Recent advances in the understanding of Xanthomonas citri ssp. citri pathogenesis and citrus canker disease management

Taxonomic status : Bacteria; Phylum Proteobacteria; Class Gammaproteobacteria; Order Xanthomonadales; Family Xanthomonadaceae; Genus Xanthomonas; Species Xanthomonas citri ssp. citri (Xcc). Host range : Compatible hosts vary in their susceptibility to citrus canker (CC), with grapefruit, lime and lemon being the most susceptible, sweet orange being moderately susceptible, and kumquat and calamondin being amongst the least susceptible. Microbiological properties : Xcc is a rod‐shaped (1.5–2.0 × 0.5–0.75 µm), Gram‐negative, aerobic bacterium with a single polar flagellum. The bacterium forms yellow colonies on culture media as a result of the production of xanthomonadin. Distribution : Present in South America, the British Virgin Islands, Africa, the Middle East, India, Asia and the South Pacific islands. Localized incidence in the USA, Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Uruguay, Senegal, Mali, Burkina Faso, Tanzania, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Bangladesh. Widespread throughout Paraguay, Comoros, China, Japan, Malaysia and Vietnam. Eradicated from South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. Absent from Europe.     

Bacterial and plant natriuretic peptides improve plant defence responses against pathogens

Plant natriuretic peptides (PNPs) have been implicated in the regulation of ions and water homeostasis, and their participation in the plant immune response has also been proposed. Xanthomonas citri ssp. citri contains a gene encoding a PNP‐like protein (XacPNP) which has no homologues in other bacteria. XacPNP mimics its Arabidopsis thaliana homologue AtPNP‐A by modifying host responses to create favourable conditions for pathogen survival. However, the ability of XacPNP to induce plant defence responses has not been investigated. In order to study further the role of XacPNP in vivo, A. thaliana lines over‐expressing XacPNP, lines over‐expressing AtPNP‐A and AtPNP‐A‐deficient plants were generated. Plants over‐expressing XacPNP or AtPNP‐A showed larger stomatal aperture and were more resistant to saline or oxidative stress than were PNP‐deficient lines. In order to study further the role of PNP in biotic stress responses, A. thaliana leaves were infiltrated with pure recombinant XacPNP, and showed enhanced expression of genes related to the defence response and a higher resistance to pathogen infections. Moreover, AtPNP‐A expression increased in A. thaliana on Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato (Pst) infection. This evidence led us to analyse the responses of the transgenic plants to pathogens. Plants over‐expressing XacPNP or AtPNP‐A were more resistant to Pst infection than control plants, whereas PNP‐deficient plants were more susceptible and showed a stronger hypersensitive response when challenged with non‐host bacteria. Therefore, XacPNP, acquired by horizontal gene transfer, is able to mimic PNP functions, even with an increase in plant defence responses.     

大豆斑疹病菌harpin编码基因的克隆与特性研究

根据黄单胞菌harpin编码基因的同源性,设计简并引物,采用PCR方法从大豆斑疹病菌（Xanthomonas axonopodis pv.glycines, Xag）中克隆了402 bp的[STBX]hpa1[STBZ]同源基因,构建于表达载体pET30(a)上经转化大肠杆菌BL21菌株,获得基因工程菌BHR_3。基因工程菌诱导表达后经收集菌体和破碎细胞,得到表达产物为151kD的蛋白质。该蛋白质富含甘氨酸,不含半胱氨酸,对热稳定,对蛋白酶K敏感,可在非寄主烟草上激发过敏反应。激发的过敏反应需要植物体内水杨酸的积累,还可被真核生物代谢抑制剂抑制。序列比较显示,该基因与Xag中hpaG基因相同,与其它黄单胞菌中的hpa1基因有51.4%～93.8%的同源性,与其它革兰氏阴性植物病原细菌的harpin编码基因无同源性。据此把该基因产物鉴定为harpinXag。黄单胞菌harpin蛋白质序列比较发现,GG_GGG基序的多少并不是harpin蛋白的唯一特性。这为利用harpin蛋白开展植物病害控制的基因药物学设计提供了科学线索。     

The pilA gene of Xanthomonas campestris pv. citri is required for infection by the filamentous phage cf

 Host factors that are important for infection of Xanthomonas campestris pv. citri by the filamentous bacteriophage cf were investigated by transposon mutagenesis with Tn5tac1. A mutant, XT501, that was resistant to cf infection was recovered, showing that the gene inactivated by the transposon is required for infection by the phage but not for cf replication or assembly. A 1.7-kb SacI-ApaI DNA fragment from XT501 containing the bacterial DNA flanking one end of the transposon was cloned and shown to be required for cf infection. Nucleotide sequence analysis of the 1.7-kb fragment reveals the presence of an ORF that encodes a protein of 146 amino acids. This protein shows 42% identity to the type 4 prepilin encoded by the pilA genes of other bacteria. The pilA gene of X. campestris pv. citri is thus essential for infection by the bacteriophage cf. Received: 30 November 1998 / Accepted: 21 April 1999     

