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Applied and Environmental Microbiology, February 2003, p. 1143-1153, Vol. 69, No. 2
0099-2240/03/$08.00+0 DOI: 10.1128/AEM.69.2.1143-1153.2003
Copyright © 2003, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.
Département de Biotechnologie, Centre de Recherches Agronomiques de Gembloux, Ministère de la Région Wallonne, Direction Générale de l'Agriculture,1 Unité de Chimie Biologique et Industrielle, Faculté Universitaire des Sciences Agronomiques de Gembloux, B-5030 Gembloux,2 Unité de Phytopathologie ,3 Laboratoire de Spectrométrie de Masse, Université Catholique de Louvain, B-1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium4
Received 22 July 2002/ Accepted 14 November 2002
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Fluorescent Pseudomonas species are differentiated on the basis of phenotypic traits (29). More than 40 pyoverdin peptide chain compositions have been identified in the group containing the arginine dihydrolase-positive, saprophytic or opportunistic animal-pathogenic, fluorescent Pseudomonas species (14), but only one composition has been found in the group containing the arginine dihydrolase-negative, phytopathogenic, fluorescent Pseudomonas species (7, 8, 10, 19). The latter group includes Pseudomonas syringae, Pseudomonas viridiflava, and Pseudomonas cichorii (29). Surprisingly, strains of P. viridiflava and of distantly related pathovars of P. syringae produce identical atypical pyoverdins (7, 8). A constant feature of the pyoverdins is the presence of three iron-binding ligands; one ligand is located in a catechol moiety in the chromophore, and the other two are located in the peptide chain and are hydroxamic acids derived from ornithine or ß-hydroxyaspartic acid (ß-OH-Asp) (4). The atypical feature of the pyoverdin of P. syringae and P. viridiflava is the implication of two ß-OH-Asp residues and no derivatives of ornithine in the chelation of iron (7, 10). This feature influences the spectral characteristics of the Fe(III)-chelated atypical pyoverdin (7, 8).
Little information is available concerning the relationship of the pyoverdins produced by pathovars of P. syringae and by the other, diversely related, phytopathogenic Pseudomonas species. The taxonomic positions of P. syringae pv. coronafaciens, P. syringae pv. glycinea, P. syringae pv. phaseolicola, P. syringae pv. savastanoi, P. syringae pv. cannabina, and P. syringae pv. tremae have been discussed recently (12, 15, 16, 32, 43). Recent studies (16, 17, 18, 34, 35, 36, 37, 41) have brought Pseudomonas meliae, Pseudomonas ficuserectae, and Pseudomonas amygdali nearer the systematic group containing the phytopathogenic fluorescent Pseudomonas species and Pseudomonas marginalis, Pseudomonas agarici, Pseudomonas asplenii, and Pseudomonas fuscovaginae nearer the systematic group containing the saprophytic fluorescent Pseudomonas species.
In this study, a new high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method proved to be the most accurate method for studying pyoverdin production in the culture media of strains of the phytopathogenic species mentioned above. We confirmed that P. ficuserectae, P. viridiflava, and 38 pathovars of P. syringae produce identical atypical pyoverdins. For the first time, there appeared to be clear similarities between different atypical pyoverdins produced by related species (P. syringae and P. cichorii). Also, P. fuscovaginae and P. asplenii both produced a different atypical pyoverdin. Our results provide insight into the evolution of pyoverdins and highlight the usefulness of pyoverdins in systematics and in identification.
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TABLE 1. Characteristics of strains used in this study
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Detection and comparison of pyoverdin production by HPLC.
