scholarly journals A horizontally acquired expansin gene increases virulence of the emerging plant pathogen Erwinia tracheiphila

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jorge Rocha ◽  
Lori R. Shapiro ◽  
Roberto Kolter
Keyword(s):  
Plant Pathogen ◽  
Bacterial Colonization ◽  
Glycoside Hydrolase Family ◽  
Genetic Determinants ◽  
Erwinia Tracheiphila ◽  
Systemic Movement ◽  
Wilt Symptom ◽  
Plant Movement ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Bacterial Plant Pathogen

AbstractErwinia tracheiphila is a bacterial plant pathogen that causes a fatal wilt infection in some cucurbit crop plants. Wilt symptoms are thought to be caused by systemic bacterial colonization through xylem that impedes sap flow. However, the genetic determinants of within-plant movement are unknown for this pathogen species. Here, we find that E. tracheiphila has horizontally acquired an operon with a microbial expansin (exlx) gene adjacent to a glycoside hydrolase family 5 (gh5) gene. Plant inoculation experiments with deletion mutants in the individual genes (Δexlx and Δgh5) and the full operon (Δexlx–gh5) resulted in decreased severity of wilt symptoms, decreased mortality rate, and impaired systemic colonization compared to the Wt strain. Co-inoculation experiments with Wt and Δexlx–gh5 rescued the movement defect of the mutant strain, suggesting that expansin and GH5 function extracellularly. Together, these results show that expansin–GH5 contributes to systemic movement through xylem, leading to rapid wilt symptom development and higher rates of plant death. The presence of expansin genes in diverse species of bacterial and fungal wilt-inducing pathogens suggests that microbial expansin proteins may be an under-appreciated virulence factor for many pathogen species.

scholarly journals Draft Genome Sequence of an Erwinia tracheiphila Isolate from an Infected Muskmelon (Cucumis melo)

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (17) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lori R. Shapiro ◽  
Andres Andrade ◽  
Erin D. Scully ◽  
Jorge Rocha ◽  
Joseph N. Paulson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Variation ◽  
North America ◽  
Plant Pathogen ◽  
Cucumis Melo ◽  
Reference Genome ◽  
Draft Genome ◽  
Eastern North America ◽  
Erwinia Tracheiphila ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Bacterial Plant Pathogen

Erwinia tracheiphila is a bacterial plant pathogen emerging in eastern North America. To aid in understanding genetic variation within E. tracheiphila, here we sequence the first reference genome of an infected muskmelon (Cucumis melo).

scholarly journals A horizontally acquired expansin gene increases virulence of the emerging plant pathogen Erwinia tracheiphila

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jorge Rocha ◽  
Lori R. Shapiro ◽  
Roberto Kolter
Keyword(s):  
Cell Wall ◽  
Virulence Factor ◽  
Plant Pathogen ◽  
Glycoside Hydrolase ◽  
Normal Growth ◽  
Glycoside Hydrolase Family ◽  
Erwinia Tracheiphila ◽  
Recent Emergence ◽  
Horizontal Acquisition ◽  
Hydrolase Family

AbstractAll land plants depend on proteins called ‘expansins’ that non-enzymatically loosen structural cellulose, enabling cell wall extension during normal growth. Surprisingly, expansin genes are also present – but functionally uncharacterized – in taxonomically diverse bacteria and fungi that do not produce cellulosic cell walls. Here, we find that Erwinia tracheiphila (Enterobacteriaceae), the causative agent of bacterial wilt of cucurbits, has horizontally acquired an operon with a microbial expansin (exlx) gene and a glycoside hydrolase family 5 (gh5) gene. E. tracheiphila is an unusually virulent plant pathogen that induces systemic wilt symptoms followed by plant death, and has only recently emerged into cultivated cucurbit populations in temperate Eastern North America. Plant inoculation experiments with deletion mutants show that EXLX-GH5 is a secreted virulence factor that confers efficient xylem movement and colonization ability to E. tracheiphila. Bacterial colonization of xylem blocks sap flow, inducing wilt symptoms and causing plant death. Together, these results suggest that the horizontal acquisition of the exlx-gh5 locus was likely a key step driving the recent emergence of E. tracheiphila. The increase in E. tracheiphila virulence conferred by microbial expansins, the presence of this gene in many other bacterial and fungal wilt-inducing plant pathogen species, and the amenability of microbial expansins to horizontal gene transfer suggest this gene may be an under-appreciated virulence factor in taxonomically diverse agricultural pathogens.ImportanceErwinia tracheiphila is a bacterial plant pathogen that causes a fatal wilt infection in cucurbit crop plants. Here, we report that E. tracheiphila has horizontally acquired a microbial expansin gene (exlx) adjacent to a glycoside hydrolase family 5 (gh5) gene. Expansins are predominantly associated with plants due to their essential role in loosening structural cell wall cellulose during normal growth. We find that the EXLX and GH5 proteins in E. tracheiphila function as a single complex to facilitate xylem colonization, possibly by manipulating the size of xylem structures that normally exclude the passage of bacteria. This suggests that horizontal acquisition of the exlx-gh5 locus was likely a key step in the recent emergence of E. tracheiphila as an unusually virulent plant pathogen. The presence of microbial expansin genes in diverse species of bacterial and fungal wilt-inducing pathogens suggests it may be an under-appreciated virulence factor for other microbes.

