Ralstonia solanacearum Uses Inorganic Nitrogen Metabolism for Virulence, ATP Production, and Detoxification in the Oxygen-Limited Host Xylem Environment

ABSTRACTGenomic data predict that, in addition to oxygen, the bacterial plant pathogenRalstonia solanacearumcan use nitrate (NO3−), nitrite (NO2−), nitric oxide (NO), and nitrous oxide (N2O) as terminal electron acceptors (TEAs). Genes encoding inorganic nitrogen reduction were highly expressed during tomato bacterial wilt disease, when the pathogen grows in xylem vessels. Direct measurements found that tomato xylem fluid was low in oxygen, especially in plants infected by R. solanacearum. Xylem fluid contained ~25 mM NO3−, corresponding to R. solanacearum's optimal NO3−concentration for anaerobic growthin vitro. We tested the hypothesis that R. solanacearum uses inorganic nitrogen species to respire and grow during pathogenesis by making deletion mutants that each lacked a step in nitrate respiration (ΔnarG), denitrification (ΔaniA, ΔnorB, and ΔnosZ), or NO detoxification (ΔhmpX). TheΔnarG,ΔaniA, andΔnorBmutants grew poorly on NO3−compared to the wild type, and they had reduced adenylate energy charge levels under anaerobiosis. While NarG-dependent NO3−respiration directly enhanced growth, AniA-dependent NO2−reduction did not. NO2−and NO inhibited growth in culture, and their removal depended on denitrification and NO detoxification. Thus, NO3−acts as a TEA, but the resulting NO2−and NO likely do not. None of the mutants grew as well as the wild typein planta, and strains lacking AniA (NO2−reductase) or HmpX (NO detoxification) had reduced virulence on tomato. Thus, R. solanacearum exploits host NO3−to respire, grow, and cause disease. Degradation of NO2−and NO is also important for successful infection and depends on denitrification and NO detoxification systems.IMPORTANCEThe plant-pathogenic bacteriumRalstonia solanacearumcauses bacterial wilt, one of the world's most destructive crop diseases. This pathogen's explosive growth in plant vascular xylem is poorly understood. We used biochemical and genetic approaches to show that R. solanacearum rapidly depletes oxygen in host xylem but can then respire using host nitrate as a terminal electron acceptor. The microbe uses its denitrification pathway to detoxify the reactive nitrogen species nitrite (a product of nitrate respiration) and nitric oxide (a plant defense signal). Detoxification may play synergistic roles in bacterial wilt virulence by converting the host's chemical weapon into an energy source. Mutant bacterial strains lacking elements of the denitrification pathway could not grow as well as the wild type in tomato plants, and some mutants were also reduced in virulence. Our results show how a pathogen's metabolic activity can alter the host environment in ways that increase pathogen success.

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Ralstonia solanacearum Requires PopS, an Ancient AvrE-Family Effector, for Virulence and To Overcome Salicylic Acid-Mediated Defenses during Tomato Pathogenesis

mBio ◽

10.1128/mbio.00875-13 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 4 (6) ◽

Cited By ~ 27

Author(s):

Jonathan M. Jacobs ◽

Annett Milling ◽

Raka M. Mitra ◽

Clifford S. Hogan ◽

Florent Ailloud ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Salicylic Acid ◽

