title: Erwinia amylovora pyrC mutant causes fire blight despite pyrimidine auxotrophy.
abstract: Erwinia amylovora bacteria cause fire blight disease, which affects apple and pear production worldwide. The Erw. amylovora pyrC gene encodes a predicted dihydroorotase enzyme involved in pyrimidine biosynthesis. Here, we discovered that the Erw. amylovora pyrC244::Tn5 mutant was a uracil auxotroph. Unexpectedly, the Erw. amylovora pyrC244::Tn5 mutant grew as well as the wild-type in detached immature apple and pear fruits. Fire blight symptoms caused by the pyrC244::Tn5 mutant in immature apple and pear fruits were attenuated compared to those caused by the wild-type. The pyrC244::Tn5 mutant also caused severe fire blight symptoms in apple tree shoots. A plasmid-borne copy of the wild-type pyrC gene restored prototrophy and symptom induction in apple and pear fruit to the pyrC244::Tn5 mutant. These results suggest that Erw. amylovora can obtain sufficient pyrimidine from the host to support bacterial growth and fire blight disease development, although de novo pyrimidine synthesis by Erw. amylovora is required for full symptom development in fruits. Significance and impact of the study: This study provides information about the fire blight host-pathogen interaction. Although the Erwinia amylovora pyrC mutant was strictly auxotrophic for pyrimidine, it grew as well as the wild-type in immature pear and apple fruits and caused severe fire blight disease in apple trees. This suggests that Erw. amylovora can obtain sufficient pyrimidines from host tissue to support growth and fire blight disease development. This situation contrasts with findings in some human bacterial pathogens, which require de novo pyrimidine synthesis for growth in host blood, for example.
authors: Department of Plant Pathology & Environmental Microbiology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA.|Graduate Degree Program in Plant Pathology, Department of Plant Pathology & Environmental Microbiology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA.
authors: L S
authors: LS
authors: Ramos
authors: Department of Plant Pathology & Environmental Microbiology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA.
authors: J P
authors: JP
authors: Sinn
authors: The Pennsylvania State University Fruit Research and Extension Center, Biglerville, PA, USA.
authors: B L
authors: BL
authors: Lehman
authors: Department of Plant Pathology & Environmental Microbiology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA.|Graduate Degree Program in Plant Pathology, Department of Plant Pathology & Environmental Microbiology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA.
authors: E E
authors: EE
authors: Pfeufer
authors: Department of Plant Pathology & Environmental Microbiology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA.|The Pennsylvania State University Fruit Research and Extension Center, Biglerville, PA, USA.
authors: K A
authors: KA
authors: Peter
authors: Department of Plant Pathology & Environmental Microbiology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA.
authors: T W
authors: TW
authors: McNellis
mesh_terms: D044084:Erwinia amylovora / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000472:pathogenicity; D005638:Fruit / Q000382:microbiology; D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions; D027845:Malus / Q000382:microbiology*; D010935:Plant Diseases / Q000382:microbiology*; D010957:Plasmids / Q000235:genetics; D011743:Pyrimidines / Q000378:metabolism*; D031989:Pyrus / Q000382:microbiology*
chemical_list: D011743:Pyrimidines; C030986:pyrimidine
keywords: Erwinia amylovora; apple; dihydroorotase; fire blight; pear; pyrC; virulence