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@ARTICLE{Erdrich:1050631,
      author       = {Erdrich, Sebastian H. and Župunski, Milan and Schurr,
                      Ulrich and Grossmann, Guido and Frunzke, Julia and Arsova,
                      Borjana},
      title        = {{P}hage biocontrol reduces the burden on plant immunity
                      through suppression of bacterial virulence},
      reportid     = {FZJ-2026-00383},
      year         = {2025},
      abstract     = {Bacteriophages are increasingly recognized as key players
                      in modulating plant-microbe interactions, including their
                      potential in the biocontrol of plant pathogenic bacteria. In
                      this study, we investigated the tripartite interaction
                      between Arabidopsis thaliana, the bacterial plant pathogen
                      Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris (Xcc), and the lytic
                      phage Seregon. Using parallel transcriptomic profiling, we
                      characterized host and pathogen responses during infection
                      and phage treatment. While treatment with phage Seregon did
                      not lead to the eradication of Xcc, it significantly
                      mitigated Xcc-induced disease symptoms, restoring leaf area
                      to levels comparable to the uninfected control within 14
                      days post-inoculation. Our data revealed that phage-mediated
                      protection is associated with early bacterial recognition,
                      and suppression of Jasmonate (JA)-related responses in the
                      host. Analysis of nuclear localized reporter plant lines
                      further confirmed a significant reduction in ROS levels and
                      JA biosynthesis in phage-treated plants. Concurrently, Xcc
                      exhibited significant transcriptional downregulation of key
                      virulence factors in the presence of the phage, including
                      the genes encoding the type III secretion system, its
                      associated effectors, and components involved in flagella
                      biosynthesis. Remarkably, phage treatment did not lead to a
                      significant increase in bacterial resistance to phage
                      infection, which is in stark contrast to in vitro
                      conditions. Taken together, this study provides first
                      mechanistic insight into how phages can be harnessed to
                      shape plant-pathogen interactions and highlights their
                      potential role in enhancing plant resilience through
                      targeted modulation of both host immunity and pathogen
                      behavior.},
      cin          = {IBG-2 / IBG-1},
      cid          = {I:(DE-Juel1)IBG-2-20101118 / I:(DE-Juel1)IBG-1-20101118},
      pnm          = {2171 - Biological and environmental resources for
                      sustainable use (POF4-217)},
      pid          = {G:(DE-HGF)POF4-2171},
      typ          = {PUB:(DE-HGF)25},
      doi          = {10.1101/2025.04.26.650785},
      url          = {https://juser.fz-juelich.de/record/1050631},
}