Elsevier

Microbial Pathogenesis

Volume 1, Issue 2, April 1986, Pages 139-148
Microbial Pathogenesis

Article
The causal agent of halo blight in bean, Pseudomonas syringae pv. phaseolicola, attaches to stomata via its pili

https://doi.org/10.1016/0882-4010(86)90016-1Get rights and content

Abstract

The phytopathogenic pseudomonad Pseudomonas syringae pv. phaseolicola causes halo blight of bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L). Initiation of infection depends on the ability of the cells to adhere to the target cell surface. P. syringae pv. phaseolicola expresses pili, which are the receptors of the lipid-containing dsRNA bacteriophage φ6. φ6-resistant bacterial strains can be divided into different piliation types. It was possible to show that the adhesion of the bacteria onto plant cell surface was dependent on the pili. Non-piliated bacterial strains showed a much lower adherence to the leaf surface than strains expressing φ6 specific pili. Scanning electron microscopy showed that the piliated bacteria attached to the leaf surface at the site of stomata. Non-piliated bacteria were evenly distributed on the leaf surface. All bacterial strains used in this study were capable of causing halo blight if injected into the plant. If the bacteria were sprayed on the plants, followed by spraying of sterile buffer, only piliated bacteria caused symptoms.

References (30)

  • AG Matthysse

    Mechanisms of bacterial adhesion to plant surfaces

  • L Sequeria

    Lectins and their role in host-pathogen specificity

    Annu Rev Phytopatol

    (1978)
  • P Stemmer et al.

    The use of a λgt11 expression vector and of protein sequence derived DNA oligomers to clone genes for pilus synthesis in Pseudomonas solanacearum

  • RN Goodman et al.

    Ultrastructural evidence for immobilization of an incompatible bacterium, Pseudomonas pisi, in tobacco leaf tissue

    Phytopathology

    (1976)
  • DC Hildebrand et al.

    Physical entrapment of pseudomonads in bean leaves by films formed at air-water interfaces

    Phytopathology

    (1980)
  • Cited by (44)

    • Advancing phage therapy through the lens of virus host-breadth and emergence potential

      2021, Advances in Virus Research
      Citation Excerpt :

      Importantly, the scientific literature provides evidence that some lytic phages may be efficient at killing multiple host species, or can easily mutate to achieve broad host range. For example, the lytic dsRNA phage phi-6 (virus family Cystoviridae) naturally infects many pathovars (varieties) of Pseudomonas syringae, an important agricultural plant pathogen responsible for “halo blight” in beans and other legumes (Romantschuk and Bamford, 1986). Laboratory studies show that phage phi-6 can easily change via point mutations to become capable of infecting species of Pseudomonads that are very distantly related to P. syringae (Duffy et al., 2007).

    • Comparison of lipid-containing bacterial and archaeal viruses

      2015, Advances in Virus Research
      Citation Excerpt :

      These spikes are anchored to the virion through the integral membrane protein P6. For ϕ6, the receptor is the side of a type IV pilus (host pathogenesis factor) extending from the host cell surface (Fig. 3H; Mindich, Sinclair, & Cohen, 1976; Roine, Nunn, Paulin, & Romantschuk, 1996; Roine, Raineri, Romantschuk, Wilson, & Nunn, 1998; Romantschuk & Bamford, 1985, 1986). Other ϕ6-like viruses may use different cell surface structures for attachment.

    • Induced Mutagenesis for Improvement of Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) Production in Bulgaria

      2021, Mutation Breeding, Genetic Diversity and Crop Adaptation to Climate Change
    View all citing articles on Scopus

    This study was supported by a researcher grant from the Academy of Finland to D.B. and by a grant from the Alfred Kordelin Foundation to M.R.

    View full text