TY - JOUR

T1 - Genetic rearrangements in Pseudomonas amygdali pathovar aesculi shape coronatine plasmids

AU - Nielsen, Tue Kjærgaard

AU - Winther-Have, Caroline S.

AU - Thomsen, Iben Margrete

AU - Jackson, Robert W.

AU - Rabiey, Mojgan

AU - Hennessy, Rosanna Catherine

AU - Bak, Frederik

AU - Kot, Witold

AU - Nicolaisen, Mette Haubjerg

AU - Carstens, Alexander Byth

AU - Hansen, Lars Hestbjerg

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2023

PY - 2023

Y1 - 2023

N2 - Plant pathogenic Pseudomonas species use multiple classes of toxins and virulence factors during host infection. The genes encoding these pathogenicity factors are often located on plasmids and other mobile genetic elements, suggesting that they are acquired through horizontal gene transfer to confer an evolutionary advantage for successful adaptation to host infection. However, the genetic rearrangements that have led to mobilization of the pathogenicity genes are not fully understood. In this study, we have sequenced and analyzed the complete genome sequences of four Pseudomonas amygdali pv. aesculi (Pae), which infect European horse chestnut trees (Aesculus hippocastanum) and belong to phylogroup 3 of the P. syringae species complex. The four investigated genomes contain six groups of plasmids that all encode pathogenicity factors. Effector genes were found to be mostly associated with insertion sequence elements, suggesting that virulence genes are generally mobilized and potentially undergo horizontal gene transfer after transfer to a conjugative plasmid. We show that the biosynthetic gene cluster encoding the phytotoxin coronatine was recently transferred from a chromosomal location to a mobilizable plasmid that subsequently formed a co-integrate with a conjugative plasmid.

AB - Plant pathogenic Pseudomonas species use multiple classes of toxins and virulence factors during host infection. The genes encoding these pathogenicity factors are often located on plasmids and other mobile genetic elements, suggesting that they are acquired through horizontal gene transfer to confer an evolutionary advantage for successful adaptation to host infection. However, the genetic rearrangements that have led to mobilization of the pathogenicity genes are not fully understood. In this study, we have sequenced and analyzed the complete genome sequences of four Pseudomonas amygdali pv. aesculi (Pae), which infect European horse chestnut trees (Aesculus hippocastanum) and belong to phylogroup 3 of the P. syringae species complex. The four investigated genomes contain six groups of plasmids that all encode pathogenicity factors. Effector genes were found to be mostly associated with insertion sequence elements, suggesting that virulence genes are generally mobilized and potentially undergo horizontal gene transfer after transfer to a conjugative plasmid. We show that the biosynthetic gene cluster encoding the phytotoxin coronatine was recently transferred from a chromosomal location to a mobilizable plasmid that subsequently formed a co-integrate with a conjugative plasmid.

KW - Coronatine

KW - Mobile genetic elements

KW - Nanopore sequencing

KW - Phytotoxins

KW - Plant pathogens

KW - Plasmid

KW - Pseudomonas

KW - Virulence

U2 - 10.1016/j.meegid.2023.105486

DO - 10.1016/j.meegid.2023.105486

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 37541538

AN - SCOPUS:85166959238

VL - 113

JO - Infection, Genetics and Evolution

JF - Infection, Genetics and Evolution

SN - 1567-1348

M1 - 105486

ER -