Solid-liquid cultures were grown for 3 days. The liquid fractions were transferred to individual tubes, and 40 µl of an FeCl3 solution (1 M) was added to each tube. Each culture was shaken for 20 min, and the bacteria were removed by centrifugation (22 min, 10,000 x g) and filtration through a 0.2-µm-pore-size membrane filter. The HPLC analyses were carried out by using the filtered culture media adjusted to pH 5.0 to 5.3. For fine pyoverdin comparisons only, the pH was temporarily adjusted to pH 7.0, and pyoverdin production was estimated by measuring the absorbance at 403 nm in order to determine the injection volume for each strain. The aim was to compare, by using HPLC, the retention times (RT) of peaks with comparable heights. The HPLC analyses were performed with Nucleosyl C18 columns and a Waters 2190 system. The difference in RT (
RT) (wavelength, 403 nm) between the principal pyoverdins of an analyzed strain and a reference strain (either P. syringae pv. syringae B301D or P. fuscovaginae UPB 264b) was calculated. Within a sample set, the culture medium of the reference strain was injected for a maximum of three analyses before or after each investigated strain. When the heights of the peaks were found to differ too much, the analyses were carried out again after readjustment of the injected volumes. Pyoverdin detection was performed by using the spectra of the molecules between 200 and 500 nm obtained with a Waters PDA 996 photodiode array detector. Two HPLC programs were used, in which solution A was a 17 mM NaOH-acetic acid buffer (pH 5.3) and solution B was acetonitrile. HPLC program 1 was as follows (flow rate, 1 ml/min): 100% solution A, 1 min; from 100% solution A to 97% solution A, 2 min; 97% solution A, 9 min; and from 97% solution A to 30% solution A, 25 min. HPLC program 2 (flow rate, 0.9 ml/min) was as follows: 100% solution A, 8 min; from 100% solution A to 98% solution A, 2 min; 98% solution A, 10 min; from 98% solution A to 95% solution A, 5 min; from 95% solution A to 30% solution A, 15 min; and 30% solution A, 5 min. A comparison of pyoverdin production by P. cichorii LMG 2162, P. fluorescens LMG 1794, P. putida LMG 2257, and the pathovars of P. syringae (except P. syringae pv. sesami, P. syringae pv. apii, P. syringae pv. lachrymans, P. syringae pv. persicae, P. syringae pv. coronafaciens, and P. syringae pv. cannabina) was initially carried out in GASN medium by using HPLC program 1. HPLC program 2 and GASN medium were then generally used. The comparisons were carried out in King's B medium for P. syringae pv. apii LMG 2132 and P. syringae pv. lachrymans LMG 5070; in King's B and PRO-M media for P. syringae pv. coronafaciens LMG 2330; and in CSGA medium for P. ficuserectae LMG 5694. Nonfluorescent strains were tested on all media.
Comparison of pyoverdin production by IEF.
The unchelated and the Fe(III)-chelated pyoverdins were detected by IEF as previously described (8).
Purification of the atypical pyoverdins detected by HPLC.
Large quantities of the different atypical Fe(III)-chelated pyoverdins detected by HPLC, including the pyoverdins of P. cichorii LMG 2162, LMG 5034, and LMG 8401, P. asplenii LMG 2137, and P. fuscovaginae UPB 264b, were purified. The dominant typical pyoverdin of P. fuscovaginae strain UPB 1023, whose identity was uncertain, was also purified because of its peculiar features as a P. fuscovaginae-produced pyoverdin. Purified pyoverdins of the P. cichorii strains and of P. fuscovaginae UPB 1023 were obtained by using the procedures used to produce and purify the principal pyoverdin of P. syringae (7). The procedures were slightly different for P. fuscovaginae UPB 264b and P. asplenii LMG 2137. After addition of FeCl3 and elimination of the bacteria, the liquid media adjusted to pH 5.0 were passed through a 20-cm-long C8 column or a 10-cm-long C18 column made up in a 50 mM NaOH-acetic acid buffer (pH 5.0). The dominant product was eluted in fractions containing 50, 60, and 75% methanol in water. After evaporation, these fractions were dissolved in a 30 mM NaOH-formic acid buffer (pH 4.2) and combined. The pyoverdins of both strains were purified by repeated passage through a type CM C25 Sephadex cation-exchange chromatography column eluted with a 30 mM NaOH-formic acid buffer (pH 4.2).
Amino acid and MS analyses of purified pyoverdins.
The amino acid analyses were carried out as previously described (7). HI hydrolyses were carried out to detect the presence of ornithine. The molecular masses of the purified Fe(III)-chelated molecules were determined by mass spectrometry (MS) by using electrospray ionization (ESI) and an Ion Trap Finnigan MAT LCQ mass spectrometer as previously described (8). The molecules were compared further by tandem MS (MS-MS).
Spectral analyses.
