Gac two-component system in Pseudomonas syringae pv. tabaci is required for virulence but not for hypersensitive reaction

Pseudomonas syringae pv. tabaci 6605 causes wildfire disease on host tobacco plants. To investigate the regulatory mechanism of the expression of virulence, Gac two-Component system-defective mutants, Delta gacA and Delta gacS, and a double mutant, Delta gacA Delta gacS, were generated. These mutants produced smaller amounts of N-acyl homoserine lactones required for quorum sensing, had lost swarming motility, and had reduced expression of virulence-related hrp genes and the algT gene required for exopolysaccharide production. The ability of the mutants to cause disease symptoms in their host tobacco plant was remarkably reduced, while they retained the ability to induce hypersensitive reaction (HR) in the nonhost plants. These results indicated that the Gac two-component system of P. syringae pv. tabaci 6605 is indispensable for virulence on the host plant, but not for HR induction in the nonhost plants.</p

Biological diversity of citrus tristeza virus (CTV) isolates in Spain

A survey of citrus tristeza virus (CTV) isolates was carried out in most citrus-growing areas in Spain. Twenty-two isolates were selected by geographical origin, cultivar of source tree, and symptoms observed on the host or in preliminary tests, and were biologically characterized. A wide range of variation in transmissibility by aphids and symptom intensity on nine different indicator species or scion rootstock combinations was observed among CTV isolates. Mexican lime, Citrus macrophylla, and to a lesser extent citron were the most useful hosts for characterizing these isolates, and leaf symptoms and stem pitting were the most discriminating traits. Positive correlation was observed between symptoms induced on Mexican lime and C. macrophylla, but not between the symptoms induced on these indicators under greenhouse conditions and the homologous symptoms on plants grown in the screenhouse. Some of the traits studied enabled us to establish relatively well-defined groups of isolates, but in most cases a continuous range of variation was obtained and no clear group could be defined