N-acyl-homoserine lactone-mediated gene regulation in biological control by fluorescent pseudomonads: Current knowledge and future work Academic Article uri icon

abstract

  • An emerging area within biological control is the role of N-acyl-homoserine lactones (N-acyl-HSL's) in the regulation of competitive fitness and pathogen suppression. N-acyl-HSL regulatory systems utilize two conserved proteins which belong to the LuxR/LuxI regulatory family: one is a transcriptional regulator and the second produces the N-acyl-HSL signal. These signals regulate the expression of a diverse range of bacterial traits involved in microbe-microbe and host-microbe interactions. Several fluorescent pseudomonads important in biological control produce N-acyl-HSL signals which regulate genes that encode products involved in pathogen suppression. In contrast to pathogenic bacteria, little is known regarding N-acyl-HSL-mediated gene regulation in biological control bacteria. This minireview will focus on the current status of the role of N-acyl-HSL's in the regulation of phenazine antibiotic and rhamnolipid production in biological control by fluorescent pseudomonads. The potential relevance of this type of regulation in biological control of plant diseases, and areas requiring further research will be addressed.

published proceedings

  • European Journal of Plant Pathology

author list (cited authors)

  • Pierson III, L. S., Wood, D. W., Pierson, E. A., & Chancey, S. T.

citation count

  • 35

complete list of authors

  • Pierson III, Leland S||Wood, Derek W||Pierson, Elizabeth A||Chancey, Scott T

publication date

  • January 1998