<i>Salmonella</i> Heterogeneously Expresses Flagellin during Colonization of Plants
Minimally processed or fresh fruits and vegetables are unfortunately linked to an increasing number of food-borne diseases, such as salmonellosis. One of the relevant virulence factors during the initial phases of the infection process is the bacterial flagellum. Although its function is well studie...
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doaj-460db04600be4d5389995397aa223a9f2020-11-25T02:51:08ZengMDPI AGMicroorganisms2076-26072020-05-01881581510.3390/microorganisms8060815<i>Salmonella</i> Heterogeneously Expresses Flagellin during Colonization of PlantsAzhar A. Zarkani0Nieves López-Pagán1Maja Grimm2María Antonia Sánchez-Romero3Javier Ruiz-Albert4Carmen R. Beuzón5Adam Schikora6Julius Kühn-Institut Federal Research Centre for Cultivated Plants (JKI), Institute for Epidemiology and Pathogen Diagnostics, Messeweg 11/12, 38104 Braunschweig, GermanyInstituto de Hortofruticultura Subtropical y Mediterránea, Universidad de Málaga-Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (IHSM-UMA-CSIC), Dpto. Biología Celular, Genética y Fisiología, Campus de Teatinos, 29071 Malaga, SpainJulius Kühn-Institut Federal Research Centre for Cultivated Plants (JKI), Institute for Epidemiology and Pathogen Diagnostics, Messeweg 11/12, 38104 Braunschweig, GermanyDepartamento de Genética, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Sevilla, Apartado 1095, 41080 Seville, SpainInstituto de Hortofruticultura Subtropical y Mediterránea, Universidad de Málaga-Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (IHSM-UMA-CSIC), Dpto. Biología Celular, Genética y Fisiología, Campus de Teatinos, 29071 Malaga, SpainInstituto de Hortofruticultura Subtropical y Mediterránea, Universidad de Málaga-Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (IHSM-UMA-CSIC), Dpto. Biología Celular, Genética y Fisiología, Campus de Teatinos, 29071 Malaga, SpainJulius Kühn-Institut Federal Research Centre for Cultivated Plants (JKI), Institute for Epidemiology and Pathogen Diagnostics, Messeweg 11/12, 38104 Braunschweig, GermanyMinimally processed or fresh fruits and vegetables are unfortunately linked to an increasing number of food-borne diseases, such as salmonellosis. One of the relevant virulence factors during the initial phases of the infection process is the bacterial flagellum. Although its function is well studied in animal systems, contradictory results have been published regarding its role during plant colonization. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that <i>Salmonella’s</i> flagellin plays a versatile function during the colonization of tomato plants. We have assessed the persistence in plant tissues of a <i>Salmonella enterica</i> wild type strain, and of a strain lacking the two flagellins, FljB and FliC. We detected no differences between these strains concerning their respective abilities to reach distal, non-inoculated parts of the plant. Analysis of flagellin expression inside the plant, at both the population and single cell levels, shows that the majority of bacteria down-regulate flagellin production, however, a small fraction of the population continues to express flagellin at a very high level inside the plant. This heterogeneous expression of flagellin might be an adaptive strategy to the plant environment. In summary, our study provides new insights on <i>Salmonella</i> adaption to the plant environment through the regulation of flagellin expression.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/8/6/815<i>Salmonella</i>flagellincolonizationcrop plantsheterogeneous expression |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Azhar A. Zarkani Nieves López-Pagán Maja Grimm María Antonia Sánchez-Romero Javier Ruiz-Albert Carmen R. Beuzón Adam Schikora |
spellingShingle |
Azhar A. Zarkani Nieves López-Pagán Maja Grimm María Antonia Sánchez-Romero Javier Ruiz-Albert Carmen R. Beuzón Adam Schikora <i>Salmonella</i> Heterogeneously Expresses Flagellin during Colonization of Plants Microorganisms <i>Salmonella</i> flagellin colonization crop plants heterogeneous expression |
author_facet |
Azhar A. Zarkani Nieves López-Pagán Maja Grimm María Antonia Sánchez-Romero Javier Ruiz-Albert Carmen R. Beuzón Adam Schikora |
author_sort |
Azhar A. Zarkani |
title |
<i>Salmonella</i> Heterogeneously Expresses Flagellin during Colonization of Plants |
title_short |
<i>Salmonella</i> Heterogeneously Expresses Flagellin during Colonization of Plants |
title_full |
<i>Salmonella</i> Heterogeneously Expresses Flagellin during Colonization of Plants |
title_fullStr |
<i>Salmonella</i> Heterogeneously Expresses Flagellin during Colonization of Plants |
title_full_unstemmed |
<i>Salmonella</i> Heterogeneously Expresses Flagellin during Colonization of Plants |
title_sort |
<i>salmonella</i> heterogeneously expresses flagellin during colonization of plants |
publisher |
MDPI AG |
series |
Microorganisms |
issn |
2076-2607 |
publishDate |
2020-05-01 |
description |
Minimally processed or fresh fruits and vegetables are unfortunately linked to an increasing number of food-borne diseases, such as salmonellosis. One of the relevant virulence factors during the initial phases of the infection process is the bacterial flagellum. Although its function is well studied in animal systems, contradictory results have been published regarding its role during plant colonization. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that <i>Salmonella’s</i> flagellin plays a versatile function during the colonization of tomato plants. We have assessed the persistence in plant tissues of a <i>Salmonella enterica</i> wild type strain, and of a strain lacking the two flagellins, FljB and FliC. We detected no differences between these strains concerning their respective abilities to reach distal, non-inoculated parts of the plant. Analysis of flagellin expression inside the plant, at both the population and single cell levels, shows that the majority of bacteria down-regulate flagellin production, however, a small fraction of the population continues to express flagellin at a very high level inside the plant. This heterogeneous expression of flagellin might be an adaptive strategy to the plant environment. In summary, our study provides new insights on <i>Salmonella</i> adaption to the plant environment through the regulation of flagellin expression. |
topic |
<i>Salmonella</i> flagellin colonization crop plants heterogeneous expression |
url |
https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/8/6/815 |
work_keys_str_mv |
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