P-580 - Comparative Genomic Insights of Virulent and Rice-Specific Regions of Pantoea ananatis

Pantoea ananatis, a gram-negative bacterium with a broad host range, causes significant agricultural losses. In rice, it causes both panicle and leaf blight diseases. Rice, an economically important crop worldwide, is also a major host of P. ananatis. Therefore, understanding its pathogenicity is crucial for stable rice production. A key virulence factor in P. ananatis is the Type VI Secretion System (T6SS), a molecular apparatus that delivers effector proteins into host cells. T6SS is hypothesized to facilitate rice tissue colonization and microbial competition. However, the specific roles of T6SS components in pathogenicity and host adaptation remain unclear. Thus, this study aims to identify conserved and strain-specific T6SS components associated with virulence using comparative genomic analysis across diverse P. ananatis strains. We conducted pangenome analysis to assess Clusters of Orthologous Groups (COG), Pfam domains, and virulence factors, along with genomic island identification. Additionally, strain-specific genomic regions were used to design primers for targeted detection of rice-pathogenic P. ananatis strains. These findings provide insights into the genetic determinants of P. ananatis virulence and contribute to the development of diagnostic tools for pathogen detection.