Interaction of the human pathogen Shigella with Arabidopsis plants
S. JO (1), M. Lee (2), J. Lee (2), D. Lee (2), C. Ryu (2), M. Kim (2), J. Park (2) (1) UST/KRIBB, South Korea; (2) KRIBB, South Korea

Certain pathogenic bacteria infect multiple hosts, including humans, animals and plants, and may utilize conserved infection strategies for multiple hosts. Plants have recently been shown to be vectors for human pathogenic bacteria. However, the mechanism of plant-human pathogen interactions is not well understood. Shigellosis is a major global healthcare concern. Shigella spp. are the causative agents of human shigellosis, a disease with a high morbidity and mortality. We studied Shigella-Arabidopsis plant interactions to investigate the potential host for Shigella. Here we report that four isolates of Shigella induces differential responses and disease symptoms in the plants. Further, Shigella spp. create many changes in the morphology of leave epidermis and mesophyll cells during infection. Inoculation with GFP-labeling Shigella spp. on the root tip shows that a subset of Shigella spp. migrate into the root vascular systems. Using type III deficient mutant of Shigella spp we identified that Shigella virulence factors involved in mammalian pathogenesis are also important for plant infection. Plant-grown Shigella retain their virulence in mammalian cells, and exhibit elevated mortality rate in mice. These results strongly suggest that consumption of Shigella infected plant material is a serious human health risk. Our findings demonstrate for the first time, that Shigella-mediated virulence determinants and pathogenic symptoms are expressed in both plant and mammalian models.

Abstract Number: P9-266
Session Type: Poster