Hammam-Lif, Tunisia
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Jin YJ, Lee SY, Kong HG, Yang SI, Ham H, Lee MH, Park DS. Novel Detection and Quantification Approach of Erwinia amylovora In Vitro and In Planta Using SYBR Green-Based Real-Time PCR Assay. Plant Dis 2023; 107:624-627. [PMID: 35900343 DOI: 10.1094/pdis-05-22-1227-sc] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Fire blight, caused by the bacterial pathogen Erwinia amylovora, is a highly destructive disease of apple and pear. Because the apple tree gets systemically infected with E. amylovora and eventually dies, E. amylovora is a considerably important pathogen in the orchard that requires long-term management. In addition, it is crucial to prevent the spread of the pathogen by expeditious diagnosis. In this study, via comparative approaches to the genome sequences of the strains of various Erwinia spp., we designed specific primers targeting a hypothetical gene that is single copy and located in the chromosomal DNA of E. amylovora. This primer set specifically amplified the DNA of E. amylovora but no other bacteria, including E. pyrifoliae, Pectobacterium spp., Pantoea spp., and Dickeya chrysanthemi. Furthermore, the SYBR Green-based real-time PCR using the primer set allowed accurate estimation of the population of E. amylovora. Developing a rapid and accurate diagnostic method using the novel primer set enables effective defense against pathogen spread through continuous monitoring and quick response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yong Ju Jin
- Crop Protection Division, National Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Rural Development Administration, Wanju-gun, 55365, Republic of Korea
| | - Seung Yeup Lee
- Crop Protection Division, National Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Rural Development Administration, Wanju-gun, 55365, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyun Gi Kong
- College of Agriculture, Life and Environment Sciences, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju, 28644, Republic of Korea
| | - Su In Yang
- Crop Protection Division, National Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Rural Development Administration, Wanju-gun, 55365, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyeonheui Ham
- Crop Protection Division, National Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Rural Development Administration, Wanju-gun, 55365, Republic of Korea
| | - Mi-Hyun Lee
- Crop Protection Division, National Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Rural Development Administration, Wanju-gun, 55365, Republic of Korea
| | - Dong Suk Park
- Crop Protection Division, National Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Rural Development Administration, Wanju-gun, 55365, Republic of Korea
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Paff A, Cockburn DW. Evaluating the efficacy of non-thermal microbial load reduction treatments of heat labile food components for in vitro fermentation experiments. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0283287. [PMID: 36943858 PMCID: PMC10030034 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0283287] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2022] [Accepted: 03/03/2023] [Indexed: 03/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Increasingly, in vitro simulated colon fermentations are being used as a pre-clinical step to assess the impacts of foods and drugs on the gut microbiota in a cost-effective manner. One challenge in such systems is that they are potentially susceptible to the influences of contaminating microbes in test materials. Simulated gastric and intestinal digestion can relieve some of these concerns, however, live microbes may remain that can confound analysis. Autoclave treatment of test materials is the surest way to eliminate these microbes but presents problems when using heat labile components such as resistant starch. In this study, liquid chemical sterilant alternatives to moist heat sterilization were explored for treating pulse flours for use during in vitro simulated colon fermentation. Key attributes considered in chemical selection were accessibility, impact on treated food components, and effectiveness of the treatments for reducing microbial load. Three chemicals were selected for evaluation, bleach, alcohol, and hydrogen peroxide, at varying concentrations. Flours chosen for testing were from green lentil, field pea, chickpea, or sprouted green lentil. All treatments significantly reduced microbial loads, though there were still detectable levels of microbes after alcohol treatments. Furthermore, in vitro simulated colon fermentations of the treated pulses showed minimal difference from the untreated control both in terms of microbial composition and short chain fatty acid production. Scanning electron microscopy showed minimal impact of sterilization treatments on the gross structure of the pulse flours. Together these results suggest that bleach and hydrogen peroxide treatments can be effective nonthermal treatments to eliminate contaminating microbes in pulse flours without causing significant damage to starch and other fermentable substrates. This is thus also a promising treatment method for other starchy food substrates, though further testing is required.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew Paff
- Department of Food Science, College of Agricultural Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Darrell W Cockburn
- Department of Food Science, College of Agricultural Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, United States of America
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Morgan T, de Rezende RR, Lima TTM, Souza FDO, Alfenas-Zerbini P. Genomic Analysis Unveils the Pervasiveness and Diversity of Prophages Infecting Erwinia Species. Pathogens 2022; 12:pathogens12010044. [PMID: 36678392 PMCID: PMC9866893 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens12010044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2022] [Revised: 12/19/2022] [Accepted: 12/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Prophages are abundant elements integrated into bacterial genomes and contribute to inter-strain genetic variability and, in some cases, modulate the environmental behavior of bacteria, such as pathogen virulence. Here, we described prophage occurrence and diversity in publicly available Erwinia genome assemblies, a genus containing plant pathogens. Prophage-like sequences were identified and taxonomically classified. Sequence diversity was analyzed through intergenomic similarities. Furthermore, we searched for anti-phage defense systems in Erwinia spp., such as DISARM, BREX, and CRISPR-Cas systems, and identified the putative targets of CRISPR spacers. We identified 939 prophage-like sequences in 221 Erwinia spp. genome assemblies. Only 243 prophage-like sequences were classified, all belonging to the Caudoviricetes class. The set of putative Erwinia prophages was mostly unique since only three sequences showed more than 70% intergenomic similarities to known Erwinia phages. Overall, the number and type of CRISPR-Cas systems were conserved within Erwinia species, with many spacers directed to the putative prophages identified. This study increased the knowledge of the diversity and distribution of Erwinia prophages, contributing to the characterization of genetic and ecological factors influencing Erwinia spp. environmental fitness.
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Pan MK, Feng GD, Yao Q, Li J, Liu C, Zhu H. Erwinia phyllosphaerae sp. nov., a novel bacterium isolated from phyllosphere of pomelo (Citrus maxima). Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 2022; 72. [DOI: 10.1099/ijsem.0.005316] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
A novel phosphate-solubilizing and 3-indoleacetic acid producing bacterium, designated strain CMYE1T, was isolated from the phyllosphere of pomelo (Citrus maxima) in Meizhou, Guangdong Province, PR China. Cells were Gram-stain-negative, facultative aerobic, non-spore-forming, rod-shaped and motile with peritrichous flagella. It had the highest 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity to
Kalamiella piersonii
NRRL B-65522T (99.0 %), followed by
Pantoea cypripedii
LMG 2657T (98.1 %),
Erwinia iniecta
B120T (97.7 %),
Mixta intestinalis
29Y89BT (97.6 %) and other species (<97.6 %). However, phylogenomic analyses clearly showed that strain CMYE1T should be assigned into the genus
Erwinia
, and was most closely related to
Erwinia oleae
LMG 25322T (96.7 %). Genome comparisons showed that the novel strain shared ≤83.2 % average nucleotide identity and ≤26.5 % digital DNA–DNA hybridization values with closely related strains, respectively. It contained C16 : 0, C17 : 0 cyclo, summed feature 3 (C16 : 1
ω7c and/or C16 : 1
ω6c) and summed feature 8 (C18 : 1
ω7c and/or C18 : 1
ω6c) as the major fatty acids. Based on the results of phylogenetic, phenotypic and chemotaxonomic analyses, as well as genome comparisons, strain CMYE1T belongs to a novel species of the genus
Erwinia
, for which the name Erwinia phyllosphaerae sp. nov. is proposed with the type strain CMYE1T (=GDMCC 1.2674T=JCM 34792T).
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Affiliation(s)
- Ming-Kai Pan
- State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China, Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiomics and Precision Application, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Culture Collection and Application, Guangdong Microbial Culture Collection Center (GDMCC), Institute of Microbiology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510070, PR China
- Faculty of Life Science and Technology, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming 650500, PR China
| | - Guang-Da Feng
- State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China, Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiomics and Precision Application, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Culture Collection and Application, Guangdong Microbial Culture Collection Center (GDMCC), Institute of Microbiology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510070, PR China
| | - Qing Yao
- College of Horticulture, South China Agricultural University, Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Microbial Signals and Disease Control, Guangzhou 510642, PR China
| | - Jiali Li
- State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China, Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiomics and Precision Application, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Culture Collection and Application, Guangdong Microbial Culture Collection Center (GDMCC), Institute of Microbiology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510070, PR China
| | - Chenjian Liu
- Faculty of Life Science and Technology, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming 650500, PR China
| | - Honghui Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China, Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiomics and Precision Application, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Culture Collection and Application, Guangdong Microbial Culture Collection Center (GDMCC), Institute of Microbiology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510070, PR China
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Soutar CD, Stavrinides J. Phylogenomic analysis of the Erwiniaceae supports reclassification of Kalamiella piersonii to Pantoea piersonii comb. nov. and Erwinia gerundensis to the new genus Duffyella gen. nov. as Duffyella gerundensis comb. nov. Mol Genet Genomics 2022. [PMID: 34988605 DOI: 10.1007/s00438-021-01829-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2021] [Accepted: 10/27/2021] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
To better understand the taxonomy of Erwinia in the context of the Erwiniaceae family, we carried out a taxogenomic analysis of the Erwiniaceae, a family that was created following the taxonomic revision of the family, Enterobacteriaceae. There has been no systematic analysis of this family, including the agriculturally relevant genus, Erwinia. Our analyses focused on 80 strains of Erwinia along with 37 strains representing 7 other genera in the family. We identified 308 common proteins, generated a genome-level phylogeny and carried out Average Nucleotide Identity, Average Amino Acid Identity and Percentage of Conserved Protein analyses. We show that multiple strains of Erwinia cannot be assigned to established species groups and that both Erwinia gerundensis and "Erwinia mediterraneensis" are not members of Erwinia. We propose the creation of the genus Duffyella gen. nov. and the reclassification of Erwinia gerundensis to this genus as the type species, Duffyella gerundensis comb. nov. Furthermore, divergence between other species within Erwinia as measured by Average Amino Acid Identity is greater than the divergence between Erwinia and other genera, supporting the possible subdivision of the genus Erwinia into at least two genera. Our analyses also suggest that there is no basis for the establishment of the genus Kalamiella within the Erwiniaceae or the taxonomic revision of the Pantoea septica lineage. Therefore, we propose reclassifying Kalamiella piersonii as Pantoea piersonii comb. nov. Our study provides new insight into the diversity of the Erwiniaceae and provides a solid foundation for advancing taxonomic revision of this broadly relevant family.