Bacterial Wilt ◽

Ralstonia Solanacearum ◽

Species Complex ◽

Plant Defenses ◽

Natural Infection ◽

Wild Type ◽

Tomato Plants ◽

Content Type ◽

Type Iii

ABSTRACTDuring bacterial wilt of tomato, the plant pathogen Ralstonia solanacearum upregulates expression ofpopS, which encodes a type III-secreted effector in the AvrE family. PopS is a core effector present in all sequenced strains in theR. solanacearumspecies complex. The phylogeny ofpopSmirrors that of the species complex as a whole, suggesting that this is an ancient, vertically inherited effector needed for association with plants. ApopSmutant ofR. solanacearumUW551 had reduced virulence on agriculturally importantSolanumspp., including potato and tomato plants. However, thepopSmutant had wild-type virulence on a weed host,Solanum dulcamara, suggesting that some species can avoid the effects of PopS. ThepopSmutant was also significantly delayed in colonization of tomato stems compared to the wild type. Some AvrE-type effectors from gammaproteobacteria suppress salicylic acid (SA)-mediated plant defenses, suggesting that PopS, a betaproteobacterial ortholog, has a similar function. Indeed, thepopSmutant induced significantly higher expression of tomato SA-triggered pathogenesis-related (PR) genes than the wild type. Further, pretreatment of roots with SA exacerbated thepopSmutant virulence defect. Finally, thepopSmutant had no colonization defect on SA-deficient NahG transgenic tomato plants. Together, these results indicate that this conserved effector suppresses SA-mediated defenses in tomato roots and stems, which areR. solanacearum’s natural infection sites. Interestingly, PopS did not trigger necrosis when heterologously expressed inNicotianaleaf tissue, unlike the AvrE homolog DspEPccfrom the necrotrophPectobacterium carotovorumsubsp.carotovorum. This is consistent with the differing pathogenesis modes of necrosis-causing gammaproteobacteria and biotrophicR. solanacearum.IMPORTANCEThe type III-secreted AvrE effector family is widely distributed in high-impact plant-pathogenic bacteria and is known to suppress plant defenses for virulence. We characterized the biology of PopS, the only AvrE homolog made by the bacterial wilt pathogenRalstonia solanacearum. To our knowledge, this is the first study ofR. solanacearumeffector function in roots and stems, the natural infection sites of this pathogen. Unlike the functionally redundantR. solanacearumeffectors studied to date, PopS is required for full virulence and wild-type colonization of two natural crop hosts.R. solanacearumis a biotrophic pathogen that causes a nonnecrotic wilt. Consistent with this, PopS suppressed plant defenses but did not elicit cell death, unlike AvrE homologs from necrosis-causing plant pathogens. We propose that AvrE family effectors have functionally diverged to adapt to the necrotic or nonnecrotic lifestyle of their respective pathogens.

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The In Planta Transcriptome of Ralstonia solanacearum: Conserved Physiological and Virulence Strategies during Bacterial Wilt of Tomato

mBio ◽

10.1128/mbio.00114-12 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 3 (4) ◽

Cited By ~ 96

Author(s):

Jonathan M. Jacobs ◽

Lavanya Babujee ◽

Fanhong Meng ◽

Annett Milling ◽

Caitilyn Allen

Keyword(s):

