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Histological examination of horse chestnut infection by Pseudomonas syringae pv. aesculi and non-destructive heat treatment to stop disease progression.

ABSTRACT: Since its emergence in Northwest Europe as a pathogen that infects trunks and branches of Aesculus spp. (the horse chestnuts) approximately one decade ago, Pseudomonas syringae pv. aesculi has rapidly established itself as major threat to these trees. Infected trees exhibit extensive necrosis of phloem and cambium, which can ultimately lead to dieback. The events after host entry leading to extensive necrosis are not well documented. In this work, the histopathology of this interaction is investigated and heat-treatment is explored as method to eradicate bacteria associated with established infections. The early wound-repair responses of A. hippocastanum, both in absence and presence of P. s. pv. aesculi, included cell wall lignification by a distinct layer of phloem and cortex parenchyma cells. The same cells also deposited suberin lamellae later on, suggesting this layer functions in compartmentalizing healthy from disrupted tissues. However, monitoring bacterial ingress, its construction appeared inadequate to constrain pathogen spread. Microscopic evaluation of bacterial dispersal in situ using immunolabelling and GFP-tagging of P. s. pv. aesculi, revealed two discriminative types of bacterial colonization. The forefront of lesions was found to contain densely packed bacteria, while necrotic areas housed bacterial aggregates with scattered individuals embedded in an extracellular matrix of bacterial origin containing alginate. The endophytic localization and ability of P. s. pv aesculi to create a protective matrix render it poorly accessible for control agents. To circumvent this, a method based on selective bacterial lethality at 39 °C was conceived and successfully tested on A. hippocastanum saplings, providing proof of concept for controlling this disease by heat-treatment. This may be applicable for curing other tree cankers, caused by related phytopathogens.

SUBMITTER: de Keijzer J

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3392261 | biostudies-literature | 2012

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Histological examination of horse chestnut infection by Pseudomonas syringae pv. aesculi and non-destructive heat treatment to stop disease progression.

de Keijzer Jeroen J van den Broek Lambertus A M LA Ketelaar Tijs T van Lammeren André A M AA

PloS one 20120709 7

Since its emergence in Northwest Europe as a pathogen that infects trunks and branches of Aesculus spp. (the horse chestnuts) approximately one decade ago, Pseudomonas syringae pv. aesculi has rapidly established itself as major threat to these trees. Infected trees exhibit extensive necrosis of phloem and cambium, which can ultimately lead to dieback. The events after host entry leading to extensive necrosis are not well documented. In this work, the histopathology of this interaction is invest ...[more]

PMID: 22808044

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Project description:BACKGROUND:The bacterial leaf pathogen Pseudomonas syringae pv tomato (Pst) is the most popular model pathogen for plant pathology research. Previous methods to study the plant-Pst interactions rely on destructive quantification of Pst colonisation, which can be labour- and time-consuming and does not allow for spatial-temporal monitoring of the bacterial colonisation. Here, we describe a rapid and non-destructive method to quantify and visualise spatial-temporal colonisation by Pst in intact leaves of Arabidopsis and tomato. RESULTS:The method presented here uses a bioluminescent Pst DC3000 strain that constitutively expresses the luxCDABE operon from Photorhabdus luminescens (Pst::LUX) and requires a common gel documentation (Gel Doc) system with a sensitive CCD/CMOS camera and imaging software (Photoshop or Image J). By capturing bright field and bioluminescence images from Pst::LUX-infected leaves, we imaged the spatiotemporal dynamics of Pst infection. Analysis of bioluminescence from live Pst bacteria over a 5-day time course after spray inoculation of Arabidopsis revealed transition of the bacterial presence from the older leaves to the younger leaves and apical meristem. Colonisation by Pst:LUX bioluminescence was obtained from digital photos by calculating relative bioluminescence values, which is adjusted for bioluminescence intensity and normalised by leaf surface. This method detected statistically significant differences in Pst::LUX colonisation between Arabidopsis genotypes varying in basal resistance, as well as statistically significant reductions in Pst::LUX colonisation by resistance-inducing treatments in both Arabidopsis and tomato. Comparison of relative bioluminescence values to conventional colony counting on selective agar medium revealed a statistically significant correlation, which was reproducible between different Gel Doc systems. CONCLUSIONS:We present a non-destructive method to quantify colonisation by bioluminescent Pst::LUX in plants. Using a common Gel Doc system and imaging software, our method requires less time and labour than conventional methods that are based on destructive sampling of infected leaf material. Furthermore, in contrast to conventional strategies, our method provides additional information about the spatial-temporal patterns of Pst colonisation.

Dataset Information

Histological examination of horse chestnut infection by Pseudomonas syringae pv. aesculi and non-destructive heat treatment to stop disease progression.

Publications

Histological examination of horse chestnut infection by Pseudomonas syringae pv. aesculi and non-destructive heat treatment to stop disease progression.

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