Pleiotropic effects of N‐acylhomoserine lactone synthase ExpI on virulence, competition, and transmission in Pectobacterium carotovorum subsp. carotovorum Pcc21

Abstract BACKGROUND Pectobacterium species are necrotrophic phytopathogenic bacteria that cause soft rot disease in economically important crops. The successful infection of host plants relies on interactions among virulence factors, competition, and transmission within hosts. Pectobacteria primarily produce and secrete plant cell‐wall degrading enzymes (PCWDEs) for virulence. The regulation of PCWDEs is controlled by quorum sensing (QS). Thus, the QS system is crucial for disease development in pectobacteria through PCWDEs. RESULTS In this study, we identified a Tn‐insertion mutant, M2, in the expI gene from a transposon mutant library of P. carotovorum subsp. carotovorum Pcc21 (hereafter Pcc21). The mutant exhibited reduced production and secretion of PCWDEs, impaired flagellar motility, and increased sensitivity to hydrogen peroxide, resulting in attenuated soft rot symptoms in cabbage and potato tubers. Transcriptomic analysis revealed the down‐regulation of genes involved in the production and secretion in the mutant, consistent with the observed phenotype. Furthermore, the Pcc21 wild‐type transiently colonized in the gut of Drosophila melanogaster within 12 h after feeding, while the mutant compromised colonization phenotype. Interestingly, Pcc21 produces a bacteriocin, carocin D, to compete with other bacteria. The mutant exhibited up‐regulation of carocin D‐encoding genes ( caro DK) and inhibited the growth of a closely related bacterium, P. wasabiae . CONCLUSION Our results demonstrated the significance of ExpI in the overall pathogenic lifestyle of Pcc21, including virulence, competition, and colonization in plant and insect hosts. These findings suggest that disease outcome is a result of complex interactions mediated by ExpI across multiple steps. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.