Coronatine Production by Xanthomonas campestris pv. phormiicola.

Xanthomonas campestris pv. phormiicola, the pathogen of bacterial streak of New Zealand flax, induces hypertrophy on potato tuber tissues at the inoculated site. The hypertrophic active substance isolated from the bacterial culture filtrate produced visible chlorotic lesions on the leaves of New Zealand flax, ryegrass and tobacco plant. Rf values on TLC and 1H NMR spectrum of the purified toxin coincided well with those of coronatine. Thus, the toxin produced by X. campestris pv. phormiicola was identified as coronatine. This bacterium is the first example of coronatine producing xanthomonads. Coronatine was also detected in the leaves of host plant infected by this bacterium. As no plasmid DNA was detected, the possible involvement of plasmid DNA in coronatine production was suggested to be unlikely in this bacterium.