Infection and immune response in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans elicited by the phytopathogen Xanthomonas.
Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo) strains are plant pathogenic bacteria that can cause serious blight of rice, and their virulence towards plant host is complex, making it difficult to be elucidated. Caenorhabditis elegans has been used as a powerful model organism to simplify the host and pathogen system. However, whether the C. elegans is feasible for studying plant pathogens such as Xoo has not been explored. In the present work, we report that Xoo strains PXO99 and JXOIII reduce the lifespan of worms not through acute toxicity, but in an infectious manner; pathogens proliferate and persist in the intestinal lumen to cause marked anterior intestine distension. In addition, Xoo triggers (i) the p38 MAPK signal pathway to upregulate its downstream C17H12.8 expression, and (ii) the DAF-2/DAF-16 pathway to upregulate its downstream gene expressions of mtl-1 and sod-3 under the condition of daf-2 mutation. Our findings suggest that C. elegans can be used as a model to evaluate the virulence of Xoo phytopathogens to host.
Gansu Key Laboratory of Biomonitoring and Bioremediation for Environmental Pollution, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, P. R. China.
Yanli
Y
Bai
Dejuan
D
Zhi
Chanhe
C
Li
Dongling
D
Liu
Juan
J
Zhang
Jing
J
Tian
Xin
X
Wang
Hui
H
Ren
Hongyu
H
Li
D000818:Animals; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology*; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D051858:Forkhead Transcription Factors; D016905:Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology; D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions; D007113:Immunity, Innate; D007422:Intestines / Q000382:microbiology; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D020935:MAP Kinase Signaling System / Q000276:immunology; D010935:Plant Diseases / Q000382:microbiology*; D011972:Receptor, Insulin / Q000378:metabolism; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism; D014974:Xanthomonas / Q000276:immunology* / Q000472:pathogenicity*
D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; D051858:Forkhead Transcription Factors; D014157:Transcription Factors; C108831:daf-16 protein, C elegans; C107483:DAF-2 protein, C elegans; D011972:Receptor, Insulin