Colonization of Madagascar periwinkle (Catharanthus roseus), by endophytes encoding gfp marker

• DOI: 10.1007/s00203-013-0897-3
• Publication Date: 2013-05-21T15:09:48Z
• Authors: Adalgisa Ribeiro ...; Welington Luiz Ar...; Luciana Cursino; Priscilla de Barr...; Mateus Mondin; Mariangela Hungria; João Lúcio Azevedo
• Keywords: 0301 basic medicine; Plant Stems; Catharanthus; Pantoea; Green Fluorescent Proteins; Plant Roots; 03 medical and health sciences; Microscopy, Fluorescence; Enterobacter cloacae; Endophytes; Transformation, Bacterial; Plasmids

This study reports the introduction of gfp marker in two endophytic bacterial strains (Pantoea agglomerans C33.1, isolated from cocoa, and Enterobacter cloacae PR2/7, isolated from citrus) to monitor the colonization in Madagascar perinwinkle (Catharanthus roseus). Stability of the plasmid encoding gfp was confirmed in vitro for at least 72 h of bacterial growth and after the colonization of tissues, under non-selective conditions. The colonization was observed using fluorescence microscopy and enumeration of culturable endophytes in inoculated perinwinkle plants that grew for 10 and 20 days. Gfp-expressing strains were re-isolated from the inner tissues of surface-sterilized roots and stems of inoculated plants, and the survival of the P. agglomerans C33:1gfp in plants 20 days after inoculation, even in the absence of selective pressure, suggests that is good colonizer. These results indicated that both gfp-tagged strains, especially P. agglomerans C33.1, may be useful tools to deliver enzymes or other proteins in plant.