General Information: This strain (ATCC BAA-672) is a virulent blackleg isolated from the stem of a potato plant. Causative agent for blackleg and soft rot disease in potatoes. Formerly Erwinia, these organisms are plant-specific pathogens that invade the vascular systems of plants. Both Pectobacterium chrysanthemia and Pectobacterium carotovora cause soft-rot diseases of various plant hosts through degradation of the plant cell walls. Pectobacterium colonize the intercellular spaces of plant cells and deliver potent effector molecules (Avr - avirulence) through a type III secretion system (Hrp - hypersensitive response and pathogenicity). Avr proteins control host-bacterium interactions, including host range. Expression of the plant cell-wall-degrading enzymes is controlled through a quorum-sensing mechanism that quantifies the number of Pectobacterium bacteria through measurement of the concentration of small molecules (acyl homoserine lactones) produced by Pectobacterium. Pectobacterium atrosepticum is an environmentally widespread organism that causes blackleg and soft rot disease in potatoes. This organism produces pectolytic enzymes that destroy plant tissue and allow the bacteria to spread.