The phytotoxin coronatine from Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato DC3000 functions as a virulence factor and influences defence pathways in edible brassicas.

SUMMARY The phytotoxin coronatine (COR) contributes to the virulence of Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato (Pst) strain DC3000 on Arabidopsis thaliana and tomato. However, little is known regarding the role of COR in the virulence of DC3000 on cultivated Brassica spp. In this study, the role of COR and its precursors, coronafacic acid (CFA) and coronamic acid (CMA), were examined in the virulence of Pst DC3000 on collard and turnip, two important edible brassicas. Pst DC3000 and three well-defined COR(-) biosynthetic mutants of DC3000 exhibited substantial differences in the timing and phenotype of disease lesions on collard and turnip. When examined 3 days post-inoculation (dpi), collard inoculated with DC3000 exhibited visible anthocyanin production and lesions were chlorotic and water-soaked. On turnip, chlorotic and necrotic lesions were evident on DC3000-inoculated leaves 5 dpi. The bacterial population dynamics on plants inoculated with DC3000 and the COR(-) mutants indicated that COR was essential for DC3000 to maintain high populations in turnip, but not collard. Real-time quantitative PCR revealed that the jasmonic acid pathway responsive genes, LOX2 and CORI1, were expressed in both hosts inoculated with Pst DC3000. PR1, a marker associated with the salicylic acid pathway, was expressed in collard and turnip inoculated with the CFA(-) CMA(-) mutant DB29, but not DC3000. Further comparison of PR1 and LOX2 expression indicated that CFA plays a subtle role in modulating defence in turnip. This is the first study to investigate the role of COR in the interaction of Pst DC3000 and cultivated brassicas using genetically and biochemically defined COR(-) mutants.