Project description:Transcription profiling of Nicotinan benthamiana in response to Pectobacterium carotovorum WPP14 and Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato DC3000
Project description:This project aimed to investigate the transcriptomic differences between a Pectobacterium carotovorum wild-type strain (RC5297) and a derivative in which a restriction-modification system, termed PcaRCI, is knocked out. The aim was to identify genes whose expression might be regulated through methylation by the methyltransferase of the RM system.
Project description:Plant pathogens require lethal virulence factors, susceptible hosts, and optimal environmental conditions for disease establishment. High soil salinity, exacerbated by climate change, significantly impacts agro-biological ecosystems. However, the overall interactions between plant pathogens and salt stress are not fully characterized or understood. This study examines the effects of salt stress on representative plant pathogens: Burkholderia gladioli, Pectobacterium carotovorum subsp. carotovorum, and Ralstonia solanacearum. Using pan-genome-based comparative transcriptomics, we analyzed the comprehensive alterations within the biological systems of plant pathogens when treated with 200 mM NaCl. Our results highlight the differential responses between salt-sensitive and salt-tolerant pathogens to salt stress.
Project description:Importance: Pectobacterium species cause soft rot in potato and other host plants primarily by secreting a battery of plant cell wall degrading enzymes. In addition, several different secretion systems are mobilized during infection. Previous studies of gene expression and regulation thereof primarily focused on the onset of infection. This work investigated transcriptome changes in Pectobacterium during the infection of potato tubers up to 72 hours post inoculation to elucidate biological processes during a longer infection period. Methods: The transcriptomes of aggressive strains of the two species P. carotovorum subsp. carotovorum and P. polaris were investigated during infection of potato minitubers (cv. 'Asterix') at 24, 48 and 72 hours after inoculation by RNA sequencing. The transcriptomes were compared to that of bacteria grown on minimal M9 medium, and transcriptomes from later infection time points (48 and 72 hours after inoculation) were compared to early infection (24 hours after inoculation). Results: Plant cell wall degrading enzymes and secretion system associated genes were largely upregulated during infection compared to in vitro growth, but downregulated in the later phases of infection compared to the early infection phase. The downregulation was not sufficiently explained by the expression of known virulence regulators such as the RsmA/B or the ExpA/S systems.