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Extracellular Polysaccharides from Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. manihotis Interact with Cassava Cell Walls During Pathogenesis

The location of lipopolysaccharides produced by Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. manihotis during pathogenesis on cassava (Manihot esculenta) was determined by fluorescence and electron microscopy immunolabeling with monoclonal antibodies. During the early stages of infection, pathogen lipopolysaccharides were detected on the outer surface of the bacterial envelope and in areas of the plant middle lamellae in the vicinity of the pathogen. Later in the infection process, lipopolysaccharide-specific antibodies bound to areas where the plant cell wall was heavily degraded. Lipopolysaccharides were not detected in the fibrillar matrix filling intercellular spaces of infected cassava leaves. Monoclonal antibodies specific for the exopolysaccharide xanthan side chain labeled the bacteria, the fibrillar matrix, and portions of the host cell wall. The association of Xanthomonas lipopolysaccharides with host cell walls during plant infection is consistent with a role of these bacterial extracellular polysaccharides in the infection process.