A genome-wide overexpression screen reveals Mycobacterium smegmatis growth inhibitors encoded by mycobacteriophage Hammy.

During infection, bacteriophages produce diverse gene products to overcome bacterial antiphage defenses, to outcompete other phages, and to take over cellular processes. Even in the best-studied model phages, the roles of most phage-encoded gene products are unknown, and the phage population represents a largely untapped reservoir of novel gene functions. Considering the sheer size of this population, experimental screening methods are needed to sort through the enormous collection of available sequences and identify gene products that can modulate bacterial behavior for downstream functional characterization.

Rhizosphere plant-microbe interactions under water stress.

Climate change, with its extreme temperature, weather and precipitation patterns, is a major global concern of dryland farmers, who currently meet the challenges of climate change agronomically and with growth of drought-tolerant crops. Plants themselves compensate for water stress by modifying aerial surfaces to control transpiration and altering root hydraulic conductance to increase water uptake. These responses are complemented by metabolic changes involving phytohormone network-mediated activation of stress response pathways, resulting in decreased photosynthetic activity and the accumulation of metabolites to maintain osmotic and redox homeostasis.

Root Exudates Alter the Expression of Diverse Metabolic, Transport, Regulatory, and Stress Response Genes in Rhizosphere .

Plants live in association with microorganisms that positively influence plant development, vigor, and fitness in response to pathogens and abiotic stressors. The bulk of the plant microbiome is concentrated belowground at the plant root-soil interface. Plant roots secrete carbon-rich rhizodeposits containing primary and secondary low molecular weight metabolites, lysates, and mucilages.

Functional Analysis of Phenazine Biosynthesis Genes in spp.

encompasses a group of ubiquitous Gram-negative bacteria that includes numerous saprophytes as well as species that cause infections in animals, immunocompromised patients, and plants. Some species of produce colored, redox-active secondary metabolites called phenazines. Phenazines contribute to competitiveness, biofilm formation, and virulence in the opportunistic pathogen , but knowledge of their diversity, biosynthesis, and biological functions in is lacking.

Draft Genome Sequences of Six Strains Isolated from the Rhizosphere of Wheat Grown in Cadmium-Contaminated Soil.

This study presents high-quality draft genome assemblies of six bacterial strains isolated from the roots of wheat grown in soil contaminated with cadmium. The results of this study will help to elucidate at the molecular level how heavy metals affect interactions between beneficial rhizobacteria and crop plants.

Draft Genome Sequences of Xylella fastidiosa subsp. Strains OK3, VB11, and NOB1, Isolated from Bunch and Muscadine Grapes Grown in Southern Mississippi.

We report here high-quality draft whole-genome assemblies of subsp. strains OK3, VB11, and NOB1, which were isolated from symptomatic bunch and muscadine grape plants grown in southern Mississippi.

Comparative Analysis of Rhizosphere Microbiomes of Southern Highbush Blueberry ( L.), Darrow's Blueberry ( Camp), and Rabbiteye Blueberry ( Aiton).

Plants are inhabited by millions of parasitic, commensal, and mutualistic microorganisms that coexist in complex ecological communities, and profoundly affect the plant's productivity, health, and capacity to cope with environmental stress. Therefore, a better understanding of the rhizosphere microbiome may open a yet untapped avenue for the rational exploitation of beneficial plant-microbe interactions in modern agriculture. Blueberries encompass several wild and cultivated species of shrubs of the genus that are native to North America.

2-79 Transformed with Pyrrolnitrin Biosynthesis Genes Has Improved Biocontrol Activity Against Soilborne Pathogens of Wheat and Canola.

A four-gene operon () from Pf-5 encoding the biosynthesis of the antibiotic pyrronitrin was introduced into (formerly ) 2-79, an aggressive root colonizer of both dryland and irrigated wheat roots that naturally produces the antibiotic phenazine-1-carboxylic acid and suppresses both take-all and Rhizoctonia root rot of wheat. Recombinant strains ZHW15 and ZHW25 produced both antibiotics and maintained population sizes in the rhizosphere of wheat that were comparable to those of strain 2-79. The recombinant strains inhibited in vitro the wheat pathogens anastomosis group 8 (AG-8) and AG-2-1, var.

Exploring the Pathogenicity of Q8r1-96 and Other Strains of the Complex on Tomato.

and related species of the complex have long been studied as biocontrol and growth-promoting rhizobacteria involved in suppression of soilborne pathogens. We report here that Q8r1-96 and other 2,4-diacetylphloroglucinol (DAPG)-producing fluorescent pseudomonads involved in take-all decline of wheat in the Pacific Northwest of the United States can also be pathogenic to other plant hosts. Strain Q8r1-96 caused necrosis when injected into tomato stems and immature tomato fruits, either attached or removed from the plant, but lesion development was dose dependent, with a minimum of 10 CFU ml required to cause visible tissue damage.

