Diverse Virulence Attributes of <i>Pantoea alfalfae</i> sp. nov. CQ10 Responsible for Bacterial Leaf Blight in Alfalfa Revealed by Genomic Analysis
Alfalfa is widely grown worldwide for its excellent nutritional value. <i>Pantoea</i> species living in alfalfa seeds can easily spread over great distances with frequent trade. However, the pathogenic properties of this dangerous hitchhiker on alfalfa have not been evaluated. Here, we i...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2023-05-01
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| Series: | International Journal of Molecular Sciences |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/24/9/8138 |
| Summary: | Alfalfa is widely grown worldwide for its excellent nutritional value. <i>Pantoea</i> species living in alfalfa seeds can easily spread over great distances with frequent trade. However, the pathogenic properties of this dangerous hitchhiker on alfalfa have not been evaluated. Here, we identified the taxonomic status of <i>Pantoea</i> strain CQ10 isolated from the interior of alfalfa seeds based on the whole genome sequence. The diverse virulence attributes of strain CQ10 during host infection were characterized through pathogenicity assays and functional and genomic analyses. We report that strain CQ10 belongs to a novel species in the genus <i>Pantoea</i>, which was phylogenetically close to <i>Pantoea vagans</i> and <i>Pantoea agglomerans</i>. Strain CQ10 caused bacterial leaf blight of alfalfa after inoculation from the roots. We found that strain CQ10 possesses a large number of pathogenic genes involved in shaping the virulence properties during bacteria–host interactions, including motility, biofilm, type VI secretion system, and nutrient acquisition. Compared with <i>P. vagans</i> and <i>P. agglomerans</i>, the unique virulence factors of strain CQ10 were mainly involved in motility and biofilm, which were confirmed by in vitro experiments. Taken together, our results suggest that strain CQ10 is the first <i>Pantoea</i> species to infect alfalfa, and it possesses diverse virulence attributes among which motility and biofilm may be the best weapons. |
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| ISSN: | 1661-6596 1422-0067 |