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Gabriel A, Costa S, Henriques I, Lopes I. Effects of Long-Term Exposure to Increased Salinity on the Amphibian Skin Bacterium Erwinia toletana. Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 2021; 80:779-788. [PMID: 33877369 DOI: 10.1007/s00244-021-00845-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2021] [Accepted: 04/06/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Amphibian's skin bacterial community may help them to cope with several types of environmental perturbations, including osmotic stress caused by increased salinity. This work assessed whether an amphibian skin bacterium could increase its tolerance to NaCl after a long-term exposure to this salt. A strain of Erwinia toletana, isolated from the skin of Pelophylax perezi, was exposed to two salinity scenarios (with 18 g/L of NaCl): (1) long-term exposure (for 46 days; Et-NaCl), and (2) long-term exposure followed by a recovery period (exposure for 30 days to NaCl and then to LB medium for 16 days; Et-R). After exposure, the sensitivity of E. toletana clonal populations to NaCl was assessed by exposing them to 6 NaCl concentrations (LB medium spiked with NaCl) plus a control (LB medium). Genotypic alterations were assessed by PCR-based molecular typing method (BOX-PCR). The results showed that tolerance of E. toletana to NaCl slightly increased after the long-term exposure, EC50 for growth were: 22.5 g/L (8.64-36.4) for Et-LB; 30.3 g/L (23.2-37.4) for Et-NaCl; and 26.1 g/L (19.332.9) for Et-R. Differences in metabolic activity were observed between Et-LB and Et-R and between Et-NaCl and Et-R, suggesting the use of different substrates by this bacterium when exposed to salinized environments. NaCl-induced genotypic alterations were not detected. This work suggests that E. toletana exposed to low levels of salinity, activate different metabolic pathways to cope with osmotic stress. These findings may be further explored to be used in bioaugmentation procedures through the supplementation with this bacterium of the skin microbiome of natural populations of amphibians exposed to salinization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonieta Gabriel
- Department of Biology, CESAM, University of Aveiro, Campus Universitario de Santiago, Aveiro, Portugal.
| | - Sara Costa
- Department of Biology, CESAM, University of Aveiro, Campus Universitario de Santiago, Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Isabel Henriques
- Department of Life Sciences, CESAM, Faculty of Sciences and Technology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Isabel Lopes
- Department of Biology, CESAM, University of Aveiro, Campus Universitario de Santiago, Aveiro, Portugal
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Cui Z, Huntley RB, Zeng Q, Steven B. Temporal and spatial dynamics in the apple flower microbiome in the presence of the phytopathogen Erwinia amylovora. ISME J 2021; 15:318-29. [PMID: 33024293 DOI: 10.1038/s41396-020-00784-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2020] [Revised: 09/09/2020] [Accepted: 09/17/2020] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Plant microbiomes have important roles in plant health and productivity. However, despite flowers being directly linked to reproductive outcomes, little is known about the microbiomes of flowers and their potential interaction with pathogen infection. Here, we investigated the temporal spatial dynamics of the apple stigma microbiome when challenged with a phytopathogen Erwinia amylovora, the causal agent of fire blight disease. We profiled the microbiome from the stigmas of individual flowers, greatly increasing the resolution at which we can characterize shifts in the composition of the microbiome. Individual flowers harbored unique microbiomes at the operational taxonomic unit level. However, taxonomic analysis of community succession showed a population gradually dominated by bacteria within the families Enterobacteriaceae and Pseudomonadaceae. Flowers inoculated with E. amylovora established large populations of the phytopathogen, with pathogen-specific gene counts of >3.0 × 107 in 90% of the flowers. Yet, only 42% of inoculated flowers later developed fire blight symptoms. This reveals that pathogen abundance on the stigma is not sufficient to predict disease outcome. Our data demonstrate that apple flowers represent an excellent model in which to characterize how plant microbiomes establish, develop, and correlate with biological processes such as disease progression in an experimentally tractable plant organ.
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Potrykus M, Decorosi F, Perkowska I, Viti C, Mengoni A, Hugouvieux-Cotte-Pattat N, Lojkowska E. The metabolic shift in highly and weakly virulent Dickeya solani strains is more affected by temperature than by mutations in genes encoding global virulence regulators. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 2020; 96:5739916. [PMID: 32068796 DOI: 10.1093/femsec/fiaa023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2019] [Accepted: 02/17/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Global warming may shortly increase the risk of disease development on plants. Significant differences in the metabolic activity screened with Phenotype Microarray at 22°C and 28°C were observed between D. solani strains with high and low virulence level. Highly virulent D. solani was characterized by a higher number of metabolized compounds and a faster metabolism and was more tolerant to non-favorable pH and osmolarity. Metabolic phenotyping showed for the first time that the mutation in pecT gene, which encodes a global repressor of virulence, affects several pathways of the basic cell metabolism. PecT mutants had a higher maceration capacity of potato tissue and showed a higher pectinolytic activity than the wild-type strains. On the contrary, mutation in expI gene, which encoded the signaling molecules synthase crucial for quorum sensing, had an insignificant effect on the cell metabolism, although it slightly reduced the potato tissue maceration. The ability to utilize most of the tested compounds was higher at 28°C, while the survival at non-favorable pH and osmolarity was higher at 22°C. These results proved that the temperature of incubation had the most significant impact on the D. solani metabolic profiles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marta Potrykus
- Department of Plant Protection and Biotechnology, Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology, University of Gdansk and Medical University of Gdansk, Abrahama 58, 80-307 Gdansk, Poland.,Department of Environmental Toxicology, Faculty of Health Sciences with Institute of Maritime and Tropical Medicine, Medical University of Gdansk, Debowa 23A, 80-204 Gdansk, Poland
| | - Francesca Decorosi
- Department of Agriculture, Food, Environment and Forestry (DAGRI), University of Florence, Via della Lastruccia, 10 - 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
| | - Izabela Perkowska
- Department of Plant Protection and Biotechnology, Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology, University of Gdansk and Medical University of Gdansk, Abrahama 58, 80-307 Gdansk, Poland
| | - Carlo Viti
- Department of Agriculture, Food, Environment and Forestry (DAGRI), University of Florence, Via della Lastruccia, 10 - 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
| | - Alessio Mengoni
- Department of Biology, University of Florence, Via Madonna del Piano, 6 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
| | - Nicole Hugouvieux-Cotte-Pattat
- Microbiologie Adaptation et Pathogénie, Univ Lyon, CNRS UMR5240, Univ Claude Bernard Lyon 1, INSA de Lyon, F-69622 Villeurbanne, France
| | - Ewa Lojkowska
- Department of Plant Protection and Biotechnology, Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology, University of Gdansk and Medical University of Gdansk, Abrahama 58, 80-307 Gdansk, Poland
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Peng J, Triplett LR, Schachterle JK, Sundin GW. Chromosomally Encoded hok-sok Toxin-Antitoxin System in the Fire Blight Pathogen Erwinia amylovora: Identification and Functional Characterization. Appl Environ Microbiol 2019; 85:e00724-19. [PMID: 31101613 DOI: 10.1128/AEM.00724-19] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2019] [Accepted: 05/08/2019] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Toxin-antitoxin (TA) systems are genetic elements composed of a protein toxin and a counteracting antitoxin that is either a noncoding RNA or protein. In type I TA systems, the antitoxin is a noncoding small RNA (sRNA) that base pairs with the cognate toxin mRNA interfering with its translation. Although type I TA systems have been extensively studied in Escherichia coli and a few human or animal bacterial pathogens, they have not been characterized in plant-pathogenic bacteria. In this study, we characterized a chromosomal locus in the plant pathogen Erwinia amylovora Ea1189 that is homologous to the hok-sok type I TA system previously identified in the Enterobacteriaceae-restricted plasmid R1. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that the chromosomal location of the hok-sok locus is, thus far, unique to E. amylovora We demonstrated that ectopic overexpression of hok is highly toxic to E. amylovora and that the sRNA sok reversed the toxicity of hok through mok, a reading frame presumably translationally coupled with hok We also identified the region that is essential for maintenance of the main toxicity of Hok. Through a hok-sok deletion mutant (Ea1189Δhok-sok), we determined the contribution of the hok-sok locus to cellular growth, micromorphology, and catalase activity. Combined, our findings indicate that the hok-sok TA system, besides being potentially self-toxic, provides fitness advantages to E. amylovora IMPORTANCE Bacterial toxin-antitoxin systems have received great attention because of their potential as targets for antimicrobial development and as tools for biotechnology. Erwinia amylovora, the causal agent of fire blight disease on pome fruit trees, is a major plant-pathogenic bacterium. In this study, we identified and functionally characterized a unique chromosomally encoded hok-sok toxin-antitoxin system in E. amylovora that resembles the plasmid-encoded copies of this system in other Enterobacteriaceae This study of a type I toxin-antitoxin system in a plant-pathogenic bacterium provides the basis to further understand the involvement of toxin-antitoxin systems during infection by a plant-pathogenic bacterium. The new linkage between the hok-sok toxin-antitoxin system and the catalase-mediated oxidative stress response leads to additional considerations of targeting this system for antimicrobial development.
