phaseolotoxin and coronatine

Coronatine, syringomycin, syringopeptin, tabtoxin, and phaseolotoxin are the most intensively studied phytotoxins of Pseudomonas syringae, and each contributes significantly to bacterial virulence in plants. Coronatine functions partly as a mimic of methyl jasmonate, a hormone synthesized by plants undergoing biological stress. Syringomycin and syringopeptin form pores in plasma membranes, a process that leads to electrolyte leakage. Tabtoxin and phaseolotoxin are strongly antimicrobial and function by inhibiting glutamine synthetase and ornithine carbamoyltransferase, respectively. Genetic analysis has revealed the mechanisms responsible for toxin biosynthesis. Coronatine biosynthesis requires the cooperation of polyketide and peptide synthetases for the assembly of the coronafacic and coronamic acid moieties, respectively. Tabtoxin is derived from the lysine biosynthetic pathway, whereas syringomycin, syringopeptin, and phaseolotoxin biosynthesis requires peptide synthetases. Activation of phytotoxin synthesis is controlled by diverse environmental factors including plant signal molecules and temperature. Genes involved in the regulation of phytotoxin synthesis have been located within the coronatine and syringomycin gene clusters; however, additional regulatory genes are required for the synthesis of these and other phytotoxins. Global regulatory genes such as gacS modulate phytotoxin production in certain pathovars, indicating the complexity of the regulatory circuits controlling phytotoxin synthesis. The coronatine and syringomycin gene clusters have been intensively characterized and show potential for constructing modified polyketides and peptides. Genetic reprogramming of peptide and polyketide synthetases has been successful, and portions of the coronatine and syringomycin gene clusters could be valuable resources in developing new antimicrobial agents.

Topics: Amino Acids; Bacterial Proteins; Bacterial Toxins; Dipeptides; Exotoxins; Genetic Engineering; Indenes; Ligases; Ornithine; Peptides, Cyclic; Plants; Pseudomonas; Virulence

The kiwifruit bacterial canker pathogen, Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae (Psa), causes enormous economic damages in many kiwifruit producing countries. In 2015, biovar 6, the novel biovar of Psa, was found in Nagano Prefecture, Japan. The genomes of two representative strains of biovar 6 (MAFF 212134 and MAFF 212141) were sequenced and analysed, indicating that their genomes are the most similar to that of biovar 3 among the known Psa biovars, based on average nucleotide identity analysis. Biovar 3 has neither the phaseolotoxin synthesis gene cluster nor the coronatine synthesis gene cluster, whereas biovar 6 has both clusters and produces both phytotoxins. We found that biovar 6 possesses 29 type III secreted effector (T3SE) genes, among which avrRps4 and hopBI1 are unique to biovar 6. The expression of T3SE genes and two phytotoxin synthesis gene clusters of biovar 6 during the early stages of host infection was investigated using RNA-Seq analysis, showing that these genes could be grouped into three categories: constantly expressed genes, constantly suppressed genes, and temporarily induced genes. A PCR assay was established to differentiate biovar 6 strains from the other Psa biovars and the closely related pathovar, pv. actinidifoliorum, by using avrRps4 as a biovar 6-specific marker gene.

Topics: Actinidia; Amino Acids; Genes, Plant; Genome, Bacterial; Indenes; Ornithine; Phylogeny; Plant Diseases; Pseudomonas syringae; Urease