The spectral analyses of purified Fe(III)-chelated pyoverdins were carried out as previously described (8) at pH 3.0, 3.5, 4.0, 4.5, 5.0, 5.5, 6.0, and 7.0 for P. cichorii LMG 8401 and P. asplenii LMG 2137. The Fe(III)-chelated typical pyoverdins of P. fuscovaginae UPB 1023 and P. fluorescens LMG 1794 (7) were compared at pH 7.0 and 3.0.
Preparation of the pyoverdins produced by pathovars of P. syringae and related species for MS analyses.
In order to validate the HPLC method of comparing pyoverdin production, the Fe(III)-chelated pyoverdins of the strains that appeared to produce the known atypical pyoverdin of P. syringae (8) were prepared for MS analyses. An accelerated purification procedure was developed. For each strain, four solid-liquid cultures were started in GASN medium and incubated for 48 h. A 1,000-mg Chromabond C18 column (Macherey-Nagel) was made up in 50 mM NaOH-acetic acid buffer (pH 5.0). After addition of 160 µl of FeCl3 (1 M) to the culture medium, elimination of the bacteria, and adjustment of the pH to a value near 5.0, 10 ml of the culture medium was passed through the C18 column. The column was washed with 6 ml of ultrapure water, which partially released the pyoverdin. The last 2 ml of water was collected and mixed with 2 ml of 100 mM NaOH-acetic acid buffer (pH 5.0). The C18 column was then washed with 6 ml of a water-methanol solution (1:1, vol/vol) and with 6 ml of methanol. The procedure was started again by using the water fraction collected during the first passage. The collected fraction consisting of 2 ml of water was vacuum evaporated before the MS analyses by using direct infusion. An additional desalting procedure was carried out if necessary with a C18 column. When necessary, another prepurification procedure was carried out. GASN, King's B, PRO-M, or CSGA medium cultures that had been incubated for 48 to 72 h were used, depending on fluorescence detection under UV light. A 15- to 100-ml portion of culture medium was passed through the 1,000-mg C18 column. The column was washed with 3 ml of ultrapure water, and a 9-ml fraction of ultrapure water was collected and evaporated before HPLC-MS analyses. A 6-ml water-methanol (1:1, vol/vol) fraction was also collected and evaporated prior to possible HPLC-MS analyses.
Comparison of the atypical pyoverdins produced by pathovars of P. syringae and related species by MS and by HPLC-MS.
The purified fractions were analyzed by MS following direct infusion. ESI MS analyses in the positive-ion mode or in the negative-ion mode were carried out, as were MS-MS analyses of the molecular ions of the pyoverdin of P. syringae ([M+H]+ of m/z 1176 or [M-H]- of m/z 1174) (8). The prepurified fractions collected in water from the C18 columns were analyzed by HPLC-MS by using isocratic HPLC conditions (ratio of H2O-acetic acid [pH 4.0] to acetonitrile, 97:3 [vol/vol]). Either ESI MS analyses were carried out in line in the positive-ion mode or both ESI MS analyses in the positive-ion mode and MS-MS analyses of the m/z 1176 [M+H]+ ion were carried out in line alternately. For P. ficuserectae LMG 5694, the fraction collected in water-methanol (1:1, vol/vol) was analyzed by HPLC-MS and by HPLC-MS-MS by using a gradient HPLC program identical to HPLC program 2 described above but with an H2O-acetic acid solution (pH 4.0) used as solution A.
Use of detection of pyoverdin production by spectrophotometry and by HPLC in a field study.
A total of 170 field isolates from Belgian orchards were investigated for pyoverdin production. Spectrophotometric detection of atypical pyoverdin in the culture medium was carried out as previously described (8). The pyoverdins were further identified by HPLC analyses of the GASN culture media. HPLC program 2 and the control strains P. syringae pv. syringae PsP2 and P. syringae pv. syringae B301D were used.
Detection of toxic lipodepsipeptide production by strains of P. fuscovaginae and P. asplenii.
A biological test that demonstrates the ability of P. syringae strains to produce toxic lipodepsipeptides was used; P. fuscovaginae UPB 264b and LMG 2158 gave positive results in this test previously (6). The bacteria were incubated at 28°C for 48 h before spraying of Rhodotorula pilimanae MUCL 30397, and the petri dishes were incubated at 20°C until inhibition zones were observed. Two repetitions consisting of two plates were carried out.
