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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Corvallis, Oregon » Horticultural Crops Disease and Pest Management Research Unit » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #356636
Research Project: Integrated Disease Management of Exotic and Emerging Plant Diseases of Horticultural Crops

Location: Horticultural Crops Disease and Pest Management Research Unit

Title: Pantocin A, a peptide-derived antibiotic involved in biological control by plant-associated Pantoea species

Author
item SMITS, THEO - Zurich University Of Applied Sciences
item DUFFY, BRION - Zurich University Of Applied Sciences
item BLOM, JOCHEN - University Of Giessen
item ISHIMARU, CAROL - University Of Minnesota
item Stockwell, Virginia

Submitted to: Archives of Microbiology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/7/2019
Publication Date: 3/13/2019
Citation: Smits, T., Duffy, B., Blom, J., Ishimaru, C., Stockwell, V.O. 2019. Pantocin A, a peptide-derived antibiotic involved in biological control by plant-associated Pantoea species. Archives Of Microbiology. 201(6):713-722. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00203-019-01647-7.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00203-019-01647-7

Interpretive Summary: The ability of bacterial biological control agents to produce antimicrobial compounds is an important trait for effective plant disease control. The bacterial genus Pantoea includes some of the most effective biocontrol agents for bacterial plant diseases. We used bioinformatics and information about the physiochemical characteristics to evaluate small peptide antibiotics (named pantocin A, herbicolin O and mccEh252) produced by three Pantoea biocontrol agents. The data indicates that the differently named antibiotics are nearly identical to pantocin A, the compound whose structure was determined. Studying bacterial genome sequences, we found that five Pantoea spp. contain the complete pantocin A biosynthesis cluster, but many other isolates of Pantoea do not have these genes. Other data also indicate that pantocin A biosynthetic gene clusters likely were acquired from other environmental bacteria. This manuscript provides new insight into the origin, role and function of these natural peptide antibiotics in the environment and in the context of biological control of plant disease.

Technical Abstract: The genus Pantoea contains a broad range of plant-associated bacteria, including some economically important plant pathogens as well as some beneficial members effective as biological control agents of plant pathogens. The most well characterized representatives of biological control agents from this genus generally produce one or more antimicrobial compounds adding to biocontrol efficacy. Some Pantoea species evaluated as biocontrol agents for fire blight disease of apple and pear produce a histidine-reversible antibiotic. Three commonly studied histidine-reversible antibiotics produced by Pantoea spp. are herbicolin O, MccEh252, and pantocin A. Pantocin A is a novel ribosomally encoded and post-translationally modified peptide natural product. Here we review the current knowledge on the chemistry, genetics, biosynthesis, and incidence and environmental relevance of pantocin A and related histidine-reversible antibiotics produced by Pantoea.