Antimicrobial Activity of, and Cellular Pathways Targeted by, -Anisaldehyde and Epigallocatechin Gallate in the Opportunistic Human Pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Plant-derived aldehydes are constituents of essential oils that possess broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity and kill microorganisms without promoting resistance. In our previous study, we incorporated -anisaldehyde from star anise into a polymer network called proantimicrobial networks via degradable acetals (PANDAs) and used it as a novel drug delivery platform. PANDAs released -anisaldehyde upon a change in pH and humidity and controlled the growth of the multidrug-resistant pathogen PAO1.

Discovery and Characterization of Bacteriophage LuckyBarnes.

Here, we report the genome sequence of LuckyBarnes, a newly isolated singleton siphovirus that infects ATCC 15728 and has a 50,774-bp genome with 67 predicted genes.

Rhizosphere Microbial Communities of and From Restored and Natural Tidal Marshes on Deer Island, Mississippi.

The U. S. Gulf of Mexico is experiencing a dramatic increase in tidal marsh restoration actions, which involves planting coastal areas with smooth cordgrass () and black needlerush () for erosion control and to provide habitat for fish and wildlife.

Differential Response of Wheat Cultivars to Pseudomonas brassicacearum and Take-All Decline Soil.

2,4-Diacetylphloroglucinol (DAPG)-producing Pseudomonas spp. in the P. fluorescens complex are primarily responsible for a natural suppression of take-all of wheat known as take-all decline (TAD) in many fields in the United States.

Phenazine-1-carboxylic acid and soil moisture influence biofilm development and turnover of rhizobacterial biomass on wheat root surfaces.

Phenazine-1-carboxylic acid (PCA) is produced by rhizobacteria in dryland but not in irrigated wheat fields of the Pacific Northwest, USA. PCA promotes biofilm development in bacterial cultures and bacterial colonization of wheat rhizospheres. However, its impact upon biofilm development has not been demonstrated in the rhizosphere, where biofilms influence terrestrial carbon and nitrogen cycles with ramifications for crop and soil health.

Long-Term Irrigation Affects the Dynamics and Activity of the Wheat Rhizosphere Microbiome.

The Inland Pacific Northwest (IPNW) encompasses 1. 6 million cropland hectares and is a major wheat-producing area in the western United States. The climate throughout the region is semi-arid, making the availability of water a significant challenge for IPNW agriculture.

A bio-based pro-antimicrobial polymer network via degradable acetal linkages.

Unlabelled: The synthesis of a fully degradable, bio-based, sustained release, pro-antimicrobial polymer network comprised of degradable acetals (PANDA) is reported. The active antimicrobial agent - p-anisaldehyde (pA) (an extract from star anise) - was converted into a UV curable acetal containing pro-antimicrobial monomer and subsequently photopolymerized into a homogenous thiol-ene network. Under neutral to acidic conditions (pH < 8), the PANDAs undergo surface erosion and exhibit sustained release of pA over 38 days.

Draft genome sequences of strains SMB35, sp. MH3R3-1 and sp. SMB17 from the Verkhnekamsk potash mining region of Russia.

Halomonads are moderately halophilic bacteria that are studied as models of prokaryotic osmoadaptation and sources of enzymes and chemicals for biotechnological applications. Despite the progress in understanding the diversity of these organisms, our ability to explain ecological, metabolic, and biochemical traits of halomonads at the genomic sequence level remains limited. This study addresses this gap by presenting draft genomes of SMB35, sp.

Relationships between Root Pathogen Resistance, Abundance and Expression of Antimicrobial Genes, and Soil Properties in Representative Swiss Agricultural Soils.

Strains of that produce antimicrobial metabolites and control soilborne plant diseases have often been isolated from soils defined as disease-suppressive, i.e., soils, in which specific plant pathogens are present, but plants show no or reduced disease symptoms.

Pro-Antimicrobial Networks via Degradable Acetals (PANDAs) Using Thiol-Ene Photopolymerization.

We describe the synthesis of pro-antimicrobial networks via degradable acetals (PANDAs) as a new paradigm for sequestration and triggered release of volatile, bioactive aldehydes. PANDAs derived from diallyl -chlorobenzaldehyde acetal degrade and release -chlorobenzaldehyde as an antibacterial and antifungal agent under mild conditions (pH 7.4/high humidity).

Genome Sequence of Mycobacterium Phage Waterfoul.

Waterfoul is a newly isolated temperate siphovirus of Mycobacterium smegmatis mc155. It was identified as a member of the K5 cluster of Mycobacterium phages and has a 61,248-bp genome with 95 predicted genes.

Destruction of Opportunistic Pathogens via Polymer Nanoparticle-Mediated Release of Plant-Based Antimicrobial Payloads.

The synthesis of antimicrobial thymol/carvacrol-loaded polythioether nanoparticles (NPs) via a one-pot, solvent-free miniemulsion thiol-ene photopolymerization process is reported. The active antimicrobial agents, thymol and carvacrol, are employed as "solvents" for the thiol-ene monomer phase in the miniemulsion to enable facile high capacity loading (≈50% w/w), excellent encapsulation efficiencies (>95%), and elimination of all postpolymerization purification processes. The NPs serve as high capacity reservoirs for slow-release and delivery of thymol/carvacrol-combination payloads that exhibit inhibitory and bactericidal activity (>99.