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Title: PHENAZINE COMPOUNDS IN FLUORESCENT PSEUDOMONAS SPP.: BIOSYNTHESIS AN REGULATION

Author
item MAVRODI, D - WASHINGTON STATE UNIV.
item BLANKENFELDT, W - MAX-PLANCK - GERMANY
item Thomashow, Linda

Submitted to: Annual Review of Phytopathology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/20/2006
Publication Date: 9/20/2006
Citation: Mavrodi, D.V., Blankenfeldt, W., Thomashow, L.S. Phenazine compounds in fluorescent pseudomonas spp.: biosynthesis an regulation. Annual Review of Phytopathology. 2006. Vol. 44: 417-445.

Interpretive Summary: Phenazines are colored compounds produced by some bacteria, including certain strains that control soilborne plant pathogens. The antibiotic properties of phenazines have been known for over 150 years, but it is only within the past few years that significant progress has been made in understanding how these compounds are synthesized, how they affect other organisms, and how they function in the environment. This new information reveals similarities, but also possible major differences, in the way that bacteria synthesize phenazines. The information can be used to improve the effectiveness of bacterial biocontrol agents.

Technical Abstract: The phenazines include upward of 50 pigmented, heterocyclic nitrogen-containing secondary metabolites synthesized by some strains of fluorescent Pseudomonas spp. and a few other bacterial genera. The antibiotic properties of these compounds have been known for over 150 years, but advances within the past two decades have provided significant new insights into the genetics, biochemistry, and regulation of phenazine synthesis, as well as the mode of action and functional roles of these compounds in the environment. This new knowledge reveals conservation of biosynthetic enzymes across genera but raises questions about conserved biosynthetic mechanisms, and sets the stage for improving the performance of phenazine producers used as biological control agents for soilborne plant pathogens.