Complementary roles of EPS, T3SS and Expansin for virulence of Erwinia tracheiphila, the causative agent of cucurbit wilt.

ABSTRACT: Erwinia tracheiphila (Smith) is a recently emerged plant pathogen that causes severe economic losses in cucurbit crops in temperate Eastern North America. E. tracheiphila is xylem restricted, and virulence is thought to be related to Exopolysaccharides (EPS) and biofilm formation, which occlude the passage of sap in xylem vessels and causes systemic wilt. However, the role of EPS and biofilm formation, and their contribution to disease in relation to other virulence loci are unknown. Here, we use deletion mutants to explore the roles of EPS, Hrp Type III secretion system (Hrp T3SS) and Expansin in plant colonization and virulence. Then, we quantify the expression of the genes encoding these factors during infection. Our results show that Exopolysaccharides are essential for <

SUBMITTER: Rocha J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11230154 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature