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International audience; Lipopolysaccharides (LPS) are a component of the outer cell surface of almost all Gram-negative bacteria and play an essential role for bacterial growth and survival. Lipopolysaccharides represent typical microbe-associated molecular pattern (MAMP) molecules and have been reported to induce defense-related responses, including the expression of defense genes and the suppression of the hypersensitive response in plants. However, depending on their origin and the challenged plant, LPS were shown to have complex and different roles. In this study we showed that LPS from plant pathogens Pectobacterium atrosepticum and Pectobacterium carotovorum subsp. carotovorum induce common and different responses in A. thaliana cells when compared to those induced by LPS from non-phytopathogens Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Among common responses to both types of LPS are the transcription of defense genes and their ability to limit of cell death induced by Pectobacterium carotovorum subsp carotovorum. However, the differential kinetics and amplitude in reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation seemed to regulate defense gene transcription and be determinant to induce programmed cell death in response to LPS from the plant pathogenic Pectobacterium. These data suggest that different signaling pathways could be activated by LPS in A. thaliana cells.

Uncinula necator and Botrytis cinerea are the most destructive pathogens of the grapevine in Tunisia and elsewhere. We used two strains of Bacillus subtilis group, B27 and B29 to control powdery mildew and the grey mold disease of the grapevine. Green house experiments showed that B29 and B27 strains of the bacteria efficiently reduced the severity of powdery mildew up to 50% and 60%, respectively. Further, they decreased Botrytis cinerea development on grape leaf by 77% and 99%, respectively. The mode of action has been shown to be chitinolytic. These two bacteria showed significant production of total proteins discharged into the culture medium. Determination of some chitinolytic enzymes revealed the involvement of N-acetyl glucosaminidase (Nagase), the chitin-1,4-chitobiosidase (Biase) and endochitinase in degrading the mycelium of B. cinerea.

Two Bacillus sp. strains (B29 and B27) isolated from soil in the South of Tunisia were tested for their abilities to produce antimicrobial compounds. Both strains showed antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, yeasts and fungi. The produced compounds were extracted by using four different solvents. The hexane solvent allowed to obtain maximum of activity of the strain B29. The activity of the strain B27 was not elucidated by the four solvents used. Bio-autography results of B29 hexane extract revealed presence of different antibiotics and antifungal compounds with different Rf values of 0.3 and 0.76 for antifungal compounds and of 0.12, 0.14, 0.19 and 0.3 for antibacterial ones. Two active fractions were isolated from the culture broth of the strain B29 by semi-preparative high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The partial sequencing of the 16S rDNA gene was used to identify the two Bacillus strains. They may be assigned to new Bacillus species