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FIG. 1. Determination by HPLC of the types of the pyoverdins produced by P. fuscovaginae UPB 1023 (A) and P. syringae pv. coronafaciens LMG 13190 (B). For each strain, the panel on the left shows the results of a global HPLC analysis (detection at 403 nm), and the panel on the right shows the spectral characteristics, analyzed in line, of the Fe(III)-chelated dominant pyoverdin. Strain UPB 1023 produced a typical pyoverdin with an RT of 22.100 min (A), and P. syringae pv. coronafaciens LMG 13190 produced an atypical pyoverdin with an RT of 18.374 min (B). The absorbance was measured each 2.4 nm. AU, absorbance units.
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RT to distinguish P. cichorii LMG 2162 from the reference strain P. syringae pv. syringae B301D (
RT, about 0.160 min), but the results obtained with HPLC program 2 were even more discriminatory (Fig. 2) and showed that the
RT was then 0.310 ± 0.038 min for three repetitions of the comparison, whereas the
RT for P. syringae pv. syringae PsP1 was only 0.046 ± 0.024 min. To obtain accurate analysis results, it was essential to follow the procedures described above for comparison within a sample set. The fluorescent pathovars of P. syringae tested, the P. viridiflava strains from various host plants, and P. ficuserectae LMG 5694 produced the same atypical pyoverdin, Pa A (Table 1). The P. cichorii strains from various geographical areas and host plants produced another atypical pyoverdin, Pa B, which is closely related to Pa A (Fig. 2B). All of the strains of P. asplenii and P. fuscovaginae from various geographical areas except strain UPB 1023 from the People's Republic of China produced a third atypical pyoverdin, Pa C. Strain UPB 1023 produced a typical pyoverdin (Fig. 1A) that had a
RT of about 6 min compared to the atypical pyoverdin of the other P. fuscovaginae strains tested.
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FIG. 2. Comparisons of the RT of dominant Fe(III)-chelated pyoverdins obtained by using HPLC program 2. (A) Reference strain P. syringae pv. syringae B301D with an observed RT of 18.783 min for its dominant pyoverdin; (B) test strain P. cichorii LMG 2162 with an observed RT of 19.075 min for its pyoverdin; (C) test strain P. syringae pv. syringae PsP1 with an observed RT of 18.758 min for its pyoverdin. AU, absorbance units.
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FIG. 3. IEF patterns obtained from filtered 3-day GASN medium culture supernatants (40 µl) containing unchelated pyoverdins detected under UV light (wavelength, 360 nm) (A) and Fe(III)-chelated pyoverdins detected by their natural color (B). (A) Lane 1, P. asplenii LMG 2137; lane 2, P. putida LMG 2257; lane 3, P. cichorii LMG 2162; lane 4, P. cichorii LMG 8401; lane 5, P. syringae pv. morsprunorum LMG 2222. (B) Lane 1, P. syringae pv. theae LMG 5092; lane 2, P. cichorii LMG 2162; lane 3, P. syringae pv. tabaci LMG 5393; lane 4, P. syringae pv. savastanoi LMG 2209; lane 5, P. syringae pv. syringae B301D; lane 6, P. syringae pv. coronafaciens LMG 5060.
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TABLE 2. Atypical pyoverdins encountered in this study
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FIG. 4. Absorption spectra of the purified Fe(III)-chelated pyoverdin of P. cichorii LMG 8401. (A) Absorption spectra at pH 7.0 (dark line) and pH 3.0 (light line). (B) Absorption spectra at pH 5.5 (lower at 640 nm), 5.0, 4.5, 4.0, and 3.5 (higher at 640 nm).
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FIG. 5. Absorption spectra of the purified Fe(III)-chelated pyoverdin of P. asplenii LMG 2137. (A) Absorption spectra at pH 7.0 (dark line) and pH 3.0 (light line). (B) Absorption spectra at pH 4.5 (lower at 640 nm), 4.0, 3.5, and 3.0 (higher at 640 nm).
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FIG. 6. Absorption spectra of the purified Fe(III)-chelated pyoverdins of P. fuscovaginae UPB 1023 (A) and P. fluorescens LMG 1794 (B) at pH 7.0 (dark lines) and pH 3.0 (light lines).
