Abstract
Pectobacterium carotovorum is a gram-negative phytopathogenic bacterium that causes soft rot disease on diverse plant species. It encodes the type III secretion system effector protein, DspE, and its chaperone, DspF. The DspE family proteins form water and solute channels in plant cells, flooding the apoplast to aid bacterial multiplication. In Pseudomonas syringae, the DspE ortholog, AvrE, upregulates abscisic acid (ABA) expression, leading to stomatal closure. In this study, a Pectobacterium carotovorum dspEF mutant did not cause leaf cell death in tobacco leaves. This observation is supported by the lower expression of PCWDE such as pelB, pelI, celV, prtW, and the quorum sensing system transcript expI in tobacco plants prior to visual symptoms (5 hours post-inoculation). Interestingly, neither dspE/F or hrpL mutation affected synthesis of QS signaling molecule AHL under microbiological settings. However, maceration symptoms occurred if leaves infiltrated with the dspEF mutant were kept under high humidity or detached post-infiltration. These leaves showed elevated transcription of ABA synthesis genes compared to infiltrated leaves maintained on the plant under ambient conditions. To validate this involvement, co-infiltration of ABA with the dspEF mutant restored its ability to cause maceration in attached leaves under ambient conditions. Overall, our data suggest that DspE/F facilitates host susceptibility by creating an aqueous apoplast, promoting ABA accumulation and stomata closure.
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Claims 9
Claim · model-written summary
The dspEF mutant failed to cause tobacco leaf cell death.
- Taxon
- tobacco
Nicotiana tabacume0
- Material
- dspEF mutante0
- Interactor
- Pectobacterium carotovorum
Pectobacterium carotovorume0pathogen - Outcome
- leaf cell deathe0
- Direction
- did not causee0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

Verbatim
e0“a Pectobacterium carotovorum dspEF mutant did not cause leaf cell death in tobacco leaves”
Claim · model-written summary
The dspEF mutant was associated with lower PCWDE transcript expression before symptoms in tobacco.
- Taxon
- tobacco
Nicotiana tabacume0
- Interactor
- Pectobacterium carotovorum
Pectobacterium carotovorume1pathogen - Gene
- pelB, pelI, celV, prtWe0
- Outcome
- expression of PCWDEe0
- Direction
- lowere0
- Qualifier
- prior to visual symptoms (5 hours post-inoculation)e0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

Verbatim
e0“lower expression of PCWDE such as pelB, pelI, celV, prtW, and the quorum sensing system transcript expI in tobacco plants prior to visual symptoms (5 hours post-inoculation)”
e1“a Pectobacterium carotovorum dspEF mutant did not cause leaf cell death in tobacco leaves”
Claim · model-written summary
The dspEF mutant was associated with lower expI transcript expression before symptoms in tobacco.
- Taxon
- tobacco
Nicotiana tabacume0
- Interactor
- Pectobacterium carotovorum
Pectobacterium carotovorume1pathogen - Gene
- expIe0
- Outcome
- quorum sensing system transcript expIe0
- Direction
- lowere0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

Verbatim
e0“lower expression of PCWDE such as pelB, pelI, celV, prtW, and the quorum sensing system transcript expI in tobacco plants prior to visual symptoms (5 hours post-inoculation)”
e1“a Pectobacterium carotovorum dspEF mutant did not cause leaf cell death in tobacco leaves”
Claim · model-written summary
Neither dspE/F nor hrpL mutation affected bacterial AHL synthesis in microbiological settings.
- Taxon
- tobacco
Nicotiana tabacume1
- Interactor
- Pectobacterium carotovorum
Pectobacterium carotovorume1pathogen - Gene
- dspE/F or hrpLe0
- Outcome
- synthesis of QS signaling molecule AHLe0
- Direction
- neither dspE/F or hrpL mutation affectede0
- Setting
- microbiological settingse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

Verbatim
e0“neither dspE/F or hrpL mutation affected synthesis of QS signaling molecule AHL under microbiological settings”
e1“a Pectobacterium carotovorum dspEF mutant did not cause leaf cell death in tobacco leaves”
Claim · model-written summary
High humidity allowed the dspEF mutant to cause leaf maceration.
- Taxon
- tobacco
Nicotiana tabacume1
- Treatment
- high humiditye0
- Interactor
- Pectobacterium carotovorum
Pectobacterium carotovorume2pathogen - Outcome
- maceration symptomse0
Not reportedComparatorDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

Verbatim
e0“maceration symptoms occurred if leaves infiltrated with the dspEF mutant were kept under high humidity or detached post-infiltration”
e1“in tobacco leaves”
e2“a Pectobacterium carotovorum dspEF mutant”
Claim · model-written summary
Detachment after inoculation allowed the dspEF mutant to cause leaf maceration.
- Taxon
- tobacco
Nicotiana tabacume1
- Treatment
- detached post-infiltratione0
- Interactor
- Pectobacterium carotovorum
Pectobacterium carotovorume2pathogen - Outcome
- maceration symptomse0
Not reportedComparatorDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

Verbatim
e0“maceration symptoms occurred if leaves infiltrated with the dspEF mutant were kept under high humidity or detached post-infiltration”
e1“in tobacco leaves”
e2“a Pectobacterium carotovorum dspEF mutant”
Claim · model-written summary
Leaves kept at high humidity or detached after mutant infiltration had elevated ABA synthesis gene transcription relative to attached leaves under ambient conditions.
- Taxon
- tobacco
Nicotiana tabacume1
- Gene
- ABA synthesis genese0
- Outcome
- transcription of ABA synthesis genese0
- Direction
- elevatede0
- Comparator
- infiltrated leaves maintained on the plant under ambient conditionse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“These leaves showed elevated transcription of ABA synthesis genes compared to infiltrated leaves maintained on the plant under ambient conditions.”
e1“in tobacco leaves”
Claim · model-written summary
ABA co-infiltration restored maceration by the dspEF mutant in attached leaves under ambient conditions.
- Taxon
- tobacco
Nicotiana tabacume1
- Organ / stage
- attached leavese0
- Treatment
- co-infiltration of ABA with the dspEF mutante0
- Interactor
- Pectobacterium carotovorum
Pectobacterium carotovorume2pathogen - Outcome
- ability to cause maceratione0
- Direction
- restorede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

Verbatim
e0“co-infiltration of ABA with the dspEF mutant restored its ability to cause maceration in attached leaves under ambient conditions”
e1“in tobacco leaves”
e2“a Pectobacterium carotovorum dspEF mutant”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors infer that DspE/F promotes tobacco susceptibility by creating an aqueous apoplast and promoting ABA accumulation and stomatal closure.
- Taxon
- tobacco
Nicotiana tabacume1
- Gene
- DspE/Fe0
- Outcome
- host susceptibilitye0
- Qualifier
- creating an aqueous apoplast, promoting ABA accumulation and stomata closuree0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“DspE/F facilitates host susceptibility by creating an aqueous apoplast, promoting ABA accumulation and stomata closure”
e1“in tobacco leaves”