Insights into the temperature responses of Pseudomonas species in beneficial and pathogenic host interactions

Pseudomonas species are metabolically versatile bacteria able to exploit a wide range of ecological niches. Different Pseudomonas species can grow as free-living cells, biofilms, or associated with plants or animals, including humans, and their ecological success partially lies in their ability to grow and adapt to different temperatures. These bacteria are relevant for human activities, due to their clinical importance and their biotechnological potential for different applications such as bioremediation and the production of biopolymers, surfactants, secondary metabolites, and enzymes. In agriculture, some of them can act as plant growth promoters and are thus used as inoculants, whereas others, like P. syringae pathovars, can cause disease in commercial crops. This review aims to provide an overview of the temperature-response mechanisms in Pseudomonas species, looking for novel features or strategies based on techniques such as transcriptomics and proteomics. We focused on temperature-dependent traits mainly associated with virulence, host colonization, survival, and production of secondary metabolites. We analyzed human, animal, and plant pathogens and plant growth-promoting Pseudomonas species, including P. aeruginosa, P. plecoglossicida, several P. syringae pathovars, and P. protegens. Our aim was to provide a comprehensive view of the relevance of temperature-response traits in human and animal health and agricultural applications. Our analysis showed that features relevant to the bacterial-host interaction are adjusted to the environmental or host temperature regardless of the optimal growth temperature in the laboratory, and thus contribute to improving bacterial fitness. KEY POINTS: • In Pseudomonas species, temperature impacts the bacterial-host interaction. • Interaction traits are expressed at temperatures different from the optimal reported. • The bacterial-host interaction could be affected by climate change.