Bacterial Wilt ◽

Ralstonia Solanacearum ◽

High Cell ◽

In Planta ◽

Bacterial Gene ◽

Content Type ◽

Xylem Fluid ◽

Bacterial Gene Expression ◽

Weed Host ◽

Cell Densities

ABSTRACTPlant xylem fluid is considered a nutrient-poor environment, but the bacterial wilt pathogenRalstonia solanacearumis well adapted to it, growing to 108to 109 CFU/g tomato stem. To better understand howR. solanacearumsucceeds in this habitat, we analyzed the transcriptomes of two phylogenetically distinctR. solanacearumstrains that both wilt tomato, strains UW551 (phylotype II) and GMI1000 (phylotype I). We profiled bacterial gene expression at ~6 × 108 CFU/ml in culture or in plant xylem during early tomato bacterial wilt pathogenesis. Despite phylogenetic differences, these two strains expressed their 3,477 common orthologous genes in generally similar patterns, with about 12% of their transcriptomes significantly alteredin plantaversus in rich medium. Several primary metabolic pathways were highly expressed during pathogenesis. These pathways included sucrose uptake and catabolism, and components of these pathways were encoded by genes in thescrABYcluster. A UW551scrAmutant was significantly reduced in virulence on resistant and susceptible tomato as well as on potato and the epidemiologically important weed hostSolanum dulcamara. FunctionalscrAcontributed to pathogen competitive fitness during colonization of tomato xylem, which contained ~300 µM sucrose.scrAexpression was induced by sucrose, but to a much greater degree by growthin planta. Unexpectedly, 45% of the genes directly regulated by HrpB, the transcriptional activator of the type 3 secretion system (T3SS), were upregulatedin plantaat high cell densities. This result modifies a regulatory model based on bacterial behavior in culture, where this key virulence factor is repressed at high cell densities. The active transcription of these genes in wilting plants suggests that T3SS has a biological role throughout the disease cycle.IMPORTANCERalstonia solanacearumis a widespread plant pathogen that causes bacterial wilt disease. It inflicts serious crop losses on tropical farmers, with major economic and human consequences. It is also a model for the many destructive microbes that colonize the water-conducting plant xylem tissue, which is low in nutrients and oxygen. We extracted bacteria from infected tomato plants and globally identified the biological functions thatR. solanacearumexpresses during plant pathogenesis. This revealed the unexpected presence of sucrose in tomato xylem fluid and the pathogen’s dependence on host sucrose for virulence on tomato, potato, and the common weed bittersweet nightshade. Further,R. solanacearumwas highly responsive to the plant environment, expressing several metabolic and virulence functions quite differently in the plant than in pure culture. These results reinforce the utility of studying pathogens in interaction with hosts and suggest that selecting for reduced sucrose levels could generate wilt-resistant crops.

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Effect of Nitroxides on Swarming Motility and Biofilm Formation, Multicellular Behaviors in Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy ◽

10.1128/aac.01381-13 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 57 (10) ◽

pp. 4877-4881 ◽

Cited By ~ 45

Author(s):

César de la Fuente-Núñez ◽

Fany Reffuveille ◽

Kathryn E. Fairfull-Smith ◽

Robert E. W. Hancock

Keyword(s):

Nitric Oxide ◽

Pseudomonas Aeruginosa ◽

Biofilm Formation ◽

Wild Type ◽

Planktonic Cells ◽

Swarming Motility ◽

Content Type ◽

Exogenous Addition ◽

Biofilm Dispersion ◽

Dispersal Activity

ABSTRACTThe ability of nitric oxide (NO) to induce biofilm dispersion has been well established. Here, we investigated the effect of nitroxides (sterically hindered nitric oxide analogues) on biofilm formation and swarming motility inPseudomonas aeruginosa. A transposon mutant unable to produce nitric oxide endogenously (nirS) was deficient in swarming motility relative to the wild type and the complemented strain. Moreover, expression of thenirSgene was upregulated by 9.65-fold in wild-type swarming cells compared to planktonic cells. Wild-type swarming levels were substantially restored upon the exogenous addition of nitroxide containing compounds, a finding consistent with the hypothesis that NO is necessary for swarming motility. Here, we showed that nitroxides not only mimicked the dispersal activity of NO but also prevented biofilms from forming in flow cell chambers. In addition, anirStransposon mutant was deficient in biofilm formation relative to the wild type and the complemented strain, thus implicating NO in the formation of biofilms. Intriguingly, despite its stand-alone action in inhibiting biofilm formation and promoting dispersal, a nitroxide partially restored the ability of anirSmutant to form biofilms.

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A cbb3-Type Cytochrome C Oxidase Contributes to Ralstonia solanacearum R3bv2 Growth in Microaerobic Environments and to Bacterial Wilt Disease Development in Tomato

Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions ◽

10.1094/mpmi-23-8-1042 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 23 (8) ◽

pp. 1042-1052 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

Jennifer Colburn-Clifford ◽

Caitilyn Allen

Keyword(s):

