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Phenotypic alterations in Arabidopsis thaliana plants caused by Rhodococcus fascians infection

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Abstract

Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh. plants were challenged with Rhodococcus fascians at several developmental stages and using different inoculation procedures. A variety of morphological alterations was scored on the infected plants; some of them resembled phenotypes of A. thaliana mutants in their shoot apical meristem (SAM) organization. Infection with R. fascians did not affect SAM organization in wild type nor in SAM mutants. Anatomical studies on the new organs formed after infection with R. fascians demonstrated extensive bacterial colonization. Colonization and concomitant production of specific signals are the likely cause of malformations.

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Acknowledgements

The authors wish to acknowledge Jan Traas and Thomas Laux for the kind gift of the Arabidopsis mutants stm and wus, respectively; Danny Vereecke for critical reading of the manuscript; Rosemarijn Dreesen for assistance with the plant infiltrations; Rebecca Verbanck and Karel Spruyt for artwork; and Martine De Cock for help preparing the manuscript. This work has been supported by a grant from the Interuniversity Poles of Attraction Programme-Belgian Science Policy (P5/13). C-L.d.O.M. is indebted to the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES, Brasil) for a predoctoral fellowship.

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Author notes

  1. Carmem-Lara de O. Manes

    Present address: Laboratoire Arago, Observatoire Océanique, Banyuls-sur-Mer, France

  2. Tita Ritsema

    Present address: Molecular Plant Physiology, University Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Plant Systems Biology, Flanders Interuniversity Institute for Biotechnology, Ghent University, Technologiepark 927, 9052, Gent, Belgium

    Carmem-Lara de O. Manes, Tom Beeckman, Tita Ritsema, Marc Van Montagu, Koen Goethals & Marcelle Holsters

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  1. Carmem-Lara de O. Manes
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  2. Tom Beeckman
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  3. Tita Ritsema
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  4. Marc Van Montagu
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  6. Marcelle Holsters
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Correspondence to Marcelle Holsters.

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de O. Manes, CL., Beeckman, T., Ritsema, T. et al. Phenotypic alterations in Arabidopsis thaliana plants caused by Rhodococcus fascians infection. J Plant Res 117, 139–145 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10265-003-0138-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10265-003-0138-y

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