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Holeva MC, Morán F, Scuderi G, González A, López MM, Llop P. Development of a real-time PCR method for the specific detection of the novel pear pathogen Erwinia uzenensis. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0219487. [PMID: 31291321 PMCID: PMC6619794 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0219487] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2019] [Accepted: 06/25/2019] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Erwinia uzenensis is a plant-pathogenic bacterium, recently described in Japan, which infects pear trees, causing the ‘bacterial black shoot disease of European pear’ (BBSDP). Like other Erwinia pear pathogens, E. uzenensis causes damp, black lesions on young shoots resembling those of E. amylovora, but not blossom blight, fruitlet blight or wilting of the shoot tip. The distribution of E. uzenensis seems restricted to the country where it was reported up to now, but it may spread to other countries and affect new hosts, as is the current situation with E. piriflorinigrans and E. pyrifoliae. Fast and accurate detection systems for this new pathogen are needed to study its biology and to identify it on pear or other hosts. We report here the development of a specific and sensitive detection protocol based on a real-time PCR with a TaqMan probe for E. uzenensis, and its evaluation. In sensitivity assays, the detection threshold of this protocol was 101 cfu ml-1 on pure bacterial cultures and 102–103 cfu ml-1 on spiked plant material. The specificity of the protocol was evaluated against E. uzenensis and 46 strains of pear-associated Erwinia species different to E. uzenensis. No cross-reaction with the non-target bacterial species or the loss of sensitivity were observed. This specific and sensitive diagnostic tool may reveal a wider distribution and host range of E. uzenensis initially considered restricted to a region and will expand our knowledge of the life cycle and environmental preferences of this pathogen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria C. Holeva
- Laboratory of Bacteriology, Department of Plant Pathology, Benaki Phytopathological Institute, Kifissia, Attica, Greece
| | - Félix Morán
- Laboratory of Bacteriology, Department of Plant Pathology, Instituto Valenciano de Investigaciones Agrarias (IVIA), Moncada, Spain
| | - Giuseppe Scuderi
- Laboratory of Biotechnology, Department of Sustainable agriculture, biodiversity and food security, Euro-Mediterranean Institute of Science and Technology (IEMEST), Palermo, Italy
| | - Asier González
- Laboratory of Bacteriology, Department of Plant Pathology, Instituto Valenciano de Investigaciones Agrarias (IVIA), Moncada, Spain
| | - María M. López
- Laboratory of Bacteriology, Department of Plant Pathology, Instituto Valenciano de Investigaciones Agrarias (IVIA), Moncada, Spain
| | - Pablo Llop
- Laboratory of Bacteriology, Department of Plant Pathology, Instituto Valenciano de Investigaciones Agrarias (IVIA), Moncada, Spain
- * E-mail: ,
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12
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Polsinelli I, Caliandro R, Salomone-Stagni M, Demitri N, Rejzek M, Field RA, Benini S. Comparison of the Levansucrase from the epiphyte Erwinia tasmaniensis vs its homologue from the phytopathogen Erwinia amylovora. Int J Biol Macromol 2019; 127:496-501. [PMID: 30660564 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2019.01.074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2018] [Revised: 01/16/2019] [Accepted: 01/16/2019] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Erwinia tasmaniensis is an epiphytic bacterium related to the plant pathogen Erwinia amylovora, the etiological agent of fire blight. In this study the levansucrase from E. tasmaniensis (EtLsc) has been compared with the homologous enzyme from E. amylovora (EaLsc). We characterized the enzymatic activity and compared the products profile of both enzymes by High Performance Anion Exchange Chromatography coupled with Pulsed Amperometric Detector (HPAEC-PAD). Moreover we determined the crystal structure of EtLsc to understand the structural peculiarity causing the different product profiles of the two homologues. EtLsc exhibits increased efficiency in the production of FOS, resulting in a better catalyst for biotechnological synthesis than EaLsc. Based on our results, we propose that the role of this enzyme in the life cycle of the two bacteria is most likely related to survival, rather than linked to pathogenicity in E. amylovora.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivan Polsinelli
- Bioorganic Chemistry and Bio-Crystallography laboratory (B(2)Cl), Faculty of Science and Technology, Free University of Bolzano, Piazza Università 5, 39100 Bolzano, Italy
| | - Rosanna Caliandro
- Bioorganic Chemistry and Bio-Crystallography laboratory (B(2)Cl), Faculty of Science and Technology, Free University of Bolzano, Piazza Università 5, 39100 Bolzano, Italy
| | - Marco Salomone-Stagni
- Bioorganic Chemistry and Bio-Crystallography laboratory (B(2)Cl), Faculty of Science and Technology, Free University of Bolzano, Piazza Università 5, 39100 Bolzano, Italy
| | - Nicola Demitri
- Elettra-Sincrotrone Trieste, S.S. 14 Km 163.5 in Area Science Park, Basovizza, Trieste 34149, Italy
| | - Martin Rejzek
- Department of Biological Chemistry, John Innes Centre, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR47UH, United Kingdom
| | - Robert A Field
- Department of Biological Chemistry, John Innes Centre, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR47UH, United Kingdom
| | - Stefano Benini
- Bioorganic Chemistry and Bio-Crystallography laboratory (B(2)Cl), Faculty of Science and Technology, Free University of Bolzano, Piazza Università 5, 39100 Bolzano, Italy.
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Abstract
Fire blight, caused by the pathogen Erwinia amylovora, is the most devastating bacterial disease of pome fruit in North America and worldwide. The primary method of dispersal for E. amylovora is through ooze, a mass of exopolysaccharides and bacterial cells that is exuded as droplets from infected host tissue. During the 2013 and 2014 field seasons, 317 ooze droplets were collected from field-inoculated apple trees. Populations of E. amylovora in ooze droplets were 108 CFU/μl on average. Ooze droplets harboring larger (>108 CFU/μl) cell populations were typically smaller in total volume and had darker coloring, such as orange, red, or dark red hues. Examination of apple host tissue at the site of emergence of ooze droplets using scanning electron microscopy revealed that ooze was not exuding through natural openings; instead, it was found on erumpent mounds and small (10-μm) tears in tissue. These observations suggested that E. amylovora-induced wounds in tissue provided the exit holes for ooze extrusion from the host. Analyses of E. amylovora populations in ooze droplets and within the stems from which ooze droplets emerged indicated that approximately 9% of the total bacterial population from infected stems is diverted to ooze. Gene expression analyses indicated that E. amylovora cells in stem sections located above ooze droplets and in ooze droplets were actively expressing critical pathogenicity genes such as hrpL, dspE, and amsK. Thus, our study identified ooze as a source of large, concentrated populations of E. amylovora that emerged from the host by rupturing host tissue. Because the cells in ooze droplets are expressing genes required for pathogenesis, they are already primed for infection should they be dispersed from ooze to new infection courts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suzanne M Slack
- All authors: Department of Plant, Soil, and Microbial Sciences, Michigan State University, East Lansing 48824; and second author: Department of Plant Pathology and Ecology, Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, New Haven 06504
| | - Quan Zeng
- All authors: Department of Plant, Soil, and Microbial Sciences, Michigan State University, East Lansing 48824; and second author: Department of Plant Pathology and Ecology, Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, New Haven 06504
| | - Cory A Outwater
- All authors: Department of Plant, Soil, and Microbial Sciences, Michigan State University, East Lansing 48824; and second author: Department of Plant Pathology and Ecology, Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, New Haven 06504
| | - George W Sundin
- All authors: Department of Plant, Soil, and Microbial Sciences, Michigan State University, East Lansing 48824; and second author: Department of Plant Pathology and Ecology, Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, New Haven 06504
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14
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Rezzonico F, Smits THM, Born Y, Blom J, Frey JE, Goesmann A, Cleenwerck I, de Vos P, Bonaterra A, Duffy B, Montesinos E. Erwinia gerundensis sp. nov., a cosmopolitan epiphyte originally isolated from pome fruit trees. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 2016; 66:1583-1592. [PMID: 26813696 DOI: 10.1099/ijsem.0.000920] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
A survey to obtain potential antagonists of pome fruit tree diseases yielded two yellow epiphytic bacterial isolates morphologically similar to Pantoea agglomerans, but showing no biocontrol activity. Whole-cell MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry and analysis of 16S rRNA gene and gyrB sequences suggested the possibility of a novel species with a phylogenetic position in either the genus Pantoea or the genus Erwinia. Multi-locus sequence analysis (MLSA) placed the two strains in the genus Erwinia and supported their classification as a novel species. The strains showed general phenotypic characteristics typical of this genus and results of DNA-DNA hybridizations confirmed that they represent a single novel species. Both strains showed a DNA G+C content, as determined by HPLC, of 54.5 mol% and could be discriminated from phylogenetically related species of the genus Erwinia by their ability to utilize potassium gluconate, potassium 2-ketogluconate, maltose, melibiose and raffinose. Whole-genome sequencing of strain EM595T revealed the presence of a chromosomal carotenoid biosynthesis gene cluster similar to those found in species of the genera Cronobacter and Pantoea that explains the pigmentation of the strain, which is atypical for the genus Erwinia. Additional strains belonging to the same species were recovered from different plant hosts in three different continents, revealing the cosmopolitan nature of this epiphyte. The name Erwinia gerundensis sp. nov. is proposed, with EM595T ( = LMG 28990T = CCOS 903T) as the designated type strain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabio Rezzonico
- Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology Research Group, Institute of Natural Resource Sciences, Zürich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW), CH-8820 Wädenswil, Switzerland.,Department of Plant Protection and Extension Fruits and Vegetables, Institute for Plant Production Sciences, Agroscope, CH-8820 Wädenswil, Switzerland
| | - Theo H M Smits
- Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology Research Group, Institute of Natural Resource Sciences, Zürich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW), CH-8820 Wädenswil, Switzerland.,Department of Plant Protection and Extension Fruits and Vegetables, Institute for Plant Production Sciences, Agroscope, CH-8820 Wädenswil, Switzerland
| | - Yannick Born
- Department of Plant Protection and Extension Fruits and Vegetables, Institute for Plant Production Sciences, Agroscope, CH-8820 Wädenswil, Switzerland
| | - Jochen Blom
- Bioinformatics and Systems Biology, Justus-Liebig-Universität, D-35390 Giessen, Germany
| | - Jürg E Frey
- Department of Diagnostics and Risk Assessment Plant Protection, Institute for Plant Production Sciences, Agroscope, CH-8820 Wädenswil, Switzerland
| | - Alexander Goesmann
- Bioinformatics and Systems Biology, Justus-Liebig-Universität, D-35390 Giessen, Germany
| | - Ilse Cleenwerck
- BCCM/LMG Bacteria Collection, Ghent University, K. L. Ledeganckstraat 35, B-9000, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Paul de Vos
- BCCM/LMG Bacteria Collection, Ghent University, K. L. Ledeganckstraat 35, B-9000, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Anna Bonaterra
- Institute of Food and Agricultural Technology-CIDSAV-XaRTA, University of Girona, E-17071 Girona, Spain
| | - Brion Duffy
- Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology Research Group, Institute of Natural Resource Sciences, Zürich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW), CH-8820 Wädenswil, Switzerland.,Department of Plant Protection and Extension Fruits and Vegetables, Institute for Plant Production Sciences, Agroscope, CH-8820 Wädenswil, Switzerland
| | - Emilio Montesinos
- Institute of Food and Agricultural Technology-CIDSAV-XaRTA, University of Girona, E-17071 Girona, Spain
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15
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Ramírez-Bahena MH, Salazar S, Cuesta MJ, Tejedor C, Igual JM, Fernández-Pascual M, Peix Á. Erwinia endophytica sp. nov., isolated from potato ( Solanum tuberosum L.) stems. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 2015; 66:975-981. [PMID: 26637820 DOI: 10.1099/ijsem.0.000820] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
We analysed, using a polyphasic taxonomic approach, two bacterial strains coded BSTT30T and BSTT40, isolated in the course of a study of endophytic bacteria occurring in the stems and roots of potatoes growing in soil from Salamanca, Spain. The 16S rRNA gene sequence was identical in both strains and had 98.4 % identity with respect to the closest relatives Erwinia tasmaniensis Et1/99T and Erwinia rhapontici ATCC29283T. Erwinia billingiae E63T and Erwinia toletana A37T were also closely related with 98.2 % sequence similarities, so the novel strains were classified within the genus Erwinia. The analysis of the housekeeping genes gpd, gyrB and rpoD confirmed the phylogenetic affiliation of strains BSTT30T and BSTT40 with similarities of lower than 90 % in all cases with respect to the closest relatives mentioned above. The respiratory quinone of strain BSTT30T was Q8. The major fatty acids were C16 : 0, C16 : 1ω7c/16 : 1ω6c in summed feature 3 and C18 : 1ω7c/18 : 2ω6,9c in summed feature 8. The novel strains were oxidase-negative and catalase-positive. Glucose was fermented without gas production. They were negative for arginine dihydrolase, urease and indole production. The strains could grow at 35 °C and at pH 10. DNA G+C content was 50.1 mol%. DNA-DNA hybridization results showed values of lower than 29 % relatedness with respect to the type strains of the four most closely related species. Therefore, the combined genotypic, phenotypic and chemotaxonomic data support the classification of strains BSTT30T and BSTT40 into a novel species of the genus Erwinia, for which the name Erwinia endophytica sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is BSTT30T ( = LMG 28457T, CECT 8692T).
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Affiliation(s)
- Martha-Helena Ramírez-Bahena
- Instituto de Recursos Naturales y Agrobiología. IRNASA-CSIC, Salamanca, Spain
- Unidad Asociada Grupo de Interacción Planta-Microorganismo Universidad de Salamanca-IRNASA (CSIC)
| | - Sergio Salazar
- Instituto de Recursos Naturales y Agrobiología. IRNASA-CSIC, Salamanca, Spain
| | - Maria José Cuesta
- Instituto de Recursos Naturales y Agrobiología. IRNASA-CSIC, Salamanca, Spain
| | - Carmen Tejedor
- Departamento de Microbiología y Genética, Universidad de Salamanca, Spain
| | - José-Mariano Igual
- Instituto de Recursos Naturales y Agrobiología. IRNASA-CSIC, Salamanca, Spain
- Unidad Asociada Grupo de Interacción Planta-Microorganismo Universidad de Salamanca-IRNASA (CSIC)
| | | | - Álvaro Peix
- Unidad Asociada Grupo de Interacción Planta-Microorganismo Universidad de Salamanca-IRNASA (CSIC)
- Instituto de Recursos Naturales y Agrobiología. IRNASA-CSIC, Salamanca, Spain
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16
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Marchini D, Ciolfi S, Gottardo M, Marri L. Bacteria of the genus Erwinia found in the spermatheca of the laurel psyllid Trioza alacris. Arch Microbiol 2014; 196:901-5. [DOI: 10.1007/s00203-014-1039-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2014] [Revised: 09/17/2014] [Accepted: 09/19/2014] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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17
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Munteanu NV, Danismazoglu M, Moldovan AI, Toderas IK, Nalçacioğlu R, Demirbag Z. The first study on bacterial flora of pest beetles Sciaphobus squalidus, Tatianaerhynchites aequatus and Byctiscus betulae in the Republic of Moldova. Biologia (Bratisl) 2014; 69:681-690. [DOI: 10.2478/s11756-014-0351-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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18
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Barbé S, Bertolini E, Roselló M, Llop P, López MM. Conventional and real-time PCRs for detection of Erwinia piriflorinigrans allow its distinction from the fire blight pathogen, Erwinia amylovora. Appl Environ Microbiol 2014; 80:2390-8. [PMID: 24509928 DOI: 10.1128/AEM.03626-13] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Erwinia piriflorinigrans is a new pathogenic species of the bacterial genus Erwinia that has been described recently in Spain. Accurate detection and identification of E. piriflorinigrans are challenging because its symptoms on pear blossoms are similar to those caused by Erwinia amylovora, the causal agent of fire blight. Moreover, these two species share phenotypic and molecular characteristics. Two specific and sensitive conventional and real-time PCR protocols were developed to identify and detect E. piriflorinigrans and to differentiate it from E. amylovora and other species of this genus. These protocols were based on sequences from plasmid pEPIR37, which is present in all strains of E. piriflorinigrans analyzed. After the stability of the plasmid was demonstrated, the specificities of the protocols were confirmed by the amplification of all E. piriflorinigrans strains tested, whereas 304 closely related pathogenic and nonpathogenic Erwinia strains and microbiota from pear trees were not amplified. In sensitivity assays, 10(3) cells/ml extract were detected in spiked plant material by conventional or real-time PCR, and 10(2) cells/ml were detected in DNA extracted from spiked plant material by real-time PCR. The protocols developed here succeeded in detecting E. piriflorinigrans in 102 out of 564 symptomatic and asymptomatic naturally infected pear samples (flowers, cortex stem tissue, leaves, shoots, and fruitlets), in necrotic Pyracantha sp. blossoms, and in necrotic pear and apple tissues infected with both E. amylovora and E. piriflorinigrans. Therefore, these new tools can be used in epidemiological studies that will enhance our understanding of the life cycle of E. piriflorinigrans in different hosts and plant tissues and its interaction with E. amylovora.
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Fischer TC, Gosch C, Mirbeth B, Gselmann M, Thallmair V, Stich K. Potent and specific bactericidal effect of juglone (5-hydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone) on the fire blight pathogen Erwinia amylovora. J Agric Food Chem 2012; 60:12074-12081. [PMID: 23163769 DOI: 10.1021/jf303584r] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
A screening of plant quinones for inhibiting effects on the bacterial fire blight pathogen Erwinia amylovora was performed. The most active compound, juglone from walnuts, has a potent and specific bactericidal effect on E. amylovora and minimal inhibitory concentrations of only 2.5-10 μM, with stronger effects at lower, but still physiological, pH values. In vitro tests with juglone and inoculated flowers of apple (Malus domestica) showed an efficacy of 67% in preventing infection. In two years of field tests juglone had variable degrees of efficacy ranging from 40 to 82%, seemingly due to environmental conditions. A phytotoxic reaction to juglone, which is known for its allelopathic effect on plants, was restricted to browning of petals; later fruit russeting was not observed. Juglone is a promising candidate for the development of a new environmentally friendly plant protectant to replace the antibiotic streptomycin currently used in fire blight control.