Cytochrome C ◽

Cytochrome C Oxidase ◽

Bacterial Wilt ◽

Ralstonia Solanacearum ◽

Wilt Disease ◽

Wild Type ◽

Low Oxygen ◽

Tomato Root ◽

Bacterial Wilt Disease ◽

Oxygen Conditions

Ralstonia solanacearum race 3 biovar 2 (R3bv2) is an economically important soilborne plant pathogen that causes bacterial wilt disease by infecting host plant roots and colonizing the xylem vessels. Little is known about R3bv2 behavior in the host rhizosphere and early in bacterial wilt pathogenesis. To explore this part of the disease cycle, we used a novel taxis-based promoter-trapping strategy to identify pathogen genes induced in the plant rhizosphere. This screen identified several rex (root exudate expressed) genes whose promoters were upregulated in the presence of tomato root exudates. One rex gene encodes an assembly protein for a high affinity cbb3-type cytochrome c oxidase (cbb3-cco) that enables respiration in low-oxygen conditions in other bacteria. R3bv2 cbb3-cco gene expression increased under low-oxygen conditions, and a cbb3-cco mutant strain grew more slowly in a microaerobic environment (0.5% O2). Although the cco mutant could still wilt tomato plants, symptom onset was significantly delayed relative to the wild-type parent strain. Further, the cco mutant did not colonize host stems or adhere to roots as effectively as wild type. These results suggest that R3bv2 encounters low-oxygen environments during its interactions with host plants and that the pathogen depends on this oxidase to help it succeed in planta.

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Complete Genome Sequence of Ralstonia solanacearum FJAT-1458, a Potential Biocontrol Agent for Tomato Wilt

Genome Announcements ◽

10.1128/genomea.00070-17 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 5 (14) ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Deju Chen ◽

Bo Liu ◽

Yujing Zhu ◽

Jieping Wang ◽

Zheng Chen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Genome Sequence ◽

Bacterial Wilt ◽

Ralstonia Solanacearum ◽

Complete Genome Sequence ◽

Biocontrol Agent ◽

Avirulent Strain ◽

Potential Candidate ◽

Content Type ◽

Potential Biocontrol Agent ◽

Plant Vaccine

ABSTRACT An avirulent strain of Ralstonia solanacearum FJAT-1458 was isolated from a living tomato. Here, we report the complete R. solanacearum FJAT-1458 genome sequence of 6,059,899 bp and 5,241 genes. This bacterial strain is a potential candidate as a biocontrol agent in the form of a plant vaccine for bacterial wilt.

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

Genome Announcements ◽

10.1128/genomea.00480-17 ◽

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.

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Environmental and Genetic Determinants of Biofilm Formation inParacoccus denitrificans

mSphere ◽

10.1128/mspheredirect.00350-17 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 2 (5) ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Santosh Kumar ◽

Stephen Spiro

Keyword(s):

Nitric Oxide ◽

Biofilm Formation ◽

Paracoccus Denitrificans ◽

Binding Protein ◽

Anaerobic Growth ◽

Type I ◽

Content Type ◽

Attached Growth ◽

Polystyrene Surface ◽

Biofilm Development

ABSTRACTThe genome of the denitrifying bacteriumParacoccus denitrificanspredicts the expression of a small heme-containing nitric oxide (NO) binding protein, H-NOX. The genome organization and prior work in other bacteria suggest that H-NOX interacts with a diguanylate cyclase that cyclizes GTP to make cyclic di-GMP (cdGMP). Since cdGMP frequently regulates attached growth as a biofilm, we first established conditions for biofilm development byP. denitrificans. We found that adhesion to a polystyrene surface is strongly stimulated by the addition of 10 mM Ca2+to rich media. The genome encodes at least 11 repeats-in-toxin family proteins that are predicted to be secreted by the type I secretion system (TISS). We deleted the genes encoding the TISS and found that the mutant is almost completely deficient for attached growth. Adjacent to the TISS genes there is a potential open reading frame encoding a 2,211-residue protein with 891 Asp-Ala repeats. This protein is also predicted to bind calcium and to be a TISS substrate, and a mutant specifically lacking this protein is deficient in biofilm formation. By analysis of mutants and promoter reporter fusions, we show that biofilm formation is stimulated by NO generated endogenously by the respiratory reduction of nitrite. A mutant lacking both predicted diguanylate cyclases encoded in the genome overproduces biofilm, implying that cdGMP is a negative regulator of attached growth. Our data are consistent with a model in which there are H-NOX-dependent and -independent pathways by which NO stimulates biofilm formation.IMPORTANCEThe bacteriumParacoccus denitrificansis a model for the process of denitrification, by which nitrate is reduced to dinitrogen during anaerobic growth. Denitrification is important for soil fertility and greenhouse gas emission and in waste and water treatment processes. The ability of bacteria to grow as a biofilm attached to a solid surface is important in many different contexts. In this paper, we report that attached growth ofP. denitrificansis stimulated by nitric oxide, an intermediate in the denitrification pathway. We also show that calcium ions stimulate attached growth, and we identify a large calcium binding protein that is required for growth on a polystyrene surface. We identify components of a signaling pathway through which nitric oxide may regulate biofilm formation. Our results point to an intimate link between metabolic processes and the ability ofP. denitrificansto grow attached to a surface.

