Understanding the Impact of Salt Stress on Plant Pathogens Through Phenotypic and Transcriptomic Analysis

For plant diseases to become established, plant pathogens require not only virulence factors and susceptible hosts, but also optimal environmental conditions. The accumulation of high soil salinity can have serious impacts on agro-biological ecosystems. However, the interactions between plant pathog...

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Main Authors: Hyejung Jung, Gil Han, Duyoung Lee, Hyun-Kyoung Jung, Young-Sam Kim, Hee Jeong Kong, Young-Ok Kim, Young-Su Seo, Jungwook Park
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-01-01
Series:Plants
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/14/1/97
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author Hyejung Jung
Gil Han
Duyoung Lee
Hyun-Kyoung Jung
Young-Sam Kim
Hee Jeong Kong
Young-Ok Kim
Young-Su Seo
Jungwook Park
author_facet Hyejung Jung
Gil Han
Duyoung Lee
Hyun-Kyoung Jung
Young-Sam Kim
Hee Jeong Kong
Young-Ok Kim
Young-Su Seo
Jungwook Park
author_sort Hyejung Jung
collection DOAJ
description For plant diseases to become established, plant pathogens require not only virulence factors and susceptible hosts, but also optimal environmental conditions. The accumulation of high soil salinity can have serious impacts on agro-biological ecosystems. However, the interactions between plant pathogens and salinity have not been fully characterized. This study investigated the effects of salt stress on representative plant pathogens, such as <i>Burkholderia gladioli</i>, <i>Burkholderia glumae</i>, <i>Pectobacterium carotovorum</i> subsp. <i>carotovorum</i> (<i>Pcc</i>), <i>Ralstonia solanacearum</i>, and <i>Xanthomonas oryzae</i> pv. <i>oryzae</i>. Phenotypic assays revealed that <i>B. gladioli</i> and <i>R. solanacearum</i> are highly sensitive to salt stress, exhibiting significant reductions in growth, motility, and enzyme production, whereas <i>Pcc</i> showed notable tolerance. Pan-genome-based comparative transcriptomics identified co-downregulated patterns in <i>B. gladioli</i> and <i>R. solanacearum</i> under stress conditions, indicating the suppression of bacterial chemotaxis and type III secretion systems. Uniquely upregulated patterns in <i>Pcc</i> were associated with enhanced survival under high salinity, such as protein quality control, osmotic equilibrium, and iron acquisition. Additionally, the application of salt stress combined with the beneficial bacterium <i>Chryseobacterium salivictor</i> significantly reduced tomato wilt caused by <i>R. solanacearum</i>, suggesting a potential management strategy. This study underscores practical implications for effectively understanding and controlling plant pathogens under future climate changes involving salt stress.
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spelling doaj-art-c4133b05af59442db30de3e4eaa9cf822025-01-10T13:19:45ZengMDPI AGPlants2223-77472025-01-011419710.3390/plants14010097Understanding the Impact of Salt Stress on Plant Pathogens Through Phenotypic and Transcriptomic AnalysisHyejung Jung0Gil Han1Duyoung Lee2Hyun-Kyoung Jung3Young-Sam Kim4Hee Jeong Kong5Young-Ok Kim6Young-Su Seo7Jungwook Park8Department of Integrated Biological Science, Pusan National University, Busan 46241, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Integrated Biological Science, Pusan National University, Busan 46241, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Integrated Biological Science, Pusan National University, Busan 46241, Republic of KoreaBiotechnology Research Division, National Institute of Fisheries Science, Busan 46083, Republic of KoreaBiotechnology Research Division, National Institute of Fisheries Science, Busan 46083, Republic of KoreaBiotechnology Research Division, National Institute of Fisheries Science, Busan 46083, Republic of KoreaBiotechnology Research Division, National Institute of Fisheries Science, Busan 46083, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Integrated Biological Science, Pusan National University, Busan 46241, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Integrated Biological Science, Pusan National University, Busan 46241, Republic of KoreaFor plant diseases to become established, plant pathogens require not only virulence factors and susceptible hosts, but also optimal environmental conditions. The accumulation of high soil salinity can have serious impacts on agro-biological ecosystems. However, the interactions between plant pathogens and salinity have not been fully characterized. This study investigated the effects of salt stress on representative plant pathogens, such as <i>Burkholderia gladioli</i>, <i>Burkholderia glumae</i>, <i>Pectobacterium carotovorum</i> subsp. <i>carotovorum</i> (<i>Pcc</i>), <i>Ralstonia solanacearum</i>, and <i>Xanthomonas oryzae</i> pv. <i>oryzae</i>. Phenotypic assays revealed that <i>B. gladioli</i> and <i>R. solanacearum</i> are highly sensitive to salt stress, exhibiting significant reductions in growth, motility, and enzyme production, whereas <i>Pcc</i> showed notable tolerance. Pan-genome-based comparative transcriptomics identified co-downregulated patterns in <i>B. gladioli</i> and <i>R. solanacearum</i> under stress conditions, indicating the suppression of bacterial chemotaxis and type III secretion systems. Uniquely upregulated patterns in <i>Pcc</i> were associated with enhanced survival under high salinity, such as protein quality control, osmotic equilibrium, and iron acquisition. Additionally, the application of salt stress combined with the beneficial bacterium <i>Chryseobacterium salivictor</i> significantly reduced tomato wilt caused by <i>R. solanacearum</i>, suggesting a potential management strategy. This study underscores practical implications for effectively understanding and controlling plant pathogens under future climate changes involving salt stress.https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/14/1/97climate changecomparative transcriptomic analysishigh salinityplant pathogensalt stresssalt tolerance
spellingShingle Hyejung Jung
Gil Han
Duyoung Lee
Hyun-Kyoung Jung
Young-Sam Kim
Hee Jeong Kong
Young-Ok Kim
Young-Su Seo
Jungwook Park
Understanding the Impact of Salt Stress on Plant Pathogens Through Phenotypic and Transcriptomic Analysis
Plants
climate change
comparative transcriptomic analysis
high salinity
plant pathogen
salt stress
salt tolerance
title Understanding the Impact of Salt Stress on Plant Pathogens Through Phenotypic and Transcriptomic Analysis
title_full Understanding the Impact of Salt Stress on Plant Pathogens Through Phenotypic and Transcriptomic Analysis
title_fullStr Understanding the Impact of Salt Stress on Plant Pathogens Through Phenotypic and Transcriptomic Analysis
title_full_unstemmed Understanding the Impact of Salt Stress on Plant Pathogens Through Phenotypic and Transcriptomic Analysis
title_short Understanding the Impact of Salt Stress on Plant Pathogens Through Phenotypic and Transcriptomic Analysis
title_sort understanding the impact of salt stress on plant pathogens through phenotypic and transcriptomic analysis
topic climate change
comparative transcriptomic analysis
high salinity
plant pathogen
salt stress
salt tolerance
url https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/14/1/97
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