Involvement of three pathogenicity factors of Erwinia amylovora in the oxidative stress associated with compatible interaction in pear

Erwinia amylovora, the causal agent of fire blight of Maloideae, induces in its susceptible host plants an oxidative burst as does an incompatible pathogen. In this paper we present evidence that the elicitation of this phenomenon is the result of the combined action of two Hrp effectors of the bacteria, HrpN and DspA. We also confirmed that desferrioxamine, the siderophore of E. amylovora, is necessary for the bacteria to tolerate high levels of hydrogen peroxide. Two other pathogenicity factors of the bacteria, the HrpW effector and the capsule, do not seem to play any role in the elicitation of the oxidative burst nor in the protection of the bacteria. (C) 2003 Published by Elsevier Science B.V. on behalf of the Federation of European Biochemical Societies.