Comparative proteomic analysis of Xanthomonas citri ssp. citri periplasmic proteins reveals changes in cellular envelope metabolism during in vitro pathogenicity induction

Citrus canker is a plant disease caused by Gram‐negative bacteria from the genus Xanthomonas. The most virulent species is Xanthomonas citri ssp. citri (XAC), which attacks a wide range of citrus hosts. Differential proteomic analysis of the periplasm‐enriched fraction was performed for XAC cells grown in pathogenicity‐inducing (XAM‐M) and pathogenicity‐non‐inducing (nutrient broth) media using two‐dimensional electrophoresis combined with liquid chromatography‐tandem mass spectrometry. Amongst the 40 proteins identified, transglycosylase was detected in a highly abundant spot in XAC cells grown under inducing condition. Additional up‐regulated proteins related to cellular envelope metabolism included glucose‐1‐phosphate thymidylyltransferase, dTDP‐4‐dehydrorhamnose‐3,5‐epimerase and peptidyl‐prolyl cis–trans‐isomerase. Phosphoglucomutase and superoxide dismutase proteins, known to be involved in pathogenicity in other Xanthomonas species or organisms, were also detected. Western blot and quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction analyses for transglycosylase and superoxide dismutase confirmed that these proteins were up‐regulated under inducing condition, consistent with the proteomic results. Multiple spots for the 60‐kDa chaperonin and glyceraldehyde‐3‐phosphate dehydrogenase were identified, suggesting the presence of post‐translational modifications. We propose that substantial alterations in cellular envelope metabolism occur during the XAC infectious process, which are related to several aspects, from defence against reactive oxygen species to exopolysaccharide synthesis. Our results provide new candidates for virulence‐related proteins, whose abundance correlates with the induction of pathogenicity and virulence genes, such as hrpD6, hrpG, hrpB7, hpa1 and hrpX. The results present new potential targets against XAC to be investigated in further functional studies.     

水稻黄单胞菌黄色素合成相关基因的克隆与鉴定

用硫酸二乙酯(DES)诱变水稻白叶枯病菌(Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae,简称Xoo)和条斑病细菌(Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzicola, 简称Xooc),分别得到5株和13株黄色素缺失突变体,其中来自Xooc的M6和M12 还丧失了对水稻的致病性和在烟草上激发过敏反应的能力。以Xooc黄色素缺失突变体M51为受体菌交叉互补从Xoo JXOIII基因文库中筛选出一个黄色素合成相关的基因克隆pA341,以Xoo黄色素缺失突变体M1071为受体菌,从Xooc RS105基因文库中获得了一个黄色素合成相关的基因克隆pA270。功能互补显示,18株黄色素缺失突变体中的10株能分别被pA341和 pA270互补后正常产生黄色素,但这两个克隆不能同时互补同一株黄色素缺失突变体。能被pA341互补的黄色素缺失突变体M6没有恢复对水稻的致病性和在烟草上激发过敏反应,表明黄色素合成相关基因与hrp基因间不存在相关性。斑点杂交结果表明,pA270与pA341之间没有同源性。pA270亚克隆结果显示,与黄色素合成相关的基因约11.6kb大小,以基因簇的形式存在,不仅决定了黄色素的产生,还影响黄色素合成的数量和质量（吸收峰）。在紫外光条件下,黄色素能够提高菌体的存活率,提示黄色素对病原细菌有保护作用。     

水稻白叶枯病菌TonB-Dep-Rec蛋白家族成员Tdrxoo的功能鉴定

【目的】旨在揭示水稻白叶枯病菌(Xanthomonas oryzaepv.oryzae,Xoo)致病性和运动性及其基因表达的调控途径。【方法】本研究通过基因克隆、序列分析和缺失突变方法,对与应答调节子GacAxoo互作的Tdrxoo的分子特征和功能进行了鉴定。【结果】利用序列特异性引物进行基因扩增,成功地从野生型菌株PXO99A中克隆了tdrxoo基因。Tdrxoo与其它病原黄单胞菌的同源序列高度保守,具有TonB-Dependent-Receptor(TDR)结构域,推测其是位于细菌外膜、可能接收来自细菌体外环境信号的蛋白。用基因标记交换法,构建了△tdrxoo基因缺失突变体。与PXO99A相比,Δtdrxoo在人工培养条件下的生长受到影响,致病性完全丧失,胞外纤维素酶和木聚糖酶活性和运动能力显著减弱,基因互补可以使之恢复;Δtdrxoo嗜铁素产生无明显改变。【结论】Tdrxoo作为一种细胞外膜蛋白,可能参与调控了病菌的生长、致病性、胞外酶活性和运动性等表型。