Metabolic modeling of Pectobacterium parmentieri SCC3193 provides insights into metabolic pathways of plant pathogenic bacteria

ABSTRACTUnderstanding the plant-microbe interactions are crucial for improving plant productivity and plant protection. The latter aspect is particularly relevant for sustainable agriculture and development of new preventive strategies against the spread of plant diseases. Constraint-based metabolic modeling is providing one of the possible ways to investigate the adaptation to different ecological niches and may give insights into the metabolic versatility of plant pathogenic bacteria. In this study, we present a curated metabolic model of the emerging plant pathogenic bacterium Pectobacterium parmentieri SCC3193. Using flux balance analysis (FBA), we predict the metabolic adaptation to two different ecological niches, relevant for the persistence and the plant colonization by this bacterium: soil and rhizosphere. We performed in silico gene deletions to predict the set of core essential genes for this bacterium to grow in such environments. We anticipate that our metabolic model will be a valuable element for defining a set of metabolic targets to control infection and spreading of this plant pathogen and a scaffold to interpret future –omics datasets for this bacterium.

Download Full-text

Metabolic Modeling of Pectobacterium parmentieri SCC3193 Provides Insights into Metabolic Pathways of Plant Pathogenic Bacteria

Microorganisms ◽

10.3390/microorganisms7040101 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 7 (4) ◽

pp. 101 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Sabina Zoledowska ◽

Luana Presta ◽

Marco Fondi ◽

Francesca Decorosi ◽

Luciana Giovannetti ◽

...

Keyword(s):

In Silico ◽

Pathogenic Bacteria ◽

Metabolic Modeling ◽

Metabolic Model ◽

Metabolic Adaptation ◽

Ecological Niches ◽

Plant Colonization ◽

Phenotypic Data ◽

Plant Pathogenic Bacteria ◽

Metabolic Versatility

Understanding plant–microbe interactions is crucial for improving plants’ productivity and protection. Constraint-based metabolic modeling is one of the possible ways to investigate the bacterial adaptation to different ecological niches and may give insights into the metabolic versatility of plant pathogenic bacteria. We reconstructed a raw metabolic model of the emerging plant pathogenic bacterium Pectobacterium parmentieri SCC3193 with the use of KBase. The model was curated by using inParanoind and phenotypic data generated with the use of the OmniLog system. Metabolic modeling was performed through COBRApy Toolbox v. 0.10.1. The curated metabolic model of P. parmentieri SCC3193 is highly reliable, as in silico obtained results overlapped up to 91% with experimental data on carbon utilization phenotypes. By mean of flux balance analysis (FBA), we predicted the metabolic adaptation of P. parmentieri SCC3193 to two different ecological niches, relevant for the persistence and plant colonization by this bacterium: soil and the rhizosphere. We performed in silico gene deletions to predict the set of essential core genes for this bacterium to grow in such environments. We anticipate that our metabolic model will be a valuable element for defining a set of metabolic targets to control infection and spreading of this plant pathogen.

Download Full-text

Bacteriophages as bactericides in plant protection

Pesticidi i fitomedicina ◽

10.2298/pif0901009o ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 24 (1) ◽

pp. 9-17

Author(s):

Aleksa Obradovic

Keyword(s):

Biological Control ◽

Pathogenic Bacteria ◽

Plant Protection ◽

Control Measures ◽

Multiplication Rate ◽

Agricultural Crops ◽

Potential Solution ◽

Efficient Tool ◽

Environment Friendly ◽

Plant Pathogenic Bacteria

Control of plant pathogenic bacteria is a serious problem in production of many agricultural crops. High multiplication rate, adaptability and life inside plant tissue make bacteria unsuitable and inaccessible for most of control measures. Consequently, the list of bactericides available for plant protection is very short. Lately, biological control measures have been intensively studied as a potential solution of the problem. Investigation of bacteriophages, viruses that attack bacteria, is a fast-expanding area of research in plant protection. Several experiments have shown that they can be used as a very efficient tool for control of plant pathogenic bacteria. The fact that they are widespread natural bacterial enemies, simple for cultivation and management, host-specific, suitable for integration with other control practices, human and environment friendly, provide a great advantage for the application of phages over other bactericides.

