Xylella fastidiosa outer membrane vesicles modulate plant colonization by blocking attachment to surfaces

Significance Release of outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) is a general feature of Gram-negative bacteria. Most studies have addressed the mechanisms of their formation or the cargo they can carry, but other roles remain to be explored further. Here we provide evidence for a novel role for OMVs in Xylella fastidiosa , a bacterial pathogen that colonizes the xylem of important crop plants. OMVs, whose production is suppressed by a quorum-sensing system, serve as an autoinhibitor of cell adhesion to surfaces, thereby blocking attachment-driven biofilm formation that would restrict movement within the xylem and thus colonization of plants. The ubiquity of OMV formation in the bacterial world suggests that these extracellular products may have alternative roles that might modulate movement and biofilm formation.