Abstract
Host-associated bacteria can have both beneficial and detrimental effects on host health. While some of the molecular mechanisms that determine these outcomes are known, little is known about the evolutionary histories of pathogenic or mutualistic lifestyles. Using the model plant Arabidopsis, we found that closely related strains within the Pseudomonas fluorescens species complex promote plant growth and occasionally cause disease. To elucidate the genetic basis of the transition between commensalism and pathogenesis, we developed a computational pipeline and identified genomic islands that correlate with outcomes for plant health. One island containing genes for lipopeptide biosynthesis and quorum-sensing is required for pathogenesis. Conservation of the quorum-sensing machinery in this island allows pathogenic strains to eavesdrop on quorum signals in the environment and coordinate pathogenic behavior. We found that genomic loci associated with both pathogenic and commensal lifestyles were convergently gained and lost in multiple lineages through homologous recombination, possibly constituting an early step in the differentiation of pathogenic and commensal lifestyles. Collectively this work provides novel insights into the evolution of commensal and pathogenic lifestyles within a single clade of host-associated bacteria.
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Claims 6
Claim · model-written summary
Closely related Pseudomonas fluorescens strains promoted Arabidopsis growth.
- Taxon
- Arabidopsis
Arabidopsise1 - Interactor
- Pseudomonas fluorescens
.JPG?width=60)
Pseudomonas fluorescense0symbiont - Outcome
- plant growthe0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
.JPG?width=500)
Verbatim
e0“Using the model plant Arabidopsis, we found that closely related strains within the Pseudomonas fluorescens species complex promote plant growth and occasionally cause disease.”
e1“model plant Arabidopsis”
Claim · model-written summary
Some closely related Pseudomonas fluorescens strains caused disease in Arabidopsis.
- Taxon
- ArabidopsisArabidopsise1
- Interactor
- Pseudomonas fluorescensPseudomonas fluorescense0pathogen
- Outcome
- diseasee0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Using the model plant Arabidopsis, we found that closely related strains within the Pseudomonas fluorescens species complex promote plant growth and occasionally cause disease.”
e1“model plant Arabidopsis”
Claim · model-written summary
Genomic islands correlated with outcomes for plant health.
- Taxon
- ArabidopsisArabidopsise1
- Gene
- genomic islandse0
- Outcome
- outcomes for plant healthe0
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“we developed a computational pipeline and identified genomic islands that correlate with outcomes for plant health.”
e1“model plant Arabidopsis”
Claim · model-written summary
An island with lipopeptide biosynthesis and quorum sensing genes was required for pathogenesis.
- Taxon
- ArabidopsisArabidopsise1
- Gene
- genes for lipopeptide biosynthesis and quorum-sensinge0
- Outcome
- pathogenesise0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“One island containing genes for lipopeptide biosynthesis and quorum-sensing is required for pathogenesis.”
e1“model plant Arabidopsis”
Claim · model-written summary
Conserved quorum sensing machinery lets pathogenic strains detect environmental quorum signals and coordinate pathogenic behavior.
- Taxon
- ArabidopsisArabidopsise1
- Gene
- quorum-sensing machinerye0
- Outcome
- pathogenic behaviore0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Conservation of the quorum-sensing machinery in this island allows pathogenic strains to eavesdrop on quorum signals in the environment and coordinate pathogenic behavior.”
e1“model plant Arabidopsis”
Claim · model-written summary
Loci associated with pathogenic and commensal lifestyles were convergently gained and lost across lineages through homologous recombination.
- Taxon
- ArabidopsisArabidopsise1
- Gene
- genomic locie0
- Outcome
- convergently gained and lost in multiple lineages through homologous recombinatione0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“We found that genomic loci associated with both pathogenic and commensal lifestyles were convergently gained and lost in multiple lineages through homologous recombination”
e1“model plant Arabidopsis”