Bacterial Volatiles (mVOC) Emitted by the Phytopathogen Erwinia amylovora Promote Arabidopsis thaliana Growth and Oxidative Stress

Abstract

Phytopathogens are well known for their devastating activity that causes worldwide significant crop losses. However, their exploitation for crop welfare is relatively unknown. Here, we show that the microbial volatile organic compound (mVOC) profile of the bacterial phytopathogen, Erwinia amylovora, enhances Arabidopsis thaliana shoot and root growth. GC-MS head-space analyses revealed the presence of typical microbial volatiles, including 1-nonanol and 1-dodecanol. E. amylovora mVOCs triggered early signaling events including plasma transmembrane potential Vm depolarization, cytosolic Ca2+ fluctuation, K+-gated channel activity, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) and nitric oxide (NO) burst from few minutes to 16 h upon exposure. These early events were followed by the modulation of the expression of genes involved in plant growth and defense responses and responsive to phytohormones, including abscisic acid, gibberellin, and auxin (including the efflux carriers PIN1 and PIN3). When tested, synthetic 1-nonanol and 1-dodecanol induced root growth and modulated genes coding for ROS. Our results show that E. amylovora mVOCs affect A. thaliana growth through a cascade of early and late signaling events that involve phytohormones and ROS.

Volatiles of Shiraia fruiting body-associated Pseudomonas putida No.24 stimulate fungal hypocrellin production

“…In our previous studies, ROS generation and oxidative stress were found as early events for the abiotic elicitation on perylenequinone biosynthesis in Shiraia under the treatment of ultrasound [ 22 ], bamboo charcoal powder [ 42 ] and Triton X-100 [ 43 ]. Parmagnani et al (2023) reported that VOCs produced by Erwinia amylovora enhanced shoot and root growth of Arabidopsis thaliana by triggering ROS burst from few minutes upon exposure [ 44 ]. The mixture of Bacillus spp.…”

Long-Lasting Silver Nanoparticles Synthesized with Tagetes erecta and Their Antibacterial Activity against Erwinia amylovora, a Serious Rosaceous Pathogen

“…The applications of AgNPs are focused on different areas of biomedicine, biology, electronics, and agriculture, among others [21]. Currently, applications of AgNPs have become more prominent because of their antibacterial properties [22,23].…”

“…The "fire blight" bacteria attack buds and flowers, reducing significantly the production of pears and apples around the world. For this reason, E. amylovora has been classified as a quarantine organism in several countries [23,26,27].…”