Download Full-text

Antibiotic Resistance in Plant-Pathogenic Bacteria

Annual Review of Phytopathology ◽

10.1146/annurev-phyto-080417-045946 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 56 (1) ◽

pp. 161-180 ◽

Cited By ~ 48

Author(s):

George W. Sundin ◽

Nian Wang

Keyword(s):

Antibiotic Resistance ◽

Pseudomonas Syringae ◽

Xanthomonas Campestris ◽

Pathogenic Bacteria ◽

Plant Pathogens ◽

Management Strategies ◽

Resistance Management ◽

Plant Diseases ◽

Plant Pathogenic Bacteria ◽

Continued Use

Antibiotics have been used for the management of relatively few bacterial plant diseases and are largely restricted to high-value fruit crops because of the expense involved. Antibiotic resistance in plant-pathogenic bacteria has become a problem in pathosystems where these antibiotics have been used for many years. Where the genetic basis for resistance has been examined, antibiotic resistance in plant pathogens has most often evolved through the acquisition of a resistance determinant via horizontal gene transfer. For example, the strAB streptomycin-resistance genes occur in Erwinia amylovora, Pseudomonas syringae, and Xanthomonas campestris, and these genes have presumably been acquired from nonpathogenic epiphytic bacteria colocated on plant hosts under antibiotic selection. We currently lack knowledge of the effect of the microbiome of commensal organisms on the potential of plant pathogens to evolve antibiotic resistance. Such knowledge is critical to the development of robust resistance management strategies to ensure the safe and effective continued use of antibiotics in the management of critically important diseases.

Download Full-text

Inhibition of Plant-Pathogenic Bacteria by Short Synthetic Cecropin A-Melittin Hybrid Peptides

Applied and Environmental Microbiology ◽

10.1128/aem.72.5.3302-3308.2006 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 72 (5) ◽

pp. 3302-3308 ◽

Cited By ~ 74

Author(s):

Rafael Ferre ◽

Esther Badosa ◽

Lidia Feliu ◽

Marta Planas ◽

Emili Montesinos ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Pseudomonas Syringae ◽

Pathogenic Bacteria ◽

Antimicrobial Agents ◽

Plant Protection ◽

Bactericidal Effect ◽

Plant Pathogenic Bacteria ◽

Lead Compounds ◽

Human Red Blood Cells ◽

Hybrid Peptides ◽

Protease Degradation

ABSTRACT Short peptides of 11 residues were synthesized and tested against the economically important plant pathogenic bacteria Erwinia amylovora, Pseudomonas syringae, and Xanthomonas vesicatoria and compared to the previously described peptide Pep3 (WKLFKKILKVL-NH2). The antimicrobial activity of Pep3 and 22 analogues was evaluated in terms of the MIC and the 50% effective dose (ED50) for growth. Peptide cytotoxicity against human red blood cells and peptide stability toward protease degradation were also determined. Pep3 and several analogues inhibited growth of the three pathogens and had a bactericidal effect at low micromolar concentrations (ED50 of 1.3 to 7.3 μM). One of the analogues consisting of a replacement of both Trp and Val with Lys and Phe, respectively, resulted in a peptide with improved bactericidal activity and minimized cytotoxicity and susceptibility to protease degradation compared to Pep3. The best analogues can be considered as potential lead compounds for the development of new antimicrobial agents for use in plant protection either as components of pesticides or expressed in transgenic plants.

Download Full-text

Inhibition of Fungal and Bacterial Plant Pathogens In Vitro and In Planta with Ultrashort Cationic Lipopeptides

Applied and Environmental Microbiology ◽

10.1128/aem.01334-07 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 73 (20) ◽

pp. 6629-6636 ◽

Cited By ~ 68

Author(s):

Arik Makovitzki ◽

Ada Viterbo ◽

Yariv Brotman ◽

Ilan Chet ◽

Yechiel Shai

Keyword(s):

Pseudomonas Syringae ◽

Pathogenic Bacteria ◽

Plant Pathogens ◽

Antimicrobial Agents ◽

Plant Protection ◽

Microscopic Analysis ◽

Plant Diseases ◽

In Planta ◽

Global Food Security

ABSTRACT Plant diseases constitute an emerging threat to global food security. Many of the currently available antimicrobial agents for agriculture are highly toxic and nonbiodegradable and cause extended environmental pollution. Moreover, an increasing number of phytopathogens develop resistance to them. Recently, we have reported on a new family of ultrashort antimicrobial lipopeptides which are composed of only four amino acids linked to fatty acids (A. Makovitzki, D. Avrahami, and Y. Shai, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 103:15997-16002, 2006). Here, we investigated the activities in vitro and in planta and the modes of action of these short lipopeptides against plant-pathogenic bacteria and fungi. They act rapidly, at low micromolar concentrations, on the membranes of the microorganisms via a lytic mechanism. In vitro microscopic analysis revealed wide-scale damage to the microorganism's membrane, in addition to inhibition of pathogen growth. In planta potent antifungal activity was demonstrated on cucumber fruits and leaves infected with the pathogen Botrytis cinerea as well as on corn leaves infected with Cochliobolus heterostrophus. Similarly, treatment with the lipopeptides of Arabidopsis leaves infected with the bacterial leaf pathogen Pseudomonas syringae efficiently and rapidly reduced the number of bacteria. Importantly, in contrast to what occurred with many native lipopeptides, no toxicity was observed on the plant tissues. These data suggest that the ultrashort lipopeptides could serve as native-like antimicrobial agents economically feasible for use in plant protection.