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Rezzonico F, Braun-Kiewnick A, Mann RA, Rodoni B, Goesmann A, Duffy B, Smits THM. Lipopolysaccharide biosynthesis genes discriminate between Rubus- and Spiraeoideae-infective genotypes of Erwinia amylovora. Mol Plant Pathol 2012; 13:975-984. [PMID: 22583486 PMCID: PMC6638724 DOI: 10.1111/j.1364-3703.2012.00807.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
Comparative genomic analysis revealed differences in the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) biosynthesis gene cluster between the Rubus-infecting strain ATCC BAA-2158 and the Spiraeoideae-infecting strain CFBP 1430 of Erwinia amylovora. These differences corroborate rpoB-based phylogenetic clustering of E. amylovora into four different groups and enable the discrimination of Spiraeoideae- and Rubus-infecting strains. The structure of the differences between the two groups supports the hypothesis that adaptation to Rubus spp. took place after species separation of E. amylovora and E. pyrifoliae that contrasts with a recently proposed scenario, based on CRISPR data, in which the shift to domesticated apple would have caused an evolutionary bottleneck in the Spiraeoideae-infecting strains of E. amylovora which would be a much earlier event. In the core region of the LPS biosynthetic gene cluster, Spiraeoideae-infecting strains encode three glycosyltransferases and an LPS ligase (Spiraeoideae-type waaL), whereas Rubus-infecting strains encode two glycosyltransferases and a different LPS ligase (Rubus-type waaL). These coding domains share little to no homology at the amino acid level between Rubus- and Spiraeoideae-infecting strains, and this genotypic difference was confirmed by polymerase chain reaction analysis of the associated DNA region in 31 Rubus- and Spiraeoideae-infecting strains. The LPS biosynthesis gene cluster may thus be used as a molecular marker to distinguish between Rubus- and Spiraeoideae-infecting strains of E. amylovora using primers designed in this study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabio Rezzonico
- Agroscope Changins-Wädenswil ACW, Plant Protection Division, Swiss National Competence Centre for Fire Blight, CH-8820 Wädenswil, Switzerland
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Matsuura T, Mizuno A, Tsukamoto T, Shimizu Y, Saito N, Sato S, Kikuchi S, Uzuki T, Azegami K, Sawada H. Erwinia uzenensis sp. nov., a novel pathogen that affects European pear trees (Pyrus communis L.). Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 2012; 62:1799-1803. [DOI: 10.1099/ijs.0.032011-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Bacteria were isolated from black lesions on shoots of European pear trees (Pyrus communis L.) in an orchard in Japan. Previous characterization of this novel pathogen by phenotypic and genotypic methods suggested that it should belong to the genus
Erwinia
but might not correspond to either
Erwinia amylovora
or
Erwinia pyrifoliae
. Here, phylogenetic analyses of the 16S rRNA gene, gyrB, and rpoD gene sequences indicated that it could not be assigned to any recognized species of the genus
Erwinia
. DNA–DNA hybridization confirmed that the bacterial strains represented a novel species. The DNA G+C contents, the fatty acid profile and phenotypic characteristics resembled those previously reported for members of the genus
Erwinia
. On the basis of these and previous results, the pathogen represents a novel species of the genus
Erwinia
, for which the name Erwinia uzenensis sp. nov. (type strain: YPPS 951T = LMG 25843T = NCPPB 4475T) is proposed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takayuki Matsuura
- Yokohama Plant Protection Station, 1-16-10 Shinyamashita, Naka-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Akifumi Mizuno
- Yokohama Plant Protection Station, 1-16-10 Shinyamashita, Naka-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Takanori Tsukamoto
- Yokohama Plant Protection Station, 1-16-10 Shinyamashita, Naka-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Yoshiaki Shimizu
- Yokohama Plant Protection Station, 1-16-10 Shinyamashita, Naka-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Norihiko Saito
- Yokohama Plant Protection Station, 1-16-10 Shinyamashita, Naka-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Shigeyoshi Sato
- Yokohama Plant Protection Station, 1-16-10 Shinyamashita, Naka-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Shigemi Kikuchi
- Yamagata General Agricultural Research Center, 6060-27 Minorigaoka, Yamagata, Japan
| | - Tsuneyasu Uzuki
- Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries Department, Yamagata Prefectural Government, 2-8-1 Matsunami, Yamagata, Japan
| | - Koji Azegami
- National Agricultural Research Center, 3-1-1 Kannondai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Hiroyuki Sawada
- National Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, 2-1-2 Kannondai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
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McGhee GC, Sundin GW. Erwinia amylovora CRISPR elements provide new tools for evaluating strain diversity and for microbial source tracking. PLoS One 2012; 7:e41706. [PMID: 22860008 PMCID: PMC3409226 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0041706] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2012] [Accepted: 06/25/2012] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPRs) comprise a family of short DNA repeat sequences that are separated by non repetitive spacer sequences and, in combination with a suite of Cas proteins, are thought to function as an adaptive immune system against invading DNA. The number of CRISPR arrays in a bacterial chromosome is variable, and the content of each array can differ in both repeat number and in the presence or absence of specific spacers. We utilized a comparative sequence analysis of CRISPR arrays of the plant pathogen Erwinia amylovora to uncover previously unknown genetic diversity in this species. A total of 85 E. amylovora strains varying in geographic isolation (North America, Europe, New Zealand, and the Middle East), host range, plasmid content, and streptomycin sensitivity/resistance were evaluated for CRISPR array number and spacer variability. From these strains, 588 unique spacers were identified in the three CRISPR arrays present in E. amylovora, and these arrays could be categorized into 20, 17, and 2 patterns types, respectively. Analysis of the relatedness of spacer content differentiated most apple and pear strains isolated in the eastern U.S. from western U.S. strains. In addition, we identified North American strains that shared CRISPR genotypes with strains isolated on other continents. E. amylovora strains from Rubus and Indian hawthorn contained mostly unique spacers compared to apple and pear strains, while strains from loquat shared 79% of spacers with apple and pear strains. Approximately 23% of the spacers matched known sequences, with 16% targeting plasmids and 5% targeting bacteriophage. The plasmid pEU30, isolated in E. amylovora strains from the western U.S., was targeted by 55 spacers. Lastly, we used spacer patterns and content to determine that streptomycin-resistant strains of E. amylovora from Michigan were low in diversity and matched corresponding streptomycin-sensitive strains from the background population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gayle C. McGhee
- Department of Plant Pathology and Centers for Microbial Ecology and Pathogenesis, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, United States of America
| | - George W. Sundin
- Department of Plant Pathology and Centers for Microbial Ecology and Pathogenesis, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, United States of America
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Gehring I, Geider K. Differentiation of Erwinia amylovora and Erwinia pyrifoliae Strains with Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms and by Synthesis of Dihydrophenylalanine. Curr Microbiol 2012; 65:73-84. [DOI: 10.1007/s00284-012-0116-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2011] [Accepted: 02/28/2012] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
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Skrodenytė-Arbačiauskienė V, Radžiutė S, Stunžėnas V, Būda V. Erwinia
typographi sp. nov., isolated from bark beetle (Ips typographus) gut. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 2012; 62:942-948. [DOI: 10.1099/ijs.0.030304-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Gram-negative-staining bacteria that were resistant to monoterpene myrcene (7-methyl-3-methylene-1.6-octadiene, C10H16, at concentrations of up to 10 µl ml−1 in TSB) were isolated from the gut contents of adult bark beetles Ips typographus (Coleoptera, Scolytidae). The beetles were collected from the bark of Norway spruce (Picea abies) in Lithuania. Bark beetles feed on conifers, which produce myrcene among many other defensive compounds. It has been suggested that the micro-organisms present within the beetles’ guts could be involved in their resistance towards this plant defensive compound. The most resistant bacterial strains were isolated and characterized by phenotypic assays as well as fatty acid analysis, 16S rRNA gene sequencing, multilocus sequence analyses (MLSA) based on the rpoB, atpD and infB genes and DNA–DNA hybridization. Biochemical characterization indicated that the bacteria belonged to the family
Enterobacteriaceae
. Phylogenetic analyses of the 16S rRNA gene sequences and MLSA of the novel strains revealed that they belonged to the genus
Erwinia
, but represented a novel species. The dominant cellular fatty acids were C16 : 0 and C17 : 0 cyclo. The DNA G+C content was 49.1 mol%. The results obtained in this study indicated that these bacteria from the bark beetle gut represented a novel species, for which the name
Erwinia typographi sp. nov. is proposed, with the type strain DSM 22678T ( = Y1T = LMG 25347T).
