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Endophytic bacteria in toxic South African plants: identification, phylogeny and possible involvement in gousiekte.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: South African plant species of the genera Fadogia, Pavetta and Vangueria (all belonging to Rubiaceae) are known to cause gousiekte (literally 'quick disease'), a fatal cardiotoxicosis of ruminants characterised by acute heart failure four to eight weeks after ingestion. Noteworthy is that all these plants harbour endophytes in their leaves: nodulating bacteria in specialized nodules in Pavetta and non-nodulating bacteria in the intercellular spaces between mesophyll cells in Fadogia and Vangueria. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Isolation and analyses of these endophytes reveal the presence of Burkholderia bacteria in all the plant species implicated in gousiekte. Although the nodulating and non-nodulating bacteria belong to the same genus, they are phylogenetically not closely related and even fall in different bacterial clades. Pavetta harborii and Pavetta schumanniana have their own specific endophyte--Candidatus Burkholderia harborii and Candidatus Burkholderia schumanniana--while the non-nodulating bacteria found in the other gousiekte-inducing plants show high similarity to Burkholderia caledonica. In this group, the bacteria are host specific at population level. Investigation of gousiekte-inducing plants from other African countries resulted in the discovery of the same endophytes. Several other plants of the genera Afrocanthium, Canthium, Keetia, Psydrax, Pygmaeothamnus and Pyrostria were tested and were found to lack bacterial endophytes. CONCLUSIONS: The discovery and identification of Burkholderia bacteria in gousiekte-inducing plants open new perspectives and opportunities for research not only into the cause of this economically important disease, but also into the evolution and functional significance of bacterial endosymbiosis in Rubiaceae. Other South African Rubiaceae that grow in the same area as the gousiekte-inducing plants were found to lack bacterial endophytes which suggests a link between bacteria and gousiekte. The same bacteria are consistently found in gousiekte-inducing plants from different regions indicating that these plants will also be toxic to ruminants in other African countries.

SUBMITTER: Verstraete B

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3082559 | biostudies-literature | 2011

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Endophytic bacteria in toxic South African plants: identification, phylogeny and possible involvement in gousiekte.

Verstraete Brecht B Van Elst Daan D Steyn Hester H Van Wyk Braam B Lemaire Benny B Smets Erik E Dessein Steven S

PloS one 20110426 4

<h4>Background</h4>South African plant species of the genera Fadogia, Pavetta and Vangueria (all belonging to Rubiaceae) are known to cause gousiekte (literally 'quick disease'), a fatal cardiotoxicosis of ruminants characterised by acute heart failure four to eight weeks after ingestion. Noteworthy is that all these plants harbour endophytes in their leaves: nodulating bacteria in specialized nodules in Pavetta and non-nodulating bacteria in the intercellular spaces between mesophyll cells in F ...[more]

PMID: 21541284

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Project description:The present investigation was carried out to isolate arsenic (As)-resistant endophytic bacteria from the roots of alfalfa and chickpea plants grown in arsenic-contamination soil, characterize their As tolerance ability, plant growth-promoting characteristics, and their role to induce As resistance by the plant. A total of four root endophytic bacteria were isolated from plants grown in As-contaminated soil (160-260-mg As kg-1 of soil). These isolates were studied for plant growth-promoting (PGP) characteristics through siderophore, phosphate solubilization, nitrogen fixation, protease, and lipase production, and the presence of the arsenate reductase (arsC) gene. Based on 16S rDNA sequence analysis, these isolates belong to the genera Acinetobacter, Pseudomonas, and Rahnella. All isolates were found As tolerant, of which one isolate, Pseudomonas sp. QNC1, showed the highest tolerance up to 350-mM concentration in the LB medium. All isolates exhibited phosphate solubilization activity. Siderophore production activity was shown by only Pseudomonas sp. QNC1, while nitrogen fixation activity was shown by only Rahnella sp. QNC2 isolate. Acinetobacter sp. QNA1, QNA2, and Rahnella sp. QNC2 exhibited lipase production, while only Pseudomonas sp. QNC1 was able to produce protease. The presence of the arsC gene was detected in all isolates. The effect of endophytic bacteria on biomass production of alfalfa and chickpea in five levels of arsenic concentrations (0-, 10-, 50-, 75-, and 100-mg kg-1 soil) was evaluated. The fresh and dry weights of roots of alfalfa and chickpea plants were decreased as the arsenic concentration of the soil was increased. Results indicate that the fresh and dry root weights of alfalfa and chickpea plants were significantly higher in endophytic bacteria-treated plants compared with non-treated plants. Inoculation of chickpea plants with Pseudomonas sp. QNC1 and Rahnella sp. QNC2 induced lower NPR3 gene expression in chickpea roots grown in soil with the final concentration of 100-mg kg-1 sodium arsenate compared with the non-endophyte-treated control. The same results were obtained in Acinetobacter sp. QNA2-treated alfalfa plants grown in the soil plus 50-mg kg-1 sodium arsenate. These results demonstrated that arsenic-resistant endophytic bacteria are potential candidates to enhance plant-growth promotion in As contamination soils. Characterization of bacterial endophytes with plant growth potential can help us apply them to improve plant yield under stress conditions.

Dataset Information

Endophytic bacteria in toxic South African plants: identification, phylogeny and possible involvement in gousiekte.

Publications

Endophytic bacteria in toxic South African plants: identification, phylogeny and possible involvement in gousiekte.

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