Analysis of two Mexican Pectobacterium brasiliense strains reveals an inverted relationship between c-di-GMP levels with exopolysaccharide production and swarming motility

Publication date: Available online 19 February 2020Source: Microbiological ResearchAuthor(s): Delia A. Narváez-Barragán, Andrés de Sandozequi, Mabel Rodríguez, Karel Estrada, Omar E. Tovar-Herrera, Claudia Martínez-AnayaAbstractPectobacterium is a diverse genus of phytopathogenic species from soil and water that cause infection either to restricted or multiple plant hosts. Phylogenetic analysis and metabolic fingerprinting of large numbers of genomes have expanded classification of Pectobacterium members. Pectobacterium brasiliense sp. nov has been elevated to the species level having detached from P. carotovorum. Here we present two P. brasiliense strains BF20 and BF45 isolated in Mexico from Opuntia and tobacco, respectively, which cluster into two different groups in whole genome comparisons with other Pectobacterium. We found that BF20 and BF45 strains are phenotypically different as BF45 showed more severe and rapid symptoms in comparison to BF20 in the host models celery and broccoli. Both strains produced similar levels of the main autoinducers, but BF45 shows an additional low abundant autoinducer compared to strain BF20. The two strains had different levels of c-di-GMP, which regulates the transition from motile to sessile lifestyle. In contrast to BF45, BF20 had the highest levels of c-di-GMP, was more motile (swarming), non-flocculant and less proficient in biofilm formation and exopolysaccharide production. Genomic comparisons revealed that differences in c...
Source: Microbiological Research - Category: Infectious Diseases Source Type: research