Dissemination Level

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The complete genome sequence of Xanthomonas albilineans provides new insights into the reductive genome evolution of the xylem-limited Xanthomonadaceae

Background: The Xanthomonadaceae family contains two xylem-limited plant pathogenic bacterial species, Xanthomonas albilineans and Xylella fastidiosa. X. fastidiosa was the first completely sequenced plant pathogen. It is insect-vectored, has a reduced genome and does not possess hrp genes which encode a Type III secretion system found in most plant pathogenic bacteria. X. fastidiosa was excluded from the Xanthomonas group based on phylogenetic analyses with rRNA sequences. Results: The complete genome of X. albilineans was sequenced and annotated. X. albilineans, which is not known to be insect-vectored, also has a reduced genome and does not possess hrp genes. Phylogenetic analysis using X. albilineans genomic sequences showed that X. fastidiosa belongs to the Xanthomonas group. Order of divergence of the Xanthomonadaceae revealed that X. albilineans and X. fastidiosa experienced a convergent reductive genome evolution during their descent from the progenitor of the Xanthomonas genus. Reductive genome evolutions of the two xylem-limited Xanthomonadaceae were compared in light of their genome characteristics and those of obligate animal symbionts and pathogens. Conclusion: The two xylem-limited Xanthomonadaceae, during their descent from a common ancestral parent, experienced a convergent reductive genome evolution. Adaptation to the nutrient-poor xylem elements and to the cloistered environmental niche of xylem vessels probably favoured this convergent evolution. However, genome characteristics of X. albilineans differ from those of X. fastidiosa and obligate animal symbionts and pathogens, indicating that a distinctive process was responsible for the reductive genome evolution in this pathogen. The possible role in genome reduction of the unique toxin albicidin, produced by X. albilineans, is discussed

An Arabidopsis mutant with altered hypersensitive response to Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris, hxc1, displays a complex pathophenotype

The hxc1 mutant was identified by screening an EMS (ethylmethane sulphonate) mutagenized population of Arabidopsis Col-0 plants for an altered hypersensitive response (HR), after spray inoculation with an HR-inducing isolate of Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris (Xcc) (strain 147). The hxc1 mutant shows a susceptible phenotype several days after initiation of the interaction with the avirulent strain. This macroscopically observed phenotype was confirmed by measurement of in planta bacterial growth and by microscopical analysis. interestingly, the hxc1 mutation acts very specifically. Hxc1 displays a pathophenotype identical to that observed in the wild-type with several extensively characterized avirulent and virulent bacteria, except in response to Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato strain DC3000/avrRpm1, for which a partial loss of resistance was observed. Finally, the mutation causes an attenuation of expression of several defence markers regulated through different signalling pathways. Together, these data underline the complexity of this novel defence mutant, and support the hypothesis of a mutation affecting a key component acting during the first steps of the plant defence response leading to resistance to Xcc147 and Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato containing the avr gene, avrRpm1