Virulence genes are carried by a megaplasmid of the plant pathogen Pseudomonas solanacearum

Abstract

A class of avirulent mutants of the plant pathogenic bacterium Pseudomonas solanacearum, strain GMI1000, resistant to acridine orange (Acrr), harbour a deletion of over 85 kb in their genome. This deletion affects, a≤1,000 kb megaplasmid which has previously been shown to be present in most of the strains of this species. In addition at least 11 out of 13 independent Tn5 insertions, leading to loss of virulence, are located on the megaplasmid. Nine of them are present in the region which is deleted from the Acrr mutants. These results suggest that the majority of virulence genes identified so far are plasmid borne.