10.1371/journal.pone.0101996
Allison L. Creason
Allison
L. Creason
Olivier M. Vandeputte
Olivier
M. Vandeputte
Elizabeth A. Savory
Elizabeth
A. Savory
Edward W. Davis II
Edward
W. Davis II
Melodie L. Putnam
Melodie
L. Putnam
Erdong Hu
Erdong
Hu
David Swader-Hines
David
Swader-Hines
Adeline Mol
Adeline
Mol
Marie Baucher
Marie
Baucher
Els Prinsen
Els
Prinsen
Magdalena Zdanowska
Magdalena
Zdanowska
Scott A. Givan
Scott
A. Givan
Mondher El Jaziri
Mondher
El Jaziri
Joyce E. Loper
Joyce
E. Loper
Taifo Mahmud
Taifo
Mahmud
Jeff H. Chang
Jeff
H. Chang
Analysis of Genome Sequences from Plant Pathogenic <i>Rhodococcus</i> Reveals Genetic Novelties in Virulence Loci
Public Library of Science
2014
microbiology
Microbial evolution
Bacterial evolution
Microbial genomics
bacterial genomics
Plant microbiology
Plant science
Plant pathology
Plant pathogens
Plant bacterial pathogens
genome
sequences
pathogenic
reveals
novelties
virulence
loci
2014-07-10 02:58:18
Dataset
https://plos.figshare.com/articles/dataset/Analysis_of_Genome_Sequences_from_Plant_Pathogenic_Rhodococcus_Reveals_Genetic_Novelties_in_Virulence_Loci/1099270
<div><p>Members of Gram-positive Actinobacteria cause economically important diseases to plants. Within the <i>Rhodococcus</i> genus, some members can cause growth deformities and persist as pathogens on a wide range of host plants. The current model predicts that phytopathogenic isolates require a cluster of three loci present on a linear plasmid, with the <i>fas</i> operon central to virulence. The Fas proteins synthesize, modify, and activate a mixture of growth regulating cytokinins, which cause a hormonal imbalance in plants, resulting in abnormal growth. We sequenced and compared the genomes of 20 isolates of <i>Rhodococcus</i> to gain insights into the mechanisms and evolution of virulence in these bacteria. Horizontal gene transfer was identified as critical but limited in the scale of virulence evolution, as few loci are conserved and exclusive to phytopathogenic isolates. Although the <i>fas</i> operon is present in most phytopathogenic isolates, it is absent from phytopathogenic isolate A21d2. Instead, this isolate has a horizontally acquired gene chimera that encodes a novel fusion protein with isopentyltransferase and phosphoribohydrolase domains, predicted to be capable of catalyzing and activating cytokinins, respectively. Cytokinin profiling of the archetypal D188 isolate revealed only one activate cytokinin type that was specifically synthesized in a <i>fas</i>-dependent manner. These results suggest that only the isopentenyladenine cytokinin type is synthesized and necessary for <i>Rhodococcus</i> phytopathogenicity, which is not consistent with the extant model stating that a mixture of cytokinins is necessary for <i>Rhodococcus</i> to cause leafy gall symptoms. In all, data indicate that only four horizontally acquired functions are sufficient to confer the trait of phytopathogenicity to members of the genetically diverse clade of <i>Rhodococcus</i>.</p></div>