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Quorum sensing in plant-pathogenic bacteria.
Susanne B Von Bodman1, W Dietz Bauer, David L Coplin
1Department of Plant Science, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut 06269-4163, USA. svbodman@canr.uconn.edu
Annual Review of Phytopathology
|May 6, 2003
Summary
Quorum sensing (QS) helps bacteria coordinate actions like pathogenicity. Interfering with QS signaling in phytopathogenic bacteria offers a promising strategy for controlling plant diseases.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Plant Pathology
- Bacterial Pathogenesis
Background:
- Quorum sensing (QS) enables bacteria to communicate population density using signal molecules.
- QS regulates crucial genes for pathogenicity and host colonization in phytopathogenic bacteria.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review how quorum sensing mechanisms are integrated into regulatory cascades controlling bacterial virulence.
- To explore the potential of QS interference as a strategy for managing plant bacterial diseases.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of extensively studied plant pathogens.
- Analysis of QS-regulated traits including virulence factors and colonization strategies.
Main Results:
- QS controls diverse bacterial traits: extracellular polysaccharides, enzymes, antibiotics, pigments, Hrp secretion, Ti plasmid transfer, motility, biofilm formation, and epiphytic fitness.
- QS systems are frequently essential for the pathogenesis of plant-associated bacteria.
Conclusions:
- QS is a critical regulatory network in plant pathogens.
- Targeting QS signaling pathways presents a viable approach for developing novel strategies against bacterial plant diseases.