Phenotypic comparison of clinical and plant-beneficial strains of Pantoea agglomerans

Authors

  • Anna Bonaterra Institute of Food and Agricultural Technology, University of Girona, Girona.
  • Esther Badosa Institute of Food and Agricultural Technology, University of Girona, Girona.
  • Fabio Rezzonico Agroscope Changins-Wädenswil ACW, Division of Plant Protection, Wädenswil, Switzerland; Zurich University of Applied Sciences ZHAW, LSFM-IUNR, Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology Research Group, Wädenswil, Switzerland
  • Brion Duffy Agroscope Changins-Wädenswil ACW, Division of Plant Protection, Wädenswil, Switzerland; Zurich University of Applied Sciences ZHAW, LSFM-IUNR, Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology Research Group, Wädenswil, Switzerland
  • Emilio Montesinos Institute of Food and Agricultural Technology, University of Girona, Girona

Keywords:

Pantoea agglomerans, Erwinia amylovora, Meloidogyne javanica, Penicillium expansum, Caenorhabditis elegans, biocontrol, biosafety, toxicity, hemolytic activity, Ames test

Abstract

Certain strains of Pantoea are used as biocontrol agents for the suppression of plant diseases. However, their commercial registration is hampered in some countries because of biosafety concerns. This study compares clinical and plant-beneficial strains of P. agglomerans and related species using a phenotypic analysis approach in which plant-beneficial effects, adverse effects in nematode models, and toxicity were evaluated. Plant-beneficial effects were determined as the inhibition of apple fruit infection by Penicillium expansum and apple flower infection by Erwinia amylovora. Clinical strains had no general inhibitory activity against infection by the fungal or bacterial plant pathogens, as only one clinical strain inhibited P. expansum and three inhibited E. amylovora. By contrast, all biocontrol strains showed activity against at least one of the phytopathogens, and three strains were active against both. The adverse effects in animals were evaluated in the plant-parasitic nematode Meloidogyne javanica and the bacterial-feeding nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Both models indicated adverse effects of the two clinical strains but not of any of the plant-beneficial strains. Toxicity was evaluated by means of hemolytic activity in blood, and genotoxicity with the Ames test. None of the strains, whether clinical or plant-beneficial, showed any evidence of toxicity. [Int Microbiol 2014; 17(2):81-90]

Keywords: Pantoea agglomerans · Erwinia amylovora · Meloidogyne javanica · Penicillium expansum · Caenorhabditis elegans · biocontrol · biosafety · toxicity · hemolytic activity · Ames test

Downloads

Issue

Vol. 17 No. 2 (2014)

Section

Research Articles

License

Submission of a manuscript to International Microbiology implies: that the work described has not been published before, including publication in the World Wide Web (except in the form of an Abstract or as part of a published lecture, review, or thesis); that it is not under consideration for publication elsewhere; that all the coauthors have agreed to its publication. The corresponding author signs for and accepts responsability for releasing this material and will act on behalf of any and all coauthors regarding the editorial review and publication process.

If an article is accepted for publication in International Microbiology, the authors (or other copyright holder) must transfer to the journal the right–not exclusive–to reproduce and distribute the article including reprints, translations, photographic reproductions, microform, electronic form (offline, online) or any other reproductions of similar nature. Nevertheless, all article in International Microbiology will be available on the Internet to any reader at no cost. The journal allows users to freely download, copy, print, distribute, search, and link to the full text of any article, provided the authorship and source of the published article is cited. The copyright owner's consent does not include copying for new works, or resale. In these cases, the specific written permission of International Microbiology must first be obtained.

Authors are requested to create a link to the published article on the journal's website. The link must be accompanied by the following text: "The original publication is available on LINK at <http://www.im.microbios.org>. Please use the appropiate URL for the article in LINK. Articles disseminated via LINK are indexed, abstracted, and referenced by many abstracting and information services, bibliographic networks, subscription agencies, library networks, and consortia.