Reclassification and Pathogenesis of Clavibacter Species: A Model Pathogen for Studying the Molecular Interactions...

Phytopathogenic bacteria of the genus Clavibacter cause severe yield loss, resulting in significant economic damage to various commercial crops worldwide. These bacteria pose a significant risk to global crop productivity due to their high transmissibility and the challenges of early detection. Although Clavibacter bacteria are important pathogens in agriculture, there is limited understanding of their virulence factors and their interactions with host plants. To provide a thorough understanding of the genus, we present the specific features of eight Clavibacter species, including their reclassification based on comparative genomic information, disease cycles, and virulence factors reported to date, including CAZymes, serine proteases, transcriptional regulators, and additional factors. Based on the reported virulence genes of C. michiganensis and C. capsici, the causal agents of bacterial canker in tomato and pepper, respectively, we briefly propose an overview of the molecular interactions between these pathogens and plants. Overall, we hope that this review will broaden our understanding of the pathogenesis of Clavibacter and provide new perspectives on the relationships between Gram-positive phytopathogenic bacteria and their host plants. [Formula: see text] Copyright © 2025 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license.