Premium
Plant flavonoids target P seudomonas syringae pv. tomato DC 3000 flagella and type III secretion system
Author(s) -
Vargas Paola,
Farias Gabriela A.,
Nogales Joaquina,
Prada Harold,
Carvajal Vivian,
Barón Matilde,
Rivilla Rafael,
Martín Marta,
Olmedilla Adela,
Gallegos MaríaTrinidad
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
environmental microbiology reports
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.229
H-Index - 69
ISSN - 1758-2229
DOI - 10.1111/1758-2229.12086
Subject(s) - pseudomonas syringae , flagellum , virulence , biology , secretion , type three secretion system , microbiology and biotechnology , pathogen , efflux , pseudomonas aeruginosa , swarming motility , bacteria , mutant , biochemistry , quorum sensing , gene , genetics
Summary Flavonoids are among the most abundant plant secondary metabolites involved in plant protection against pathogens, but micro‐organisms have developed resistance mechanisms to those compounds. We previously demonstrated that the M ex AB ‐ O pr M efflux pump mediates resistance of P seudomonas syringae pv. tomato ( P to) DC 3000 to flavonoids, facilitating its survival and the colonization of the host. Here, we have shown that tomato plants respond to Pto infection producing flavonoids and other phenolic compounds. The effects of flavonoids on key traits of this model plant‐pathogen bacterium have also been investigated observing that they reduce Pto swimming and swarming because of the loss of flagella, and also inhibited the expression and assembly of a functional type III secretion system. Those effects were more severe in a mutant lacking the M ex AB ‐ O pr M pump. Our results suggest that flavonoids inhibit the function of the G ac S / G ac A two‐component system, causing a depletion of rsmY RNA , therefore affecting the synthesis of two important virulence factors in P to DC 3000, flagella and the type III secretion system. These data provide new insights into the flavonoid role in the molecular dialog between host and pathogen.