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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Plant Sci.
Sec. Plant Pathogen Interactions
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fpls.2024.1416253

Exploring the Comparative Genome of Rice Pathogen Burkholderia plantarii: Unveiling Virulence, Fitness Traits, and a Potential Type III Secretion System Effector

Provisionally accepted
Mohamed Mannaa Mohamed Mannaa 1,2Duyoung Lee Duyoung Lee 1Hyun-Hee Lee Hyun-Hee Lee 1Gil Han Gil Han 1Minhee Kang Minhee Kang 1Tae-Jin Kim Tae-Jin Kim 1Jungwook Park Jungwook Park 3Young-Su Seo Young-Su Seo 4*
  • 1 Pusan National University, Busan, Busan, Republic of Korea
  • 2 Cairo University, Giza, Giza, Egypt
  • 3 National Institute of Fisheries Science (NIFS), Busan, Busan, Republic of Korea
  • 4 Department of Integrated Biological Science, Pusan National University, Busan, Republic of Korea

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    This study presents a comprehensive genomic analysis of Burkholderia plantarii, a rice pathogen that causes blight and grain rot in seedlings. The entire genome of B. plantarii KACC 18964 was sequenced, followed by a comparative genomic analysis with other available genomes to gain insights into its virulence, fitness, and interactions with rice. Multiple secondary metabolite gene clusters were identified. Among these, 12 demonstrated varying similarity levels to known clusters linked to bioactive compounds, whereas eight exhibited no similarity, indicating B. plantarii as a source of potentially novel secondary metabolites. Notably, the genes responsible for tropolone and quorum sensing were conserved across the examined genomes. Additionally, B. plantarii was observed to possess three complete CRISPR systems and a range of secretion systems, exhibiting minor variations among the analyzed genomes. Genomic islands were analyzed across the four genomes, and a detailed study of the B. plantarii KACC 18964 genome revealed 59 unique islands. These islands were thoroughly investigated for their gene contents and potential roles in virulence. Particular attention has been devoted to the Type III secretion system (T3SS), a crucial virulence factor. An in silico analysis of potential T3SS effectors identified a conserved gene, aroA. Further mutational studies, in planta and in vitro analyses validated the association between aroA and virulence in rice. Overall, this study enriches our understanding of the genomic basis of B. plantarii pathogenicity and emphasizes the potential role of aroA in virulence. This understanding may guide the development of effective disease management strategies.

    Keywords: type III secretion system, secondary metabolites, genome analysis, Rice pathogenic bacteria, Virulence

    Received: 12 Apr 2024; Accepted: 10 May 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Mannaa, Lee, Lee, Han, Kang, Kim, Park and Seo. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Young-Su Seo, Department of Integrated Biological Science, Pusan National University, Busan, Republic of Korea

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.