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Enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli activates nitrate respiration to benefit from the inflammatory response for initiation of microcolony-formation

10.21203/rs.3.rs-18218/v3 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Risa Nada ◽

Shinya Ebihara ◽

Hilo Yen ◽

Toru Tobe

Keyword(s):

Nitric Oxide ◽

Escherichia Coli ◽

Epithelial Cells ◽

Inflammatory Response ◽

Nitrate Concentration ◽

Nitrate Respiration ◽

Target Cells ◽

Wild Type ◽

Enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia Coli ◽

Colony Forming Capacity

Abstract Background: For successful colonization, enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) injects virulence factors, called effectors, into target cells through the type three secretion system (T3SS), which is composed of a needle and basal body. Under anaerobic conditions, the T3SS machinery remains immature and does not have a needle structure. However, activation of nitrate respiration enhances the completion of the T3SS machinery. Because nitric oxide released by the host inflammatory response increases nitrate concentration, we sought to determine the effect of the inflammatory response on initiation of EHEC microcolony-formation. Results: The colony-forming capacity was increased in accordance with the increase of nitrate in the medium. The addition of the nitric oxide-producing agent NOR-4 also enhanced the adherence capacity, which was dependent on nitrate reductase encoded by the narGHJI genes. Culture supernatant of epithelial cells, which was stimulated by a cytokine mixture, enhanced the colony-forming capacity of wild-type EHEC but not of the narGHJI mutant. Finally, colony formation by wild-type EHEC on epithelial cells, which were preincubated with heat-killed bacteria, was higher than the narGHJI mutant, and this effect was abolished by aminoguanidine hydrochloride, which is an iNOS (inducible nitric oxide synthase) inhibitor. Conclusions: These results indicate that the inflammatory response enhances EHEC adherence by increasing nitrate concentration.

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Staphylococcus aureusCoproporphyrinogen III Oxidase Is Required for Aerobic and Anaerobic Heme Synthesis

mSphere ◽

10.1128/msphere.00235-19 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 4 (4) ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Jacob E. Choby ◽

Eric P. Skaar

Keyword(s):

