Paenibacillus dendritiformis C454 as a sustainable biocontrol agent for management of bacterial plant diseases
Adi Glass Livneh, Za Khai Tuang, Danielle Shitrit, Sharoni Shafir, Saul Burdman, Yael Helman
Plant Disease, 10(9), 1094. Published: April. 2025.
This study evaluates Paenibacillus dendritiformis, C454 as a sustainable biocontrol agent for bacterial plant diseases, addressing the limitations of chemical control and rising antibiotic resistance in agriculture. The strain showed broad-spectrum antibacterial activity and significantly reduced disease severity in melon, watermelon, tomato, and Arabidopsis, performing comparably to copper-based bactericides in nursery conditions. Importantly, P. dendritiformis C454 had no adverse effects on honey bees ,(Apis mellifera), highlighting its potential as an eco-friendly solution for greenhouse and nursery disease management.
Natural variation in a short region of the Acidovorax citrulli type III-secreted effector AopW1 is associated with differences in cytotoxicity and host adaptation
Irene Jiménez-Guerrero, Monica Sonawane, Noam Eckshtain-Levi, Za Khai Tuang, Gustavo Mateus da Silva, Francisco Pérez-Montaño, Meirav Leibman-Markus, Rupali Gupta, Lianet Noda-Garcia, Maya Bar, Saul Burdman
The Plant Journal, 117(2), 516–540. Published: Oct. 2023.
This study reveals that AopW1, a type III effector from Acidovorax citrulli, targets the endoplasmic reticulum, chloroplasts, and plant endosomes, with the endosome-associated protein EHD1 mitigating its cytotoxic effects and promoting defense. These findings provide the first evidence for EHD1 involvement in plant responses to bacterial effectors and expand our understanding of the HopW1 effector family.
Pst DC3000 infection alleviates subsequent freezing and heat injury to host plants via a salicylic acid-dependent pathway in Arabidopsis
Za Khai Tuang, Zhenjiang Wu, Ye Jin, Yizhong Wang, Phyo Phyo Zin Oo, Guoxin Zuo, Huazhong Shi, Wannian Yang
Plant, Cell & Environment, 43(3), 801–817. Published: Dec. 2019.
This study shows that pathogen infection can enhance plant tolerance to cold and heat stress through a salicylic acid (SA)-dependent pathway. In Arabidopsis thaliana infected with Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato DC3000, pathogen-induced defenses alleviated damage from subsequent 38 °C heat and cold stress. Transcriptomic and qPCR analyses revealed upregulation of cold signaling genes (ICE1, CBF1, CBF3) and heat signaling genes (HSFs, HSPs), while this effect was lost in SA-deficient or SA-pathway mutant plants.
Drought recovery in plants triggers a cell-state-specific immune activation
Natanella Illouz-Eliaz, Jingting Yu, Joseph Swift, Kathryn Lande, Bruce Jow, Lia Partida-Garcia, Za Khai Tuang, Travis Lee, Adi Yaaran, Rosa Gomez Castanon, William Owens, Chynna R. Bowman, Emma Osgood, Joseph R Nery, Tatsuya Nobori, Yotam Zait, Saul Burdman, Joseph R Ecker
Nature Communications, 16, 8095. Published: August. 2025.
This study examines drought recovery in Arabidopsis thaliana using fine-scale RNA sequencing and single-nucleus transcriptomics. Thousands of recovery-specific genes were rapidly activated within 15 minutes of rehydration, with distinct cell type-specific transcriptional states emerging independently. Recovery also triggered immune system activation, enhancing pathogen resistance in A. thaliana, wild tomato, and cultivated tomato, suggesting that drought recovery-induced immunity plays a key role in preventing post-rehydration infections..
