A genomics perspective on natural product biosynthesis in plant pathogenic bacteria

Covering: up to February 2018 In recent years, genome sequencing revealed the full biosynthetic potential of bacteria causing plant diseases. Bioinformatics and advanced analytical techniques paved the way to clarify the structures of long-sought natural products with a role in virulence. Furthermore, several compounds without disease-associated function were discovered. The exploration of these molecules disclosed persistence strategies of plant pathogenic bacteria outside their hosts and provided access to new bioactive compounds with therapeutic potential. In this review, we will summarize some of the striking findings in the field, paying particular attention to unique natural product pathways and their unprecedented biosynthetic features as well as the biological activities of the retrieved compounds.