Friend or foe? Exploring the fine line between Pseudomonas brassicacearum and phytopathogens.

Friend or foe? Exploring the fine line between Pseudomonas brassicacearum and phytopathogens.
J Med Microbiol. 2020 Jan 24;:
Authors: Gislason AS, de Kievit TR
Abstract
Pseudomonas brassicacearum is one of over fifty species of bacteria classified into the P. fluorescens group. Generally considered a harmless commensal, these bacteria are studied for their plant-growth promotion (PGP) and biocontrol characteristics. Intriguingly, P. brassicacearum is closely related to P. corrugata, which is classified as an opportunistic phytopathogen. Twenty-one P. brassicacearum genomes have been sequenced to date. In the current review, genomes of P. brassicacearum and strains from the P. corrugata clade were mined for regions associated with PGP, biocontrol and pathogenicity. We discovered that 'beneficial' bacteria and those classified as plant pathogens have many genes in common; thus, only a fine line separates beneficial/harmless commensals from those capable of causing disease in plants. The genotype and physiological state of the plant, the presence of biotic/abiotic stressors, and the ability of bacteria to manipulate the plant immune system collectively contribute to how the bacterial-plant interaction plays out. Because production of extracellular metabolites is energetically costly, these compounds are expected to impart a fitness advantage to the producer. P. brassicacearum is able to reduce the threat of nematode predation through re...

Source: Journal of Medical Microbiology - January 23, 2020 Category: Microbiology Authors: Gislason AS, de Kievit TR Tags: J Med Microbiol Source Type: research