Control of Plant Defense Mechanisms and Fire Blight Pathogenesis through the Regulation of 6‐Thioguanine Biosynthesis in Erwinia amylovora |
| |
Authors: | Dr Sébastien Coyne Agnieszka Litomska Dr Cornelia Chizzali Dr Mohammed N A Khalil Dr Klaus Richter Prof Dr Ludger Beerhues Prof Dr Christian Hertweck |
| |
Affiliation: | 1. Department of Biomolecular Chemistry, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology, HKI, Beutenbergstrasse 11a, 07745 Jena (Germany);2. Institut für Pharmazeutische Biologie, Technische Universit?t Braunschweig, Mendelssohnstrasse 1, 38106 Braunschweig (Germany);3. Julius Kühn Institute, Federal Research Centre for Cultivated Plants, Institute for Resistance Research and Stress Tolerance, Erwin‐Baur‐Strasse 27, 06484 Quedlinburg (Germany);4. Chair of Natural Product Research, Friedrich Schiller University, 07443 Jena (Germany) |
| |
Abstract: | Fire blight is a devastating disease of Rosaceae plants, such as apple and pear trees. It is characterized by necrosis of plant tissue, caused by the phytopathogenic bacterium Erwinia amylovora. The plant pathogen produces the well‐known antimetabolite 6‐thioguanine (6TG), which plays a key role in fire blight pathogenesis. Here we report that YcfR, a member of the LTTR family, is a major regulator of 6TG biosynthesis in E. amylovora. Inactivation of the regulator gene (ycfR) led to dramatically decreased 6TG production. Infection assays with apple plants (Malus domestica cultivar Holsteiner Cox) and cell cultures of Sorbus aucuparia (mountain ash, rowan) revealed abortive fire blight pathogenesis and reduced plant response (biphenyl and dibenzofuran phytoalexin production). In the presence of the ΔycfR mutant, apple trees were capable of activating the abscission machinery to remove infected tissue. In addition to unveiling the regulation of 6TG biosynthesis in a major plant pathogen, we demonstrate for the first time that this antimetabolite plays a pivotal role in dysregulating the plant response to infection. |
| |
Keywords: | abscission biological activity gene regulation plant pathogens sulfur compounds |
|
|