Tg. Kinscherf et Dk. Willis, Swarming by Pseudomonas syringae B728a requires gacS (lemA) and gacA but not the acyl-homoserine lactone biosynthetic gene ahlI, J BACT, 181(13), 1999, pp. 4133-4136
Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae B728a, a causal agent of bacterial brown
spot on snap beans, swarms with a characteristic dendritic pattern on semis
olid (0.4%) agar plates. Filamentation of swarming cells of B728a was not o
bserved. Mutations in either the gacS (formerly lemA) or gacA gene of B728a
eliminate the ability of this P. syringae isolate to swarm without obvious
effects on bacterial motility. Three field isolates showed a similar depen
dence on gacS for swarming. Since gacS and gacA mutants are known to be def
icient in N-acyl-L-homoserine lactone (acyl-HSL) production, a mutant was c
onstructed by disruption of the ahlI gene of B728a. This mutant did not mak
e any acyl-HSL detectable by the Agrobacterium traG::lacZ reporter system,
yet was unaffected in its ability to swarm. Other phenotypes of gacS and ga
cA mutations were similarly unaffected in the ahlI mutant.