Bacteriocins in plant pathology: current knowledge, application, challenges and perspectives

To address the growing emergence of multi-resistant phytopathogenic bacteria, innovative solutions are being explored in the field of plant health. Among them, bacteriocins, antimicrobial peptides or proteins secreted by bacteria, characterized by a highly specific spectrum of activity and involved in intra-specific competition, are gaining increasing interest. Bacteriocins can confer a positive selective advantage in both natural and agricultural environments, thereby contributing to microbiome modulation. Bacteriocin-producing rhizobacteria and lactic acid bacteria are already used as biocontrol agents against phytopathogenic bacteria, as well as plant growth stimulators. Bacteriocins can be produced in situ by using avirulent strains, or ex situ through industrial synthesis and applied as biopesticides. Nowadays, genetic engineering enables production of chimeric bacteriocins and their direct production in transgenic plants, avoiding the need for repeated treatments and limiting emergence of resistances. The selection of promising bacteriocins can be guided by omics-based approaches, notably metagenomics, which involve the direct extraction and sequencing of DNA from environmental samples and provides access to the genetic diversity in complex soil or plant-associated microbiomes. Combined with open-access databases and recently developed integrated tools, this approach not only facilitates the identification of known structures of bacteriocins, but also enables the prediction of potentially active peptides even those never experimentally characterized. Bacteriocin-based strategies, at the crossroads of molecular biology, microbial ecology and agronomy, hold significant potential for promoting sustainable agriculture through highly specific pathogen targeting. However, their large-scale implementation still faces several challenges, including standardization of strain screening protocols, compliance with regulatory frameworks and farmer acceptance.