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Plant science

A war over water when bacteria invade leaves

Nature volume 539, pages 506–507 (2016)Cite this article

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Plants and bacteria battle for control of water during leaf infection, as is demonstrated by a bacterial species that manipulates plant cells to create a water-rich environment that promotes bacterial growth. See Article p.524

Invading bacterial leaf pathogens disarm a plant's defence mechanisms by injecting what are known as effector proteins directly into plant cells. In addition to the plant's defence mechanisms, invading bacteria might encounter another obstacle — a severe shortage of water in the leaf intercellular space (apoplast) that limits bacterial growth. On page 524, Xin et al.1 report that Pseudomonas syringae bacteria inject effector proteins that specifically target plant-cell processes to promote apoplast hydration, thereby creating an environment suitable for bacterial growth.

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Figure 1: A bacterial pathogen can affect the hydration around leaf cells.

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References

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Gwyn A. Beattie is in the Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011, USA.,

    Gwyn A. Beattie

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  1. Gwyn A. Beattie
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Correspondence to Gwyn A. Beattie.

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Beattie, G. A war over water when bacteria invade leaves. Nature 539, 506–507 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/539506a

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