Pectobacterium and Dickeya genus—A review on structural variations of O‐polysaccharides and their role in the pathogenic process of plants

Abstract

Pectobacterium and Dickeya are gram‐negative phytopathogens representing the Pectobacteriaceae family. Representatives of this genus cause damage to crops worldwide, posing a global threat to agricultural food production. The studies of chemical structures of the bacterial O‐polysaccharide repeating units and the role of these elements in the pathogenesis process are bringing about in‐depth understanding of the complex interactions of pathogenic microbes with plants, leading to potential reduction or elimination of phytopathogens. This review is devoted to structural variation characteristics of the O‐polysaccharides of strains of the Pectobacterium and Dickeya genera, which help with improving classification schemes of these strains. Attention is also paid to the antigenic correlations of these strains within the genus and their O‐polysaccharide‐related bioactivities as well as the possible role of this component in plant–microbe interactions.