Work

Real-time monitoring of Ralstonia solanacearum infection progress in tomato and Arabidopsis using bioluminescence imaging technology

Year: 2022

Type: article

Abstract: Background Ralstonia solanacearum, one of the most devastating bacterial plant pathogens, is the causal agent of bacterial wilt. Recently, several studies on resistance to bacterial wilt have been conducted using the Arabidopsis-R. solanacearumsystem. However, the progress ofR. solanacearuminfection in Arabidopsis is still unclear. Results We generated a bioluminescentR. solanacearumby expressing plasmid-basedluxCDABE. Expression ofluxCDABE did not alter the bacterial growth and pathogenicity. The light intensity of bioluminescentR. solanacearumwas linearly related to bacterial concentrations from 104to 108 CFU·mL−1. After root inoculation with bioluminescentR. solanacearumstrain, light signals in tomato and Arabidopsis were found to be transported from roots to stems via the vasculature. Quantification of light intensity from the bioluminescent strain accurately reported the difference in disease resistance between Arabidopsis wild type and resistant mutants. Conclusions BioluminescentR. solanacearumstrain spatially and quantitatively measured bacterial growth in tomato and Arabidopsis, and offered a tool for the high-throughput study ofR. solanacearum-Arabidopsis interaction in the future.

Source: Plant Methods

DOI: 10.1186/s13007-022-00841-x