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Affiliation(s)
| | - S. Radžiutė
- Institute of Ecology, Nature Research Centre, Akademijos str. 2, Vilnius LT-08412, Lithuania
| | - V. Stunžėnas
- Institute of Ecology, Nature Research Centre, Akademijos str. 2, Vilnius LT-08412, Lithuania
| | - V. Būda
- Faculty of Natural Sciences, Vilnius University, M.K. Čiurlionio 21/27, Vilnius LT-03101, Lithuania
- Institute of Ecology, Nature Research Centre, Akademijos str. 2, Vilnius LT-08412, Lithuania
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Müller I, Gernold M, Schneider B, Geider K. Expression of lysozymes from Erwinia amylovora phages and Erwinia genomes and inhibition by a bacterial protein. J Mol Microbiol Biotechnol 2012; 22:59-70. [PMID: 22456518 DOI: 10.1159/000335878] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Genes coding for lysozyme-inhibiting proteins (Ivy) were cloned from the chromosomes of the plant pathogens Erwinia amylovora and Erwinia pyrifoliae. The product interfered not only with activity of hen egg white lysozyme, but also with an enzyme from E. amylovora phage ΦEa1h. We have expressed lysozyme genes from the genomes of three Erwinia species in Escherichia coli. The lysozymes expressed from genes of the E. amylovora phages ΦEa104 and ΦEa116, Erwinia chromosomes and Arabidopsis thaliana were not affected by Ivy. The enzyme from bacteriophage ΦEa1h was fused at the N- or C-terminus to other peptides. Compared to the intact lysozyme, a His-tag reduced its lytic activity about 10-fold and larger fusion proteins abolished activity completely. Specific protease cleavage restored lysozyme activity of a GST-fusion. The bacteriophage-encoded lysozymes were more active than the enzymes from bacterial chromosomes. Viral lyz genes were inserted into a broad-host range vector, and transfer to E. amylovora inhibited cell growth. Inserted in the yeast Pichia pastoris, the ΦEa1h-lysozyme was secreted and also inhibited by Ivy. Here we describe expression of unrelated cloned 'silent' lyz genes from Erwinia chromosomes and a novel interference of bacterial Ivy proteins with a viral lysozyme.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ina Müller
- Julius Kühn-Institut, Institut für Pflanzenschutz in Obst- und Weinbau, Dossenheim, Deutschland
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Müller I, Lurz R, Geider K. Tasmancin and lysogenic bacteriophages induced from Erwinia tasmaniensis strains. Microbiol Res 2012; 167:381-7. [PMID: 22381912 DOI: 10.1016/j.micres.2012.01.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2011] [Revised: 01/16/2012] [Accepted: 01/22/2012] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Mitomycin C treatment of Erwinia tasmaniensis strains from Australia induced prophages and the expression of bacteriocins. The bacteriocin named tasmancin inhibited E. tasmaniensis strains from South Africa and Germany. A gene cluster with a klebicin-related operon and an immunity protein was detected on plasmid pET46 from E. tasmaniensis strain Et1/99. PCR reactions using primers directed to this region produced signals for several strains originating from Australia, but not for strains isolated in South Africa and Germany. The latter isolates lacked plasmid pET46. Bacteriophages were induced from E. tasmaniensis strains Et88 and Et14/99, both isolates from South-Eastern Australia. These phages formed plaques on several other strains from this region, as well as on E. tasmaniensis strains from South Africa and Germany. Sequencing revealed similarity of phages ϕEt88 and ϕEt14, which shared the host range on E. tasmaniensis strains. Bacteriophages and tasmancin may interfere with the viability of several related E. tasmaniensis strains in the environment of carrier strains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ina Müller
- Julius Kühn-Institut, Institut für Pflanzenschutz in Obst- und Weinbau, Schwabenheimer Str. 101, 69221 Dossenheim, Germany
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Gehring I, Geider K. Identification of Erwinia species isolated from apples and pears by differential PCR. J Microbiol Methods 2012; 89:57-62. [PMID: 22330936 DOI: 10.1016/j.mimet.2012.01.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2011] [Revised: 01/25/2012] [Accepted: 01/25/2012] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Many pathogenic and epiphytic bacteria isolated from apples and pears belong to the genus Erwinia; these include the species E. amylovora, E. pyrifoliae, E. billingiae, E. persicina, E. rhapontici and E. tasmaniensis. Identification and classification of freshly isolated bacterial species often requires tedious taxonomic procedures. To facilitate routine identification of Erwinia species, we have developed a PCR method based on species-specific oligonucleotides (SSOs) from the sequences of the housekeeping genes recA and gpd. Using species-specific primers that we report here, differentiation was done with conventional PCR (cPCR) and quantitative PCR (qPCR) applying two consecutive primer annealing temperatures. The specificity of the primers depends on terminal Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) that are characteristic for the target species. These PCR assays enabled us to distinguish eight Erwinia species, as well as to identify new Erwinia isolates from plant surfaces. When performed with mixed bacterial cultures, they only detected a single target species. This method is a novel approach to classify strains within the genus Erwinia by PCR and it can be used to confirm other diagnostic data, especially when specific PCR detection methods are not already available. The method may be applied to classify species within other bacterial genera.
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Affiliation(s)
- I Gehring
- Julius Kühn Institut, Institut für Pflanzenschutz in Obst- und Weinbau, Schwabenheimer Str. 101, 69221 Dossenheim, Germany
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Wensing A, Gernold M, Geider K. Detection of Erwinia species from the apple and pear flora by mass spectroscopy of whole cells and with novel PCR primers. J Appl Microbiol 2011; 112:147-58. [PMID: 21973322 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2672.2011.05165.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
Abstract
AIMS To detect the apple and pear pathogens Erwinia amylovora and Erwinia pyrifoliae as well as the related epiphytes Erwinia tasmaniensis and Erwinia billingiae, we created novel PCR primers and also applied them to a series of other plant-associated bacteria as control. To facilitate fast diagnosis, we used matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS). METHODS AND RESULTS The PCR primers were deduced from the pstS-glmS regions, which can include the gene for levansucrase, and also from regions encoding capsular polysaccharide synthesis. All primer combinations were specific for their associated Erwinia species to detect them with conventional PCR, also in mixed cultures from necrotic plant tissue. Other primers designed for quantitative PCR with SYBR Green or together with TaqMan probes were applied for real-time detection to determine growth of Erw. amylovora, Erw. billingiae, Erw. pyrifoliae and Erw. tasmaniensis in apple blossoms. From whole-cell protein extracts, profiles were generated using a Bruker microflex machine and Erwinia strains classified according to a score scheme. CONCLUSIONS The designed PCR primers identified the Erwinia species unambiguously and can be applied to qualitative and quantitative tests. MALDI-TOF MS data were in agreement with the PCR assays. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY The applied diagnosis methods allow fast and precise monitoring of two pathogenic and two epiphytic Erwinia species. They are valuable for population studies with apple and pear flowers and with diseased plant material.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Wensing
- Julius Kuehn Institute, Institute for Plant Protection in Fruit Crops and Viticulture, Schwabenheimer Str. 101, 69221 Dossenheim, Germany
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29
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Müller I, Lurz R, Kube M, Quedenau C, Jelkmann W, Geider K. Molecular and physiological properties of bacteriophages from North America and Germany affecting the fire blight pathogen Erwinia amylovora. Microb Biotechnol 2011; 4:735-45. [PMID: 21791029 PMCID: PMC3815410 DOI: 10.1111/j.1751-7915.2011.00272.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2011] [Revised: 05/09/2011] [Accepted: 05/19/2011] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
For possible control of fire blight affecting apple and pear trees, we characterized Erwinia amylovora phages from North America and Germany. The genome size determined by electron microscopy (EM) was confirmed by sequence data and major coat proteins were identified from gel bands by mass spectroscopy. By their morphology from EM data, φEa1h and φEa100 were assigned to the Podoviridae and φEa104 and φEa116 to the Myoviridae. Host ranges were essentially confined to E. amylovora, strains of the species Erwinia pyrifoliae, E. billingiae and even Pantoea stewartii were partially sensitive. The phages φEa1h and φEa100 were dependent on the amylovoran capsule of E. amylovora, φEa104 and φEa116 were not. The Myoviridae efficiently lysed their hosts and protected apple flowers significantly better than the Podoviridae against E. amylovora and should be preferred in biocontrol experiments. We have also isolated and partially characterized E. amylovora phages from apple orchards in Germany. They belong to the Podoviridae or Myoviridae with a host range similar to the phages isolated in North America. In EM measurements, the genome sizes of the Podoviridae were smaller than the genomes of the Myoviridae from North America and from Germany, which differed from each other in corresponding nucleotide sequences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ina Müller
- Julius Kühn‐Institut, Institut für Pflanzenschutz in Obst‐ und Weinbau, Schwabenheimer Str. 101, 69221 Dossenheim, Germany
| | - Rudi Lurz
- Max‐Planck‐Institut für Molekulare Genetik, Ihnestr. 63, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Michael Kube
- Max‐Planck‐Institut für Molekulare Genetik, Ihnestr. 63, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Claudia Quedenau
- Max‐Planck‐Institut für Molekulare Genetik, Ihnestr. 63, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Wilhelm Jelkmann
- Julius Kühn‐Institut, Institut für Pflanzenschutz in Obst‐ und Weinbau, Schwabenheimer Str. 101, 69221 Dossenheim, Germany
| | - Klaus Geider
- Julius Kühn‐Institut, Institut für Pflanzenschutz in Obst‐ und Weinbau, Schwabenheimer Str. 101, 69221 Dossenheim, Germany
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30
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Braun-Kiewnick A, Altenbach D, Oberhänsli T, Bitterlin W, Duffy B. A rapid lateral-flow immunoassay for phytosanitary detection of Erwinia amylovora and on-site fire blight diagnosis. J Microbiol Methods 2011; 87:1-9. [DOI: 10.1016/j.mimet.2011.06.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2011] [Revised: 06/13/2011] [Accepted: 06/18/2011] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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Castagno LN, Estrella MJ, Sannazzaro AI, Grassano AE, Ruiz OA. Phosphate-solubilization mechanism and in vitro plant growth promotion activity mediated by Pantoea eucalypti isolated from Lotus tenuis rhizosphere in the Salado River Basin (Argentina). J Appl Microbiol 2011; 110:1151-65. [PMID: 21299771 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2672.2011.04968.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
AIMS To isolate and characterize phosphate-solubilizing strains from a constrained environment such as the Salado River Basin and to assess their phosphate-solubilizing mechanisms, to further selection of the most promising strains to inoculate and improve the implantation and persistence of Lotus tenuis in the most important area devoted to meat-cow production in Argentina. METHODS AND RESULTS Fifty isolates were obtained and through BOX-PCR analysis, 17 non-redundant strains were identified. Subsequently, they were found to be related to Pantoea, Erwinia, Pseudomonas, Rhizobium and Enterobacter genera, via 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis. This was in agreement with the clusters obtained by antibiotic resistance analysis. All isolates were tested for their phosphate-solubilizing activity and selected strains were inoculated onto L. tenuis plants. The most efficient isolate, was identified as Pantoea eucalypti, a novel species in terms of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria. CONCLUSIONS The isolates obtained in this study showed a significant in vitro plant-growth promoting activity onto Lotus tenuis and the best of them solubilizes phosphate mainly via induction of the metabolism through secretion and oxidation of gluconic acid. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY The use of these bacteria as bioinoculants, alone or in combination with nitrogen-fixing micro-organisms, could be a sustainable practice to facilitate the nutrient supply to Lotus tenuis plants and preventing negative side-effects such as eutrophication.
