title: Flagella-driven chemotaxis towards exudate components is an important trait for tomato root colonization by Pseudomonas fluorescens.
abstract: Motility is a major trait for competitive tomato root-tip colonization by Pseudomonas fluorescens. To test the hypothesis that this role of motility is based on chemotaxis toward exudate components, cheA mutants that were defective in flagella-driven chemotaxis but retained motility were constructed in four P. fluorescens strains. After inoculation of seedlings with a 1:1 mixture of wild-type and nonmotile mutants all mutants had a strongly reduced competitive root colonizing ability after 7 days of plant growth, both in a gnotobiotic sand system as well as in nonsterile potting soil. The differences were significant on all root parts and increased from root base to root tip. Significant differences at the root tip could already be detected after 2 to 3 days. These experiments show that chemotaxis is an important competitive colonization trait. The best competitive root-tip colonizer, strain WCS365, was tested for chemotaxis toward tomato root exudate and its major identified components. A chemotactic response was detected toward root exudate, some organic acids, and some amino acids from this exudate but not toward its sugars. Comparison of the minimal concentrations required for a chemotactic response with concentrations estimated for exudates suggested that malic acid and citric acid are among major chemo-attractants for P. fluorescens WCS365 cells in the tomato rhizosphere.
authors.affiliation: Leiden University, Institute of Molecular Plant Sciences, The Netherlands. weert@rulbim.leidenuniv.nl
authors.forename: Sandra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: de Weert
authors.forename: Hans
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Vermeiren
authors.forename: Ine H M
authors.initials: IH
authors.lastname: Mulders
authors.forename: Irene
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kuiper
authors.forename: Nico
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hendrickx
authors.forename: Guido V
authors.initials: GV
authors.lastname: Bloemberg
authors.forename: Jos
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Vanderleyden
authors.forename: René
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: De Mot
authors.forename: Ben J J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Lugtenberg
mesh_terms: D000596:Amino Acids / Q000378:metabolism; D050260:Carbohydrate Metabolism; D002241:Carbohydrates / Q000032:analysis; D002633:Chemotaxis / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D019343:Citric Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D005407:Flagella / Q000502:physiology*; D019344:Lactic Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D018551:Solanum lycopersicum / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000382:microbiology; D008293:Malates / Q000378:metabolism; D009154:Mutation; D010935:Plant Diseases / Q000382:microbiology; D018517:Plant Roots / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000382:microbiology; D011551:Pseudomonas fluorescens / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development*
chemical_list: D000596:Amino Acids; D002241:Carbohydrates; D008293:Malates; D019343:Citric Acid; D019344:Lactic Acid; C030298:malic acid