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. 1990 Dec;56(12):3855–3860. doi: 10.1128/aem.56.12.3855-3860.1990

Phenotypic Switching Affecting Chemotaxis, Xanthan Production, and Virulence in Xanthomonas campestris

Sophien Kamoun 1, Clarence I Kado 1,*
PMCID: PMC185079  PMID: 16348384

Abstract

The chemotaxis towards sucrose and yeast extract of nine strains of Xanthomonas campestris representing pathovars campestris, armoraciae, translucens, vesicatoria, and pelargonii was analyzed by using swarm plates. Unexpectedly, each of these strains formed small or reduced swarms typical of nonmotile or nonchemotactic bacteria. With time, however, chemotactic cells appeared on the swarm plates as blebs of bacteria. These cells were strongly chemotactic and were concomitantly deficient in exopolysaccharide production. The switch from the wild type (exopolysaccharide producing and nonchemotactic) to the swarmer type (exopolysaccharide deficient and chemotactic) appeared irreversible ex planta in bacteriological medium. However, in radish leaves swarmer-type strains of X. campestris pv. campestris were able to revert to the wild type. Swarmer-type derivatives of two X. campestris pv. campestris wild-type isolates showed reduced virulence and growth in the host plants cauliflower and radish. However, exocellular complementation of X. campestris pv. campestris Hrp (nonpathogenic) mutant was achieved by coinoculation with a swarmer-type strain.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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