Trehalose Synthesis Contributes to Osmotic Stress Tolerance and Virulence of the Bacterial Wilt Pathogen .

The xylem-dwelling plant pathogen changes the chemical composition of host xylem sap during bacterial wilt disease. The disaccharide trehalose, implicated in stress tolerance across all kingdoms of life, is enriched in sap from -infected tomato plants. Trehalose in xylem sap could be synthesized by the bacterium, the plant, or both.