Genome-Assisted Development of a Diagnostic Protocol for Distinguishing High Virulence Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato Strains

A severe outbreak of bacterial speck of tomato, caused by Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato, occurred in central New York in 2009. Isolate 09150, collected from this outbreak and subsequently named NYS-T1, was found to be highly virulent on tomato. To better understand the relationship of 09150 to other P. syringae strains and develop a diagnostic assay for aggressive strains of this pathogen, the 09150 genome was sequenced. Genome comparison revealed it to be highly similar to a previously sequenced isolate, T1. Genetic factors linked to host interaction including type III effectors, toxin biosynthetic genes, and elicitors of host innate immunity were identified. Type III effector repertoires were compared with other strains in the high virulence T1-like subgroup and lower virulence DC3000/P. syringae pv. maculicola subgroup within P. syringae phylogenetic Group I. Primers for conventional PCR were developed using sequences for avrA, hopW, conserved in the former subgroup and hopN, present in the latter. These were tested on isolates in the two subgroups, other pseudomonads, and other bacterial pathogens of tomato. Primers developed for avaA and hopW were diagnostic for more virulent strains of P. syringae pv. tomato while primers for hopN were diagnostic for P. syringae pv. tomato DC3000 and related P. syringe pv. maculicola strains. Primers designed against hopR distinguished both of these P. syringae subgroups from other P. syringae strains.