Staphylococcus Aureus ◽

Anaerobic Respiration ◽

Model Organism ◽

Anaerobic Growth ◽

Cellular Respiration ◽

Nitrate Respiration ◽

Human Pathogen ◽

Content Type ◽

Heme Synthesis ◽

Aerobic And Anaerobic

ABSTRACTThe virulence of the human pathogenStaphylococcus aureusis supported by many heme-dependent proteins, including key enzymes of cellular respiration. Therefore, synthesis of heme is a critical component of staphylococcal physiology.S. aureusgenerates heme via the coproporphyrin-dependent pathway, conserved across members of theFirmicutesandActinobacteria. In this work, we genetically investigate the oxidation of coproporphyrinogen to coproporphyrin in this heme synthesis pathway. The coproporphyrinogen III oxidase CgoX has previously been identified as the oxygen-dependent enzyme responsible for this conversion under aerobic conditions. However, becauseS. aureususes heme during anaerobic nitrate respiration, we hypothesized that coproporphyrin production is able to proceed in the absence of oxygen. Therefore, we tested the contribution to anaerobic heme synthesis of CgoX and two other proteins previously identified as potential oxygen-independent coproporphyrinogen dehydrogenases, NWMN_1486 and NWMN_1636. We have found that CgoX alone is responsible for aerobic and anaerobic coproporphyrin synthesis from coproporphyrinogen and is required for aerobic and anaerobic heme-dependent growth. This work provides an explanation for howS. aureusheme synthesis proceeds under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions.IMPORTANCEHeme is a critical molecule required for aerobic and anaerobic respiration by organisms across kingdoms. The human pathogenStaphylococcus aureushas served as a model organism for the study of heme synthesis and heme-dependent physiology and, like many species of the phylaFirmicutesandActinobacteria, generates heme through a coproporphyrin intermediate. A critical step in terminal heme synthesis is the production of coproporphyrin by the CgoX enzyme, which was presumed to be oxygen dependent. However,S. aureusalso requires heme during anaerobic growth; therefore, the synthesis of coproporphyrin by an oxygen-independent mechanism is required. Here, we identify CgoX as the enzyme performing the oxygen-dependent and -independent synthesis of coproporphyrin from coproporphyrinogen, resolving a key outstanding question in the coproporphyrin-dependent heme synthesis pathway.

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The LysR-Type Transcriptional Regulator CrgA Negatively Regulates the Flagellar Master Regulator flhDC in Ralstonia solanacearum GMI1000

Journal of Bacteriology ◽

10.1128/jb.00419-20 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 203 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Xiaojing Fan ◽

Zhiwen Zhao ◽

Tingyan Sun ◽

Wei Rou ◽

Caiying Gui ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cell Motility ◽

Ralstonia Solanacearum ◽

Host Plants ◽

Transcriptional Regulator ◽

Growth Defect ◽

Wild Type ◽

Mobility Shift ◽

Content Type ◽

Gus Reporter ◽

Electrophoretic Mobility Shift Assays

ABSTRACT The invasion and colonization of host plants by the destructive pathogen Ralstonia solanacearum rely on its cell motility, which is controlled by multiple factors. Here, we report that the LysR-type transcriptional regulator CrgA (RS_RS16695) represses cell motility in R. solanacearum GMI1000. CrgA possesses common features of a LysR-type transcriptional regulator and contains an N-terminal helix-turn-helix motif as well as a C-terminal LysR substrate-binding domain. Deletion of crgA results in an enhanced swim ring and increased transcription of flhDC. In addition, the ΔcrgA mutant possesses more polar flagella than wild-type GMI1000 and exhibits higher expression of the flagellin gene fliC. Despite these alterations, the ΔcrgA mutant did not have a detectable growth defect in culture. Yeast one-hybrid and electrophoretic mobility shift assays revealed that CrgA interacts directly with the flhDC promoter. Expressing the β-glucuronidase (GUS) reporter under the control of the crgA promoter showed that crgA transcription is dependent on cell density. Soil-soaking inoculation with the crgA mutant caused wilt symptoms on tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L. cv. Hong yangli) plants earlier than inoculation with the wild-type GMI1000 but resulted in lower disease severity. We conclude that the R. solanacearum regulator CrgA represses flhDC expression and consequently affects the expression of fliC to modulate cell motility, thereby conditioning disease development in host plants. IMPORTANCE Ralstonia solanacearum is a widely distributed soilborne plant pathogen that causes bacterial wilt disease on diverse plant species. Motility is a critical virulence attribute of R. solanacearum because it allows this pathogen to efficiently invade and colonize host plants. In R. solanacearum, motility-defective strains are markedly affected in pathogenicity, which is coregulated with multiple virulence factors. In this study, we identified a new LysR-type transcriptional regulator (LTTR), CrgA, that negatively regulates motility. The mutation of the corresponding gene leads to the precocious appearance of wilt symptoms on tomato plants when the pathogen is introduced using soil-soaking inoculation. This study indicates that the regulation of R. solanacearum motility is more complex than previously thought and enhances our understanding of flagellum regulation in R. solanacearum.

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