Type VI secretion systems of Erwinia amylovora contribute to bacterial competition, virulence, and exopolysaccharide production

Yanli Tian, Yuqiang Zhao, Linye Shi, Zhongli Cui, Baishi Hu, Youfu Zhao

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

The type VI secretion system (T6SS) plays a major role in mediating interbacterial competition and might contribute to virulence in plant pathogenic bacteria. However, the role of T6SS in Erwinia amylovora remains unknown. In this study, 33 deletion mutants within three T6SS clusters were generated in E. amylovora strain NCPPB1665. Our results showed that all 33 mutants displayed reduced antibacterial activities against Escherichia coli as compared with that of the wild-type (WT) strain, indicating that Erwinia amylovora T6SS are functional. Of the 33 mutants, 19 exhibited reduced virulence on immature pear fruit as compared with that of the WT strain. Among them, 6, 1, and 12 genes belonged to T6SS-1, T6SS-2, and T6SS-3 clusters, respectively. Interestingly, these 19 mutants also produced less amylovoran or levan or both. These findings suggest that E. amylovora T6SS play a role in bacterial competition and virulence possibly by influencing exopolysaccharide production.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)654-661
Number of pages8
JournalPhytopathology
Volume107
Issue number6
DOIs
StatePublished - Jun 2017

Keywords

  • Protein secretion system

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Agronomy and Crop Science
  • Plant Science

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