title: Plant-microbe interactions: identification of epiphytic bacteria and their ability to alter leaf surface permeability.
abstract: Bacteria were either isolated from leaf surfaces of Hedera helix or obtained from a culture collection in order to analyse their effect on barrier properties of isolated Hedera and Prunus laurocerasus cuticles. On the basis of the 16S rDNA sequences the genera of the six bacterial isolates from Hedera were identified as Pseudomonas sp., Stenotrophomonas sp. and Achromobacter. Water permeability of cuticles isolated from H. helix was measured before and after inoculation with the six bacterial strains. In addition water permeability of cuticles isolated from P. laurocerasus was measured before and after inoculation with the three bacterial strains Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Xanthomonas campestris and Corynebacterium fascians. Rates of water diffusing across isolated cuticles of both species significantly increased by up to 50% after inoculation with all bacterial strains. Obtained results show that epiphytic bacteria have the ability of increasing water permeability of Hedera and Prunus cuticles, which in turn should increase the availability of water and dissolved compounds in the phyllopshere. Consequently, living conditions in the habitat phyllosphere are improved. It can be concluded that the ability to change leaf surface properties will improve epiphytic fitness of leaf surface bacteria.
authors.affiliation: Institut für Zelluläre und Molekulare Botanik, Universität Bonn, Kirschallee 1, 53115 Bonn, Germany. lukas.schreiber@uni-bonn.de
authors.forename: Lukas
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Schreiber
authors.forename: Ursula
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Krimm
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Knoll
authors.forename: Mohamed
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sayed
authors.forename: Georg
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Auling
authors.forename: Reiner M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Kroppenstedt
mesh_terms: D042402:Achromobacter / Q000502:physiology; D018407:Bacterial Physiological Phenomena; D003352:Corynebacterium / Q000502:physiology; D035981:Hedera / Q000502:physiology; D010539:Permeability; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000502:physiology*; D018526:Plant Transpiration / Q000502:physiology; D027861:Prunus / Q000502:physiology; D011549:Pseudomonas / Q000502:physiology; D020615:Stenotrophomonas maltophilia / Q000502:physiology; D014867:Water; D016959:Xanthomonas campestris / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D014867:Water