Pseudomonas syringae subpopulations cooperate by coordinating flagellar and type III secretion spatiotemporal dynamics to facilitate plant infection
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Isogenic bacterial populations can display probabilistic cell-to-cell variation in response to challenges. This phenotypic heterogeneity can affect virulence in animals, but its impact on plant pathogens is unknown. Previously, we showed that expression of the type III secretion system (T3SS) of the plant pathogen Pseudomonas syringae displays phenotypic variation in planta. Here we use flow cytometry and microscopy to investigate single-cell flagellar expression in relation to T3SS expression, showing that both systems undergo phenotypic heterogeneity in vitro in apoplast-mimicking medium and within apoplastic microcolonies throughout colonization of Phaseolus vulgaris. Stochastic, spatial and time factors shape the dynamics of a phenotypically diverse pathogen population that displays division of labour during colonization: effectors produced by T3SS-expressing bacteria act as 'common goods' to suppress immunity, allowing motile flagella-expressing bacteria to increase and leave infected tissue before necrosis. These results showcase the mechanisms of bacterial specialization during plant colonization in an environmentally and agriculturally relevant system.
Source: Nature Microbiology
Institutions: Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Centre of the Region Haná for Biotechnical and Agricultural Research, Instituto de Hortofruticultura Subtropical y Mediterránea "La Mayora", Palacký University Olomouc, Universidad de Málaga, University of Lausanne, Universidad de Sevilla, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Aix-Marseille Université, Institut de Microbiologie de la Méditerranée, Laboratoire de Chimie Bactérienne, University of Basel
Language: English
Subfield: Plant Science
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $12,690
Funders: National Science Foundation, Aix-Marseille Université, Universidad de Málaga, Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades, European Commission, European Cooperation in Science and Technology, Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Junta de Andalucía, European Regional Development Fund, Agencia Estatal de Investigación, NextGenerationEU
Awards: G1092424111, G1175115578, G1569631583, G1826204064, G210041235, G222430619, G2262748287, G2601397997, G300979063, G34346518, G3480869486, G3681454997, G3798125933, G4042783231, G425668148, G4490887013, G4526231891, NCCR Microbiomes: Microbial communities in health and environment, The role of cell-cell interactions in the development and virulence of multispecies biofilms, G4849696726, G5080475149, G5195188938, G552430766, G5676693401, G6298273575, G6731524417, G7060882771, G7084143925, G7434936867, The role of SHH-GLI signaling in cancer stem cells, G7805626310, G8181105605
OpenAlex ID: W4409147911