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Use of detection of pyoverdin production in a field study.
Detection of production of atypical pyoverdin Pa A confirmed the identities of 87 fluorescent strains of P. syringae pv. syringae and 11 fluorescent strains of P. syringae pv. morsprunorum. The analyses also confirmed that 31 nonfluorescent strains of P. syringae pv. morsprunorum apparently do not produce pyoverdin. The 41 strains that do not produce toxin were fluorescent. They were confirmed to be members of the siderovar of P. syringae on the basis of detection by HPLC of atypical pyoverdin Pa A. The spectrophotometric tests detected the atypical pyoverdins lacking the two broad charge transfer bands of typical pyoverdins; the maxima of the culture media were observed between 403 and 408 nm.
Detection of toxic lipodepsipeptide production by strains of P. fuscovaginae and P. asplenii.
Inhibition zones ranging from 11.50 to 24.37 mm wide were observed for all the strains of P. fuscovaginae and P. asplenii listed in Table 1 except strain UPB 1023 from the People's Republic of China, which induced no inhibition zones. The latter strain was the only strain that produced a typical pyoverdin. This confirmed that this strain does not belong to P. fuscovaginae. P. fuscovaginae UPB 407 from Burundi produced 20.75-mm inhibition zones despite the fact that it did not produce pyoverdin. The tests confirmed the relatedness of P. fuscovaginae and P. asplenii.
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The HPLC method of analyzing pyoverdin production in the culture medium showed greater diagnostic potential than the visual, spectrophotometric, and IEF-based methods previously described (8), the specificities of which were further determined in this study. The usefulness of the HPLC tests was demonstrated in the analyses of the non-toxin-producing fluorescent Belgian field isolates that could be directly affiliated with the siderovar of P. syringae. Also, our further characterization of strain UPB 1023, which was based on both pyoverdin (Table 1) and toxic lipodepsipeptide production tests, confirmed that this strain does not belong to P. fuscovaginae.
The 41 pathovars of P. syringae listed in Table 1 include representatives of genospecies 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, and 9 that were defined in P. syringae and related species, as well as related representatives of genospecies 2 and 6 (16). Genospecies 5 contains only P. syringae pv. tremae, which is known to be an organism that does not produce pyoverdin (16). The conclusions of this study confirm the results of previous studies that established that one dominant pyoverdin-producing siderovar is present in P. syringae and P. viridiflava (7, 8, 19), apart from a related dihydropyoverdin-producing siderovar (8). Additional information is that the related species P. ficuserectae belongs to the same pyoverdin-producing siderovar, as do P. syringae pv. coronafaciens, P. syringae pv. glycinea, P. syringae pv. phaseolicola, and P. syringae pv. savastanoi, which have been proposed to be elevated to species level or included as pathovars in new species in recent years (12, 15, 16). The pathotype strain of P. syringae pv. cannabina, which was the sole pathovar classified in genospecies 9 (16), was one of the non-pyoverdin-producing strains encountered in this study. Nonfluorescent strains were, however, also encountered in P. syringae pv. morsprunorum and P. syringae pv. garcae and in P. fuscovaginae, although other representatives of these pathovars and species produced the expected pyoverdins. Also, P. syringae pv. persicae and P. syringae pv. sesami were nonfluorescent. This study, therefore, provided no phenotypic data that could help differentiate one of the genospecies from P. syringae.
The arginine dihydrolase-negative fluorescent Pseudomonas species P. syringae, P. viridiflava, and P. cichorii (29) and the related species P. ficuserectae produced atypical pyoverdins (Table 1). In contrast, the arginine dihydrolase-positive fluorescent species P. fluorescens, P. putida, and P. chlororaphis (29) and the related species P. marginalis and P. agarici produced typical pyoverdins (Table 1). The differences are related to the amino acids involved in iron chelation: there are two ß-OH-Asp residues in atypical pyoverdins, as shown in this study, and at least one ornithine derivative in typical pyoverdins (14). Moreover, the results of this study showed that the oxidase-negative species P. syringae, P. viridiflava, and P. ficuserectae can be differentiated by the rest of the peptide chain from the related species P. cichorii, which is oxidase positive. The pyoverdin-based classification is thus in total agreement with the existing classification (29) and with the recent taxonomic studies. It seems, therefore, that the peptide chain and particularly the amino acids involved in iron chelation could be useful markers in phylogenic studies. The iron binding ligands are synthesized on the peptide synthetase from only Orn or Asp by specific enzymatic processes (38, 40), and this could explain the relative conservation of these amino acids. This conservation is also apparent in the arginine dihydrolase-positive fluorescent Pseudomonas strains (14). The four typical pyoverdins of P. aeruginosa contain only Orn-based ligands. In 19 typical pyoverdins of P. fluorescens, both pyoverdins containing only Orn-based ligands and pyoverdins containing one Orn-based ligand and one Asp-based ligand were present. In 13 typical pyoverdins of P. putida, one Orn-based ligand and one Asp-based ligand were always present.