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Affiliation(s)
- L N Castagno
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas-Instituto Tecnólogico de Chascomús, Chascomús, Argentina
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32
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Braunshausen
- Abteilung Physikalische Biochemie, Max Planck Institut für Molekulare Physiologie, Otto-Hahn Strasse 11, 44227 Dortmund, Germany
| | - Florian P. Seebeck
- Abteilung Physikalische Biochemie, Max Planck Institut für Molekulare Physiologie, Otto-Hahn Strasse 11, 44227 Dortmund, Germany
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33
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Moretti C, Hosni T, Vandemeulebroecke K, Brady C, De Vos P, Buonaurio R, Cleenwerck I. Erwinia oleae sp. nov., isolated from olive knots caused by Pseudomonas savastanoi pv. savastanoi. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 2010; 61:2745-2752. [PMID: 21186287 DOI: 10.1099/ijs.0.026336-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Three endophytic bacterial isolates were obtained in Italy from olive knots caused by Pseudomonas savastanoi pv. savastanoi. Phenotypic tests in combination with 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis indicated a phylogenetic position for these isolates in the genera Erwinia or Pantoea, and revealed two other strains with highly similar 16S rRNA gene sequences (>99 %), CECT 5262 and CECT 5264, obtained in Spain from olive knots. Rep-PCR DNA fingerprinting of the five strains from olive knots with BOX, ERIC and REP primers revealed three groups of profiles that were highly similar to each other. Multilocus sequence analysis (MLSA) based on concatenated partial atpD, gyrB, infB and rpoB gene sequences indicated that the strains constituted a single novel species in the genus Erwinia. The strains showed general phenotypic characteristics typical of the genus Erwinia and whole genome DNA-DNA hybridization data confirmed that they represented a single novel species of the genus Erwinia. The strains showed DNA G+C contents ranging from 54.7 to 54.9 mol%. They could be discriminated from phylogenetically related species of the genus Erwinia by their ability to utilize potassium gluconate, l-rhamnose and d-arabitol, but not glycerol, inositol or d-sorbitol. The name Erwinia oleae sp. nov. (type strain DAPP-PG 531(T)= LMG 25322(T) = DSM 23398(T)) is proposed for this novel taxon.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiaraluce Moretti
- Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie e Ambientali, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy
| | - Taha Hosni
- Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie e Ambientali, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy
| | | | - Carrie Brady
- LM-UGent, Laboratory of Microbiology, Faculty of Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Paul De Vos
- BCCM/LMG Bacteria Collection, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Roberto Buonaurio
- Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie e Ambientali, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy
| | - Ilse Cleenwerck
- BCCM/LMG Bacteria Collection, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
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Powney R, Smits TH, Sawbridge T, Frey B, Blom J, Frey JE, Plummer KM, Beer SV, Luck J, Duffy B, Rodoni B. Genome sequence of an Erwinia amylovora strain with pathogenicity restricted to Rubus plants. J Bacteriol 2011; 193:785-6. [PMID: 21131493 DOI: 10.1128/JB.01352-10] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Here, we present the genome of a strain of Erwinia amylovora, the fire blight pathogen, with pathogenicity restricted to Rubus spp. Comparative genomics of ATCC BAA-2158 with E. amylovora strains from non-Rubus hosts identified significant genetic differences but support the inclusion of this strain within the species E. amylovora.
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Smits THM, Rezzonico F, Duffy B. Evolutionary insights from Erwinia amylovora genomics. J Biotechnol 2010; 155:34-9. [PMID: 21040749 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiotec.2010.10.075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2010] [Revised: 10/14/2010] [Accepted: 10/22/2010] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Evolutionary genomics is coming into focus with the recent availability of complete sequences for many bacterial species. A hypothesis on the evolution of virulence factors in the plant pathogen Erwinia amylovora, the causative agent of fire blight, was generated using comparative genomics with the genomes E. amylovora, Erwinia pyrifoliae and Erwinia tasmaniensis. Putative virulence factors were mapped to the proposed genealogy of the genus Erwinia that is based on phylogenetic and genomic data. Ancestral origin of several virulence factors was identified, including levan biosynthesis, sorbitol metabolism, three T3SS and two T6SS. Other factors appeared to have been acquired after divergence of pathogenic species, including a second flagellar gene and two glycosyltransferases involved in amylovoran biosynthesis. E. amylovora singletons include 3 unique T3SS effectors that may explain differential virulence/host ranges. E. amylovora also has a unique T1SS export system, and a unique third T6SS gene cluster. Genetic analysis revealed signatures of foreign DNA suggesting that horizontal gene transfer is responsible for some of these differential features between the three species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Theo H M Smits
- Agroscope Changins-Wädenswil ACW, Division of Plant Protection, Swiss National Competence Center for Fire Blight, CH-8820 Wädenswil, Switzerland.
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Kube M, Migdoll AM, Gehring I, Heitmann K, Mayer Y, Kuhl H, Knaust F, Geider K, Reinhardt R. Genome comparison of the epiphytic bacteria Erwinia billingiae and E. tasmaniensis with the pear pathogen E. pyrifoliae. BMC Genomics 2010; 11:393. [PMID: 20565991 PMCID: PMC2897811 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2164-11-393] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2009] [Accepted: 06/22/2010] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The genus Erwinia includes plant-associated pathogenic and non-pathogenic Enterobacteria. Important pathogens such as Erwinia amylovora, the causative agent of fire blight and E. pyrifoliae causing bacterial shoot blight of pear in Asia belong to this genus. The species E. tasmaniensis and E. billingiae are epiphytic bacteria and may represent antagonists for biocontrol of fire blight. The presence of genes that are putatively involved in virulence in E. amylovora and E. pyrifoliae is of special interest for these species in consequence. RESULTS Here we provide the complete genome sequences of the pathogenic E. pyrifoliae strain Ep1/96 with a size of 4.1 Mb and of the non-pathogenic species E. billingiae strain Eb661 with a size of 5.4 Mb, de novo determined by conventional Sanger sequencing and next generation sequencing techniques. Genome comparison reveals large inversions resulting from homologous recombination events. Furthermore, comparison of deduced proteins highlights a relation of E. billingiae strain Eb661 to E. tasmaniensis strain Et1/99 and a distance to E. pyrifoliae for the overall gene content as well as for the presence of encoded proteins representing virulence factors for the pathogenic species. Pathogenicity of E. pyrifoliae is supposed to have evolved by accumulation of potential virulence factors. E. pyrifoliae carries factors for type III secretion and cell invasion. Other genes described as virulence factors for E. amylovora are involved in the production of exopolysaccharides, the utilization of plant metabolites such as sorbitol and sucrose. Some virulence-associated genes of the pathogenic species are present in E. tasmaniensis but mostly absent in E. billingiae. CONCLUSION The data of the genome analyses correspond to the pathogenic lifestyle of E. pyrifoliae and underlines the epiphytic localization of E. tasmaniensis and E. billingiae as a saprophyte.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Kube
- Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, htpt group, Ihnestr. 63, D-14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Alexander M Migdoll
- Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, htpt group, Ihnestr. 63, D-14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Isabel Gehring
- Julius Kuehn Institute, Institute for Plant Protection in Fruit Crops and Viticulture, Schwabenheimer Str. 101, D-69221 Dossenheim, Germany
- Heidelberg Institute for Plant Science, Neuenheimer Feld 360, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Katja Heitmann
- Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, htpt group, Ihnestr. 63, D-14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Yvonne Mayer
- Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, htpt group, Ihnestr. 63, D-14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Heiner Kuhl
- Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, htpt group, Ihnestr. 63, D-14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Florian Knaust
- Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, htpt group, Ihnestr. 63, D-14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Klaus Geider
- Julius Kuehn Institute, Institute for Plant Protection in Fruit Crops and Viticulture, Schwabenheimer Str. 101, D-69221 Dossenheim, Germany
| | - Richard Reinhardt
- Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, htpt group, Ihnestr. 63, D-14195 Berlin, Germany
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López MM, Roselló M, Llop P, Ferrer S, Christen R, Gardan L. Erwinia piriflorinigrans sp. nov., a novel pathogen that causes necrosis of pear blossoms. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 2010; 61:561-567. [PMID: 20382791 DOI: 10.1099/ijs.0.020479-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Eight Erwinia strains, isolated from necrotic pear blossoms in València, Spain, were compared with reference strains of Erwinia amylovora and Erwinia pyrifoliae, both of which are pathogenic to species of pear tree, and to other species of the family Enterobacteriaceae using a polyphasic approach. Phenotypic analyses clustered the novel isolates into one phenon, distinct from other species of the genus Erwinia, showing that the novel isolates constituted a homogeneous phenotypic group. Rep-PCR profiles, PCR products obtained with different pairs of primers and plasmid contents determined by restriction analysis showed differences between the novel strains and reference strains of E. amylovora and E. pyrifoliae. Phylogenetic analysis of 16S rRNA, gpd and recA gene sequences showed that the eight novel strains could not be assigned to any recognized species. On the basis of DNA-DNA hybridization studies, the novel isolates constituted a single group with relatedness values of 87-100 % to the designated type strain of the group, CFBP 5888(T). Depending on the method used, strain CFBP 5888(T) showed DNA-DNA relatedness values of between 22.7 and 50 % to strains of the closely related species E. amylovora and E. tasmaniensis. The DNA G+C contents of two of the novel strains, CFBP 5888(T) and CFBP 5883, were 51.1 and 50.5 mol%, respectively. On the basis of these and previous results, the novel isolates represent a novel species of the genus Erwinia, for which the name Erwinia piriflorinigrans sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is CFBP 5888(T) (=CECT 7348(T)).
