Biocontrol of Bacillus subtilis against Infection of Arabidopsis Roots by Pseudomonas syringae Is Facilitated by Biofilm Formation and Surfactin Production

Relatively little is known about the exact mechanisms used by Bacillus subtilis in its behavior as a biocontrol agent on plants. Here, we report the development of a sensitive plant infection model demonstrating that the bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas syringae pv tomato DC3000 is capable of infecting Arabidopsis roots both in vitro and in soil. Using this infection model, we demonstrated the biocontrol ability of a wild-type B. subtilis strain 6051 against P. syringae. Arabidopsis root surfaces treated with B. subtilis were analyzed with confocal scanning laser microscopy to reveal a three-dimensional B. subtilis biofilm. It is known that formation of biofilms by B. subtilis is a complex process that includes…

• NS
  National Science Foundation

  Awards: CAREER, 0093014
• UD
  U.S. Department of Energy
• LF
  Lindbergh Foundation
• CS
  Colorado State University