The cases of P. asplenii and P. fuscovaginae are noteworthy. Recent studies indicated that these organisms are very similar and that they are relatively closely related to species belonging to the taxonomic group containing the arginine dihydrolase-positive fluorescent Pseudomonas strains (17, 35, 36, 41). The analyses of the production of pyoverdin (Table 1) and toxic lipodepsipeptides confirmed the relatedness of these two species. However, it was shown in this study that these species have only Asp-based ligands in their pyoverdins, which indicates that there is surprising relatedness to species such as P. syringae and P. cichorii. However, this is not so surprising since P. fuscovaginae strains produce the toxic lipodepsipeptide syringotoxin, which is also produced by P. syringae pv. syringae strains from Citrus (13). Also, it was shown in this study that the rest of the peptide chain of the pyoverdins of P. asplenii and P. fuscovaginae differs from the peptide chains in the pyoverdins of P. syringae and P. cichorii, and this indicates that there is a greater distance between these species. Again, it is a sign of faster evolution of the amino acids that are not involved in iron chelation in pyoverdins. These amino acids can be more easily replaced by diverse amino acids since one modification in a pyoverdin implies that there is only one modification in one activation domain of one of the enzymatic modules of the peptide synthetase. The results of the amino acid and MS analyses strongly suggest that such a modification probably occurred in the pyoverdins of P. syringae and P. cichorii, with replacement of a serine by a glycine or vice versa. Differences of one amino acid between typical pyoverdins were observed in P. aeruginosa and in P. fluorescens (31, 39). In both cases, the pyoverdins differed essentially in terms of the presence of one additional amino acid in one of the molecules. These small differences probably reflect the ways in which pyoverdins evolve. Indeed, given the specificity for a membrane receptor that always has to recognize its pyoverdin, it seems probable that the pyoverdins evolve predominantly by replacement, loss, or acquisition of one amino acid. As shown with structurally related typical pyoverdins (2, 31, 33, 39), the membrane receptor could probably still incorporate a slightly modified pyoverdin.
The pyoverdin diversity in P. fluorescens or in P. putida is far greater (14) than the pyoverdin diversity observed in this study among P. syringae, P. viridiflava, P. ficuserectae, and P. cichorii. The genetic heterogeneity of P. fluorescens and P. putida could be an explanation (9). Another explanation has to do with the spectral analyses. The spectral characteristics of the Fe(III)-chelated atypical pyoverdins are influenced more by the composition of the peptide chains (Fig. 4 and 5) than the spectral characteristics of the Fe(III)-chelated typical pyoverdins are (Fig. 6) (4). As the spectral characteristics in the visible spectrum reflect the interactions between the iron and the chromophore, the influence of the peptide chain on the way that iron is bound to the chromophore is more important in atypical pyoverdins than in typical pyoverdins. This could restrict the possibility of modifications in the peptide chains of atypical pyoverdins. At a time when it is increasingly difficult to find phenotypic characteristics to corroborate the results of complex taxonomic and phylogenic studies (42), the two evolutionary pathways apparent in pyoverdins could help workers classify and identify the fluorescent Pseudomonas species.
This work was supported by the Ministère des Classes Moyennes et de l'Agriculture de Belgique, by the Unité de Chimie Biologique et Industrielle of the Faculté Universitaire des Sciences Agronomiques de Gembloux for the amino acid analysis, and by the Belgian National Fund for Scientific Research (FNRS) for the mass spectrometry.
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