Exopolysaccharide production and precipitation method as a tool to study virulence factors in the sugarcane pathogen Acidovorax avenae subsp. avenae

MIELNICHUK, N; CONSTANZA MARIA JOYA; MARIA ANGELICA MONACHASI; ROMINA PRISCILLA BERTANI

METHODS IN MOLECULAR BIOLOGY (CLIFTON, N.J.)

Springer

Lugar: Sevilla; Año: 2024

1064-3745

Acidovorax avenae subsp. avenae (Aaa) is the causal agent of red stripe in sugarcane, a disease characterized by two forms: leaf stripe and top rot. Despite the importance of this disease, little is known about Aaa virulence factors (VFs) and their function in the infection process. Among the different array of VFs exert by phytopathogenic bacteria, exopolysaccharides (EPSs) often confer a survival advantage by protecting the cell against abiotic and biotic stresses, including host defensive factors. They are also main components of the extracellular matrix involved in cell–cell recognition, surface adhesion and biofilm formation. EPS composition and properties have been well studied for some plant pathogenic bacteria, nevertheless there is no knowledge about Aaa-EPS. In this work, we described a simple and reliable method for EPS production, precipitation and quantification based on cold precipitation after ethanol addition, that will allow to studied EPS characteristics of different Aaa strains; and to evaluate the association among EPS (eg. amount, composition, viscosity) and Aaa virulence.