Genetic basis of copper-tolerance in Australian Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato. Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato

Current knowledge indicates the presence of all six Cop-proteins, ideally within operons, seem to be the best indicator of copper-tolerance in P. syringae pv. tomato (Pst), an important pathogen of tomato plants in agricultural systems. This hypothesis was tested during this study through investigation of the potential genetic determinants of copper-tolerance in Pst isolates collected in Australia. Three isolates were selected for genome sequencing and analysis, each of these were collected from different locations in Australia. Isolates also varied in their copper-tolerance level measured in vitro and the collection year.