Physcomitrella patens Activates Defense Responses against the Pathogen Colletotrichum gloeosporioides.

The moss Physcomitrella patens is a suitable model plant to analyze the activation of defense mechanisms after pathogen assault. In this study, we show that Colletotrichum gloeosporioides isolated from symptomatic citrus fruit infects P. patens and cause disease symptoms evidenced by browning and maceration of tissues. After C. gloeosporioides infection, P. patens reinforces the cell wall by the incorporation of phenolic compounds and induces the expression of a Dirigent-protein-like encoding gene that could lead to the formation of lignin-like polymers. C. gloeosporioides-inoculated protonemal cells show cytoplasmic collapse, browning of chloroplasts and modifications of the cell wall. Chloroplasts relocate in cells of infected tissues toward the initially infected C. gloeosporioides cells. P. patens also induces the expression of the defense genes PAL and CHS after fungal colonization. P. patens reporter lines harboring the auxin-inducible promoter from soybean (GmGH3) fused to ß-glucuronidase revealed an auxin response in protonemal tissues, cauloids and leaves of C. gloeosporioides-infected moss tissues, indicating the activation of auxin signaling. Thus, P. patens is an interesting plant to gain insight into defense mechanisms that have evolved in primitive land plants to cope with microbial pathogens.

Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. citri enters the VBNC state after copper treatment and retains its virulence.

The most severe form of citrus canker disease is caused by Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. citri (Xac) and affects all types of important citrus crops, reducing fruit yield and quality. Copper-based products are routinely used as a standard control measure for citrus canker. In this work we demonstrate that copper treatment induces the viable but nonculturable (VBNC) state in Xac but does not prevent the development of symptoms in susceptible plants. Short-term exposures to different concentrations of copper solutions were assayed to determine which treatment resulted in Xac nonculturability. Treatment of 10(6) mL(-1) Xac cells for 10 min in a 135-muM CuSO(4) solution (equivalent to three times the free soluble copper concentration applied in one field treatment) resulted in nonculturability. However, 16% of cells were viable based on 5-cyano-2,3-ditolyl tetrazolium chloride staining and 1% were capable of producing canker lesions after infiltrating grapefruit plants. If induction of the VBNC state in Xac cells were to occur under field conditions, this would have to be taken into consideration for an effective control of canker disease.