Download Full-text

THE ACTIVITY OF ESSENTIAL OILS OBTAINED FROM SPECIES AND INTERSPECIES HYBRIDS OF THE Mentha GENUS AGAINST SELECTED PLANT PATHOGENIC BACTERIA

Acta Scientiarum Polonorum Hortorum Cultus ◽

10.24326/asphc.2018.6.17 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 17 (6) ◽

pp. 167-174 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Małgorzata Schollenberger ◽

Tomasz M. Staniek ◽

Elżbieta Paduch-Cichal ◽

Beata Dasiewicz ◽

Agnieszka Gadomska-Gajadhur ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Essential Oils ◽

Pseudomonas Syringae ◽

Pathogenic Bacteria ◽

Antimicrobial Effect ◽

Mentha Piperita ◽

Mentha Spicata ◽

Plant Essential Oils ◽

Plant Pathogenic Bacteria ◽

Interspecies Hybrids

Plant essential oils of six aromatic herb species and interspecies hybrids of the family Lamiaceae – chocolate mint (Mentha piperita × ‘Chocolate’), pineapple mint (Mentha suaveolens ‘Variegata’), apple mint (Mentha × rotundifolia), spearmint (Mentha spicata), orange mint (Mentha × piperita ‘Granada’) and strawberry mint (Mentha × villosa ‘Strawberry’) – were investigated for antimicrobial effects against plant pathogenic bacteria: Agrobacterium tumefaciens, Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae and Xanthomonas arboricola pv. corylina. The screening was carried out in vitro on agar plates filled with the target organism. All essential oils screened exhibited a higher level of antibacterial activity against A. tumefaciens and X. arboricola pv. corylina than streptomycin used as a standard in all tests. The antimicrobial effect of streptomycin and five mint oils was at the same level for P. syringae pv. syringae. There were no significant differences in the influence of the chocolate mint oil on the growth inhibition of all bacteria tested. Plant essential oils from pineapple mint, apple mint, spearmint and strawberry mint showed the weakest antimicrobial activity against P. syringae pv. syringae and the strongest towards A. tumefaciens and X. arboricola pv. corylina. The essential oils from strawberry mint, pineapple mint, spearmint and apple mint had the strongest effect on A. tumefaciens, and the lowest inhibitory activity was exhibited by the chocolate mint and orange mint essential oils. X. arboricola pv. corylina was the most sensitive to the strawberry mint, pineapple mint and spearmint oils. The chocolate mint oil showed the greatest activity against P. syringae pv. syringae.

Download Full-text

Isolation and efficacy of two bacterial strains antagonists of Erwinia amylovora and Pectobacterium carotovorum

Egyptian Journal of Biological Pest Control ◽

10.1186/s41938-021-00443-0 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 31 (1) ◽

Author(s):

M’hamed BENADA ◽

Boualem BOUMAAZA ◽

Sofiane BOUDALIA ◽

Omar KHALADI

Keyword(s):

Fire Blight ◽

Erwinia Amylovora ◽

Bacterial Species ◽

Crop Protection ◽

Soft Rot ◽

Causal Agent ◽

Plant Diseases ◽

Ecological Niches ◽

Pectobacterium Carotovorum ◽

Bacterial Strains

Abstract Background The development of ecofriendly tools against plant diseases is an important issue in crop protection. Screening and selection process of bacterial strains antagonists of 2 pathogenic bacterial species that limit very important crops, Erwinia amylovora, the causal agent of the fire blight disease, and Pectobacterium carotovorum, the causal agent of bacterial potato soft rot, were reported. Bacterial colonies were isolated from different ecological niches, where both pathogens were found: rhizosphere of potato tubers and fruits and leaves of pear trees from the northwest region of Algeria. Direct and indirect confrontation tests against strains of E. amylovora and P. carotovorum were performed. Results Results showed a significant antagonistic activity against both phytopathogenic species, using direct confrontation method and supernatants of cultures (p<0.005). In vitro assays showed growth inhibitions of both phytopathogenic species. Furthermore, results revealed that the strains of S. plymuthica had a better inhibitory effect than the strains of P. fluorescens against both pathogens. In vivo results on immature pear fruits showed a significant decrease in the progression of the fire blight symptoms, with a variation in the infection index from one antagonistic strain to another between 31.3 and 50%, and slice of potato showed total inhibition of the pathogen (P. carotovorum) by the antagonistic strains of Serratia plymuthica (p<0.005). Conclusion This study highlighted that the effective bacteria did not show any infection signs towards plant tissue, and considered as a potential strategy to limit the fire blight and soft rot diseases.

Download Full-text