Survival and electrotransformation of Pseudomonas syringae strains under simulated cloud-like conditions

<span class="paragraphSection"><div class="boxTitle">Abstract</div>To diversify their genetic material, and thereby allow adaptation to environmental disturbances and colonization of new ecological niches, bacteria use various evolutionary processes, including the acquisition of new genetic material by horizontal transfer mechanisms such as conjugation, transduction and transformation. Electrotransformation mediated by lightning-related electrical phenomena may constitute an additional gene transfer mechanism occurring in nature. The presence in clouds of bacteria such as <span style="font-style:italic;">Pseudomonas syringae</span> capable of forming ice nuclei that lead to precipitation and that are likely to be involved in triggering lightning<span style="font-style:italic;">,</span> led us to postulate that natural electrotransformation in clouds may contribute to the adaptive potential of these bacteria. Here we quantify the survival rate of ten <span style="font-style:italic;">P. syringae</span> strains in liquid and icy media under such electrical pulses and their capacity to acquire exogenous DNA. In comparison to two other bacteria (<span style="font-style:italic;">Pseudomonas sp.</span> N3 and <span style="font-style:italic;">Escherichia coli</span> TOP10), <span style="font-style:italic;">P. syringae</span> CC0094 appears to be best adapted for survival and for genetic electrotransformation under these conditions, which suggests that this bacterium would be able to survive and to get a boost in its adaptive potential whilst being transported in clouds and falling back to Earth with precipitation from storms.</span>

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