Erwinia chrysanthemi at high osmolarity: influence of osmoprotectants on growth and pectate lyase production

Abstract

The mechanism of osmotic stress adaptation was investigated in the phytopathogen Erwinia chrysanthemi. Growth of the bacterium was inhibited by elevated medium osmolarity, and exogenous glycine betaine, proline, ectoine or pipecolate permitted recovery of growth at inhibitory osmolarity. Osmoprotectants were taken up by transporters induced by elevated osmolarity, and their level of accumulation within the cell was dependent on the osmolarity of the growth medium. The influence of osmolarity and osmoprotectants on the production of pectate lyases (PLs) was investigated. Increased medium osmolarity resulted first in an induction of PL activity, followed by a shift to the basal level at higher osmolyte concentrations. This induction was reversed by osmoprotectants in the medium. The increased PL activity was attributed in part to the induced transcription of the main PL gene, pelE, and all the osmoprotectants that were analysed were found to prevent pelE induction. PL activity was partially inhibited in vitro by high ionic strength but not by elevated concentrations of sugars, and the addition of osmoprotectants at 1 mM had no effect on PL activity in vitro.

Keywords: Erwinia chrysanthemi; osmoadaptation; osmoprotectants; pectate lyases; pel genes.