Detection of jasmonic acid in cultures of Escherichia coli and Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The presence of jasmonic acid (JA) was searched in the bacterium Escherichia coli non-pathogenic RC424 strain and in the pathogenic RC-7 strain. In addition, JA was screened in plant bacteria such as Azospirillum sp., Bacillus cereus, Bradyrhizobium sp. GB2 and P53, Rhizobium meliloti, and in their respective culture media. Our results demonstrated that both strains of Escherichia coli synthetize jasmonic acid and release this compound to the culture medium. Jasmonic acid was also identified as an endogenous compound of yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) used in the medium. The fatty acid linolenic acid, precursor of JA in higher plants, was not found, suggesting a different biosynthetic pathway in these microorganisms. By contrast, other bacteria metabolized the jasmonic acid supplied by the yeast to the culture medium.