Establishment of a system for screening and identification of novel bactericide targets in the plant pathogenic bacterium Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae using Tn-seq and SPR

Xanthomonas spp. cause severe bacterial diseases. However, effective strategies for prevention and management of these diseases are scarce. Thus, it is necessary to improve the efficiency of control of diseases caused by Xanthomonas. In this study, Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo), which causes rice bacterial leaf blight, has been studied as a representative. A transposon insertion library of Xoo, comprising approximately 200,000 individual insertion mutants, was generated. Transposon sequencing data indicated that the mariner C9 transposase mapped at 35.7%–36.4% of all potential insertion sites, revealing 491 essential genes required for the growth of Xoo in rich media. The results show that, compared to the functions of essential genes of other bacteria, the functions of some essential genes of Xoo are unknown, 25 genes might be dangerous for the Xanthomonas group, and 3 are specific to Xanthomonas. High-priority candidates for developing broad-spectrum, Xanthomonas-specific, and environment-friendly bactericides were identified in this study. In addition, this study revealed the possible targets of dioctyldiethylenetriamine using Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) in combination with High Performance Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (HPLC-MS). The study also analyzed reasons because of which the mechanism of action of some bactericides has never been elucidated. In conclusion, this study urged a better understanding of Xanthomonas, provided meaningful data for the management of bacterial leaf blight, and disclosed selected targets of a novel bactericide.