Identifying Genetic Determinants of Atopic Dermatitis and Bacterial Colonization Using Whole Genome Sequencing

2015 ◽  
Vol 135 (2) ◽  
pp. AB391 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rasika A. Mathias ◽  
Sameer Chavan ◽  
Kruthika R. Iyer ◽  
Nicholas M. Rafaels ◽  
Meher Boorgula ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Atopic Dermatitis ◽  
Whole Genome Sequencing ◽  
Genome Sequencing ◽  
Bacterial Colonization ◽  
Whole Genome ◽  
Genetic Determinants

In Search of the “Society Genes”: What Could Be a Link Between Individual Genetics and Social Structure

2021 ◽  
Vol 32 (6) ◽  
pp. 42
Author(s):  
Denis S. Andreyuk
Keyword(s):  
Social Relations ◽  
Risk Taking ◽  
Individual Characteristics ◽  
Evolutionary Development ◽  
Social Changes ◽  
Genetic Determinants ◽  
Genetic Changes ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Genetically Determined

Genome editing technologies make it important to look for genetic determinants that can influence the structure of society and basic social relations. This paper proposes to look for such determinants in the evolutionarily ancient mechanisms of group interaction, namely in the genes that determine the balance of cooperation and competition. The opposition of these two forces is thought to be the basis of the evolutionary development of intelligence in higher primates and humans. The article provides examples showing that individual characteristics such as extraversion/introversion as measured by the "Big Five" methodology, aggressiveness, which strongly associates with the risk taking, and the level of intelligence, all of these traits a) greatly influence the organization of social processes and b) are largely genetically determined. As a development of this approach of searching for socially significant genetic determinants, it is proposed to model genetic changes in sociality, aggressiveness and intelligence at the individual level, followed by an analysis of the resulting social changes.

scholarly journals Three Draft Genome Sequences of the Bacterial Plant Pathogen Ralstonia solanacearum, Isolated in Georgia

2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (23) ◽  
Author(s):  
Adam Kotorashvili ◽  
Galina Meparishvili ◽  
Giorgi Gogoladze ◽  
Nato Kotaria ◽  
Maka Muradashvili ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Causative Agent ◽  
Plant Pathogen ◽  
Bacterial Wilt ◽  
Ralstonia Solanacearum ◽  
Draft Genome ◽  
Genome Sequences ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Bacterial Plant Pathogen ◽  
Pepper Plants

ABSTRACT Ralstonia solanacearum, the causative agent of bacterial wilt, is a devastating bacterial plant pathogen with a wide range of hosts. We report here the first draft genome sequences for three strains of Ralstonia solanacearum isolated from infected potato, tomato, and pepper plants in Georgia.

How the bacterial plant pathogen Xanthomonas campestris pv. vesicatoria conquers the host

2000 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 73-76 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ulla Bonas ◽  
Guido Van den Ackerveken ◽  
Daniela Büttner ◽  
Karoline Hahn ◽  
Eric Marois ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Plant Pathogen ◽  
Xanthomonas Campestris ◽  
Bacterial Plant Pathogen

scholarly journals Ralstonia solanacearum, a widespread bacterial plant pathogen in the post-genomic era

2013 ◽  
Vol 14 (7) ◽  
pp. 651-662 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nemo Peeters ◽  
Alice Guidot ◽  
Fabienne Vailleau ◽  
Marc Valls
Keyword(s):  
Plant Pathogen ◽  
Ralstonia Solanacearum ◽  
Bacterial Plant Pathogen
Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document