Table 1. Transcription ratio of the S. maltophilia R551-3 wild-type compared to the rpfF mutant strain for selected genes that code for products of important physiological role with regard to bacteria-plant interactions.

Physiological role	Gene/locus	Product/function	Fold change wild-type/rpfF mutant
cell motility	Smal_1869	Flagellar export protein FliQ	35.1
	fliN	flagellar motor switch protein FliN	28.2
	Smal_1868	flagellar biosynthetic protein	17.9
	Smal_1877	flagellar related ATPase	17.4
	Smal_1881	flagellar hook-basal body complex subunit	12.9
	motC	flagellar motor protein	9.9
	flgA	flagellar basal body P-ring biosynthesis protein	4.5
	Smal_1874	flagellar basal body-associated protein	4.5
	Smal_1863	cobyrinic acid ac-diamide synthase	3.2
	Smal_1894	flagellin	3.1
	flgK	flagellar hook-associated protein	3.1
	Smal_1909	putative anti-sigma-28 factor	2.4
	Smal_1876	flagellar export protein	2.3
	flgJ	flagellar rod assembly protein	2.1
chemotaxis	Smal_1907	response regulator receiver CheW	15.0
	Smal_1846	methyl-accepting chemotaxis sensor molecule	6.3
	Smal_1855	chemotaxis signal transducer	2.7
	Smal_1845	CheR-type chemotaxis methyltransferase	2.7
direct plant growth promoting	Smal_2304	putative spermidine export protein *	43.8
	Smal_2305	putative spermidine export protein *	5.4
	Smal_3769	spermidine synthase	1.5
	Smal_1341	spermidine/putrescine-binding periplasmic protein	1.5
LPS biosynthesis	Smal_0537	permease	2.1
	Smal_1400	3-deoxy-manno-octulosonate cytidylyltransferase	1.9
	Smal_3508	UDP-N-acetylglucosamine pyrophosphorylase	1.4
biofilm formation	Smal_2718	polysaccharide polymerase involved in biofilm formation	3.8
	Smal_0846	serine-threonine phosphatase	2.0
	Smal_2717	polysaccharide deacetylase	-5.5
iron transport	Smal_1803	iron transport protein	1.8
antibiotic resistance and multidrug pumps	Smal_2304	multidrug resistance protein	43.8
	Smal_2305	small multidrug resistance protein	5.4
	Smal_2146	beta-lactamase	2.3
	Smal_1568	multidrug efflux transporter (SmeW)	2.7
chaperone synthesis	Smal_1891	flagellin-specific chaperone	50.2
	Smal_1916	DnaJ class molecular chaperone	15.0
	Smal_1271	pili assembly chaperone	14.2
	Smal_1576	severe stress chaperone	0.2

Genes listed here play crucial roles in plant colonization, biofilm formation, ecological persistence, biocontrol and plant growth promotion. *: Originally annotated as multidrug resistance protein, but blastp analysis revealed significant homology to the mdtJ, the spermidine export protein of the plant growth promoting and biocontrol agent S. r,hizophila DSM14405^T.