title: Exploring ComQXPA quorum-sensing diversity and biocontrol potential of Bacillus spp. isolates from tomato rhizoplane.
abstract: Bacillus subtilis is a widespread and diverse bacterium t exhibits a remarkable intraspecific diversity of the ComQXPA quorum-sensing (QS) system. This manifests in the existence of distinct communication groups (pherotypes) that can efficiently communicate within a group, but not between groups. Similar QS diversity was also found in other bacterial species, and its ecological and evolutionary meaning is still being explored. Here we further address the ComQXPA QS diversity among isolates from the tomato rhizoplane, a natural habitat of B. subtilis, where these bacteria likely exist in their vegetative form. Because this QS system regulates production of anti-pathogenic and biofilm-inducing substances such as surfactins, knowledge on cell-cell communication of this bacterium within rhizoplane is also important from the biocontrol perspective. We confirm the presence of pherotype diversity within B. subtilis strains isolated from a rhizoplane of a single plant. We also show that B. subtilis rhizoplane isolates show a remarkable diversity of surfactin production and potential plant growth promoting traits. Finally, we discover that effects of surfactin deletion on biofilm formation can be strain specific and unexpected in the light of current knowledge on its role it this process.
authors.affiliation: Department of Food Science and Technology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Oslizlo
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Stefanic
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Vatovec
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Beigot Glaser
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rupnik
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Mandic-Mulec
mesh_terms: D001407:Bacillus / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000502:physiology; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D014644:Genetic Variation; D018551:Solanum lycopersicum / Q000382:microbiology; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D010802:Phylogeny; D018517:Plant Roots / Q000382:microbiology*; D053038:Quorum Sensing; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D017385:Sequence Homology; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000235:genetics*; D014166:Transferases / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; C061262:ComA protein, Bacteria; C087040:ComX protein, Bacillus subtilis; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D008565:Membrane Proteins; C070739:comQ protein, Bacillus subtilis; D014166:Transferases; C064995:comP protein, Bacillus subtilis