529 / 2019-03-05 16:31:41

Ralstonia solanacearum subverts plant metabolism to support bacterial nutrition and cause bacterial wilt disease

Ralstonia,type III effector,bacterial wilt,gaba,bacterial pathogen

全体主题 > Biotic Stress

Plant diseases caused by bacterial pathogens pose an important threat to food security worldwide. Ralstonia solanacearum is one of the most destructive bacterial plant pathogens, and is able to infect important crops, including potato, tomato, tobacco, banana, pepper and eggplant, among others. To induce disease, bacterial pathogens have to suppress plant immunity and manipulate plant cells to shape a niche suitable for bacterial replication. Although it is assumed that bacterial pathogens need to manipulate plant metabolism to support bacterial nutrition, the specific components of this manipulation and their molecular mechanisms of action remain unknown. In this work, we uncover a bacterial effector protein that, when delivered inside plant cells, interacts with metabolic enzymes to enhance the biosynthesis of GABA. Besides being a signaling molecule in eukaryotic cells, GABA constitutes an excellent nutrient to support the growth of R. solanacearum during the infection process. We have performed a detailed molecular characterization of this phenomenon, and revealed that this process is essential for the development of bacterial wilt disease.