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Affiliation(s)
- María M López
- Instituto Valenciano de Investigaciones Agrarias (IVIA). Ctra. Moncada-Náquera, km. 4,5, 46113 Moncada, Valencia, Spain
| | - Montserrat Roselló
- Área de Protección Agroalimentaria, Conselleria de Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentación, Ctra. Alicante-València, km. 276,5, 46460 Silla, Valencia, Spain
| | - Pablo Llop
- Instituto Valenciano de Investigaciones Agrarias (IVIA). Ctra. Moncada-Náquera, km. 4,5, 46113 Moncada, Valencia, Spain
| | - Sergi Ferrer
- ENOLAB - Departament de Microbiologia i Ecologia, Universitat de València, Dr Moliner 50, E-46100 Burjassot, València, Spain
| | - Richard Christen
- UMR 6543 CNRS and Université de Nice Sophia Antipolis, Centre de Biochimie, Parc Valrose, 06108 Nice CEDEX 2, France
| | - Louis Gardan
- UMR de Pavé, INRA-INH-Université, BP 60057. 42, rue G. Morel, 49071 Beaucouzé CEDEX, France
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Rozhon W, Petutschnig E, Khan M, Summers DK, Poppenberger B. Frequency and diversity of small cryptic plasmids in the genus Rahnella. BMC Microbiol 2010; 10:56. [PMID: 20170524 PMCID: PMC2831885 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2180-10-56] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2009] [Accepted: 02/19/2010] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Rahnella is a widely distributed genus belonging to the Enterobacteriaceae and frequently present on vegetables. Although Rahnella has interesting agro-economical and industrial properties and several strains possess antibiotic resistances and toxin genes which might spread within microbial communities, little is known about plasmids of this genus. Thus, we isolated a number of Rahnella strains and investigated their complements of small plasmids. RESULTS In total 53 strains were investigated and 11 plasmids observed. Seven belonged to the ColE1 family; one was ColE2-like and three shared homology to rolling circle plasmids. One of them belonged to the pC194/pUB110 family and two showed similarity to poorly characterised plasmid groups. The G+C content of two rolling circle plasmids deviated considerably from that of Rahnella, indicating that their usual hosts might belong to other genera. Most ColE1-like plasmids formed a subgroup within the ColE1 family that seems to be fairly specific for Rahnella. Intriguingly, the multimer resolution sites of all ColE1-like plasmids had the same orientation with respect to the origin of replication. This arrangement might be necessary to prevent inappropriate synthesis of a small regulatory RNA that regulates cell division. Although the ColE1-like plasmids did not possess any mobilisation system, they shared large parts with high sequence identity in coding and non-coding regions. In addition, highly homologous regions of plasmids isolated from Rahnella and the chromosomes of Erwinia tasmaniensis and Photorhabdus luminescens could be identified. CONCLUSIONS For the genus Rahnella we observed plasmid-containing isolates at a frequency of 19%, which is in the average range for Enterobacteriaceae. These plasmids belonged to different groups with members of the ColE1-family most frequently found. Regions of striking sequence homology of plasmids and bacterial chromosomes highlight the importance of plasmids for lateral gene transfer (including chromosomal sequences) to distinct genera.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wilfried Rozhon
- Max F Perutz Laboratories, University of Vienna, Dr Bohrgasse 9, Vienna, Austria.
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Smits THM, Jaenicke S, Rezzonico F, Kamber T, Goesmann A, Frey JE, Duffy B. Complete genome sequence of the fire blight pathogen Erwinia pyrifoliae DSM 12163T and comparative genomic insights into plant pathogenicity. BMC Genomics 2010; 11:2. [PMID: 20047678 PMCID: PMC2827408 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2164-11-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2009] [Accepted: 01/04/2010] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Erwinia pyrifoliae is a newly described necrotrophic pathogen, which causes fire blight on Asian (Nashi) pear and is geographically restricted to Eastern Asia. Relatively little is known about its genetics compared to the closely related main fire blight pathogen E. amylovora. Results The genome of the type strain of E. pyrifoliae strain DSM 12163T, was sequenced using both 454 and Solexa pyrosequencing and annotated. The genome contains a circular chromosome of 4.026 Mb and four small plasmids. Based on their respective role in virulence in E. amylovora or related organisms, we identified several putative virulence factors, including type III and type VI secretion systems and their effectors, flagellar genes, sorbitol metabolism, iron uptake determinants, and quorum-sensing components. A deletion in the rpoS gene covering the most conserved region of the protein was identified which may contribute to the difference in virulence/host-range compared to E. amylovora. Comparative genomics with the pome fruit epiphyte Erwinia tasmaniensis Et1/99 showed that both species are overall highly similar, although specific differences were identified, for example the presence of some phage gene-containing regions and a high number of putative genomic islands containing transposases in the E. pyrifoliae DSM 12163T genome. Conclusions The E. pyrifoliae genome is an important addition to the published genome of E. tasmaniensis and the unfinished genome of E. amylovora providing a foundation for re-sequencing additional strains that may shed light on the evolution of the host-range and virulence/pathogenicity of this important group of plant-associated bacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Theo H M Smits
- Swiss National Competence Center for Fire Blight, Division of Plant Protection, Agroscope Changins-Wädenswil ACW, Wädenswil, Switzerland
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Geider K, Auling G, Jakovljevic V, Völksch B. A polyphasic approach assigns the pathogenicErwiniastrains from diseased pear trees in Japan toErwinia pyrifoliae. Lett Appl Microbiol 2009; 48:324-30. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1472-765x.2008.02535.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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Jakovljevic V, Jock S, Du Z, Geider K. Hypersensitive response and acyl-homoserine lactone production of the fire blight antagonists Erwinia tasmaniensis and Erwinia billingiae. Microb Biotechnol 2008; 1:416-24. [PMID: 21261861 PMCID: PMC3815248 DOI: 10.1111/j.1751-7915.2008.00043.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2008] [Revised: 05/19/2008] [Accepted: 05/22/2008] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Fire blight caused by the Gram-negative bacterium Erwinia amylovora can be controlled by antagonistic microorganisms. We characterized epiphytic bacteria isolated from healthy apple and pear trees in Australia, named Erwinia tasmaniensis, and the epiphytic bacterium Erwinia billingiae from England for physiological properties, interaction with plants and interference with growth of E. amylovora. They reduced symptom formation by the fire blight pathogen on immature pears and the colonization of apple flowers. In contrast to E. billingiae, E. tasmaniensis strains induced a hypersensitive response in tobacco leaves and synthesized levan in the presence of sucrose. With consensus primers deduced from lsc as well as hrpL, hrcC and hrcR of the hrp region of E. amylovora and of related bacteria, these genes were successfully amplified from E. tasmaniensis DNA and alignment of the encoded proteins to other Erwinia species supported a role for environmental fitness of the epiphytic bacterium. Unlike E. tasmaniensis, the epiphytic bacterium E. billingiae produced an acyl-homoserine lactone for bacterial cell-to-cell communication. Their competition with the growth of E. amylovora may be involved in controlling fire blight.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Klaus Geider
- Max‐Planck‐Institut für Zellbiologie, Ladenburg and Julius Kühn Institut für Pflanzenschutz in Obst‐ und Weinbau, Schwabenheimer Str. 101, 69221 Dossenheim, Germany
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Abstract
The first case of cervical lymphadenitis due to infection by a new Erwinia-like organism is reported. The organism was identified initially as Pantoea sp. by a Vitek 2-based assessment but was finally identified as a member of the genus Erwinia by 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis. The isolate displayed 98.9% 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity to that of E. tasmaniensis and showed phenotypic characteristics that were different from other Erwinia species.
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Kube M, Migdoll AM, Müller I, Kuhl H, Beck A, Reinhardt R, Geider K. The genome of Erwinia tasmaniensis strain Et1/99, a non-pathogenic bacterium in the genus Erwinia. Environ Microbiol 2008; 10:2211-22. [PMID: 18462403 DOI: 10.1111/j.1462-2920.2008.01639.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
The complete genome of the bacterium Erwinia tasmaniensis strain Et1/99 consisting of a 3.9 Mb circular chromosome and five plasmids was sequenced. Strain Et1/99 represents an epiphytic plant bacterium related to Erwinia amylovora and E. pyrifoliae, which are responsible for the important plant diseases fire blight and Asian pear shoot blight, respectively. Strain Et1/99 is a non-pathogenic bacterium and is thought to compete with these and other bacteria when occupying the same habitat during initial colonization. Genome analysis revealed tools for colonization, cellular communication and defence modulation, as well as genes coding for the synthesis of levan and a not detected capsular exopolysaccharide. Strain Et1/99 may secrete indole-3-acetic acid to increase availability of nutrients provided on plant surfaces. These nutrients are subsequently accessed and metabolized. Secretion systems include the hypersensitive response type III pathway present in many pathogens. Differences or missing parts within the virulence-related factors distinguish strain Et1/99 from pathogens such as Pectobacterium atrosepticum and the related Erwinia spp. Strain Et1/99 completely lacks the sorbitol operon, which may also affect its inability to invade fire blight host plants. Erwinia amylovora in contrast depends for virulence on utilization of sorbitol, the dominant carbohydrate in rosaceous plants. The presence of other virulence-associated factors in strain Et1/99 indicates the ancestral genomic background of many plant-associated bacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Kube
- Max-Planck-Institute for Molecular Genetics, Berlin, Germany.
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Abstract
Autoinducers are important for cellular communication of bacteria. The luxS gene has a central role in the synthesis of autoinducer-2 (AI-2). The gene was identified in a shotgun library of Erwinia amylovora and primers designed for PCR amplification from bacterial DNA. Supernatants of several Erwinia amylovora strains were assayed for AI-2 activity with a Vibrio harveyi mutant and were positive. Many other plant-associated bacteria also showed AI-2 activity such as Erwinia pyrifoliae and Erwinia tasmaniensis. The luxS genes of several bacteria were cloned, sequenced, and complemented Escherichia coli strain DH5alpha and a Salmonella typhimurium mutant, both defective in luxS, for synthesis of AI-2. Assays to detect AI-2 activity in culture supernatants of several Pseudomonas syringae pathovars failed, which may indicate the absence of AI-2 or synthesis of another type. Several reporter strains did not detect synthesis of an acyl homoserine lactone (AHL, AI-1) by Erwinia amylovora, but confirmed AHL-synthesis for Erwinia carotovora ssp. atroseptica and Pantoea stewartii.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mojtaba Mohammadi
- Federal Biological Research Centre for Agriculture and Forestry (BBA), Dossenheim, Germany
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