Microbial expansins act on plant cell walls similarly to plant expansins, albeit their loosening activity levels are tenfold lesser compared to plant expansins. We report the characterization of an expansin-like gene from the plant pathogen Pectobacterium carotovorum, named exl1. PcExl1 is an acidic protein that binds cellulose (Avicel), and weakens filter paper. The acidic nature of PcExl1 con...

This paper briefly reviews research on the causative agents of blackleg and soft rot diseases of potato, namely Pectobacterium and Dickeya species, and the disease syndrome, including epidemiological and aetiological aspects. It critically evaluates control methods used in practice based on the avoidance of the contamination of plants, in particular the use of seed testing programmes and the ap...

Dickeya dadantii (formerly Erwinia chrysanthemi, Pectobacterium chrysanthemi) is a necrotrophic, intracellular, plant pathogenic enterobacterium that induces soft rot diseases on a great variety of plants worldwide by secreting mainly multiple plant cell wall-degrading enzymes including pectinases, cellulases and proteases1. Additional factors that contribute to its pathogenicity are exopolysac...

The phytopathogenic bacterium Pectobacterium atrosepticum (Pba) strain SCRI1043 does not exhibit appreciable biofilm formation under standard laboratory conditions. Here we show that a biofilm-forming phenotype in this strain could be activated from a cryptic state by increasing intracellular levels of c-di-GMP, through overexpression of a constitutively active diguanylate cyclase (PleD*) from ...

The essential oils extracted by hydro-distillation of Pinus roxburghii wood, bark, and needles were analyzed by GC/MS, and their antibacterial and antioxidant activities were evaluated. Twenty-two, thirty-one, and twenty-eight compounds were identified in the essential oils of wood, bark, and needles, respectively. The major chemical constituents of wood’s essential oil were caryophyllene (16.7...

Plant cells can be sensitized toward a subsequent pathogen attack by avirulent pathogens or by chemicals such as β-aminobutyric acid (BABA). This process is called priming. Using a reverse genetic approach in Arabidopsis thaliana, we demonstrate that the BABA-responsive L-type lectin receptor kinase-VI.2 (LecRK-VI.2) contributes to disease resistance against the hemibiotrophic Pseudomonas syrin...

The term endophyte refers to interior colonization of plants by microorganisms that do not have pathogenic effects on their hosts, and various endophytes have been found to play important roles in plant vitality. In this study, cultivation-independent terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis of 16S ribosomal DNA directly amplified from plant tissue DNA was used in combination ...