Scholarly Work - Plant Sciences & Plant Pathology
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://scholarworks.montana.edu/handle/1/8870
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Item Citrate Synthase GltA Modulates the 2,4-Diacetylphloroglucinol Biosynthesis of Pseudomonas fluorescens 2P24 and is Essential for the Biocontrol Capacity(American Chemical Society, 2023-07) Yang, Qingqing; Yan, Qing; Zhang, Bo; Zhang, Li-qun; Wu, XiaogangCarbon metabolism is critical for microbial physiology and remarkably affects the outcome of secondary metabolite production. The production of 2,4-diacetylphloroglucinol (2,4-DAPG), a bacterial secondary metabolite with a broad spectrum of antibiotic activity, is a major mechanism used by the soil bacterium Pseudomonas fluorescens 2P24 to inhibit the growth of plant pathogens and control disease occurrence. Strain 2P24 has evolved a complex signaling cascade to regulate the production of 2,4-DAPG. However, the role of the central carbon metabolism in modulating 2,4-DAPG production has not been fully determined. In this study, we report that the gltA gene, which encodes citrate synthase, affects the expression of the 2,4-DAPG biosynthesis gene and is essential for the biocontrol capacity of strain 2P24. Our data showed that the mutation of gltA remarkably decreased the biosynthesis of 2,4-DAPG. Consistent with this result, the addition of citrate in strain 2P24 resulted in increased 2,4-DAPG production and decreased levels of RsmA and RsmE. In comparison with the wild-type strain, the gltA mutant was severely impaired in terms of biocontrol activity against the bacterial wilt disease of tomato plants caused by Ralstonia solanacearum. Moreover, the gltA mutant exhibited increased antioxidant activity, and the expression of oxidative, stress-associated genes, including ahpB, katB, and oxyR, was significantly upregulated in the gltA mutant compared to the wild-type strain. Overall, our data indicate that the citrate synthase GltA plays an important role in the production of 2,4-DAPG and oxidative stress and is required for biocontrol capacity.Item The Toothpick Project: commercialization of a virulence-selected fungal bioherbicide for Striga hermonthica (witchweed) biocontrol in Kenya(Wiley, 2023-09) Baker, Claire S.; Sands, David C.; Nzioki, Henry SilaThe high-level view of global food systems identifies three all-encompassing barriers to the adoption of food systems solutions: knowledge, policy, and finance. These barriers, and the siloed characteristics of each of these, have hindered the development and adoption of microbial herbicides. How knowledge, policy, and finance are related to the Toothpick Project's path of commercializing a new bioherbicide, early in the scope of the industry, is discussed here. The Toothpick Project's innovation, developed over four decades and commercialized in 2021, uses strains of Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. strigae selected for overproduction and excretion of specific amino acids, killing the parasitic weed Striga hermonthica (Striga or witchweed), Africa's worst pest threat to food security. Historically, bioherbicides have not been a sufficient alternative to the dominant use of synthetic chemical herbicides. To be used safely as bioherbicides, plant pathogens need to be host specific, non-toxic, and yet sufficiently virulent to control a specific weed. For commercialization, bioherbicides must be affordable and require a sufficient shelf life for distribution. Given the current triple storm encountered by the chemical herbicide industry (herbicide-resistant weeds, lawsuits, and consumer pushback), there exists an opportunity to use certain plant pathogens as bioherbicides by enhancing their virulence. By discussing barriers in the scope of knowledge, policy, and finance in the development of the Toothpick Project's new microbial bioherbicide, we hope to help others to anticipate the challenges and provide change-leaders, particularly in policy and finance, a ground level perspective of bioherbicide development. © 2023 The Authors. Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.