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Research Project: Enhancing Crop Resilience to Biotic and Abiotic Stress Through Understanding the Microbiome and Immune Signaling Mechanisms

Location: Plant Gene Expression Center

Title: Bacteria isolated from the grape phyllosphere capable of degrading guaiacol, a main volatile phenol associated with smoke taint in wine

Author
item Castro, Claudia
item BADILLO, JACQUELYN - University Of California
item TUMEN-VELASQUEZ, MELISSA - Oak Ridge National Laboratory
item GUSS, ADAM - Oak Ridge National Laboratory
item COLLINS, THOMAS - Washington State University
item Harmon, Frank
item Coleman-Derr, Devin

Submitted to: PLOS ONE
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/21/2025
Publication Date: 10/1/2025
Citation: Castro, C.A., Badillo, J., Tumen-Velasquez, M., Guss, A.M., Collins, T.S., Harmon, F.G., Coleman-Derr, D.A. 2025. Bacteria isolated from the grape phyllosphere capable of degrading guaiacol, a main volatile phenol associated with smoke taint in wine. PLOS ONE. 20(10). Article e0331854. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0331854.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0331854

Interpretive Summary: Crop plants, including grapevines, have microbial cells living in direct contact with them that provide many services to their host such as protection against pathogens, drought tolerance, and nutrient uptake. These communities are dynamic and respond to environmental changes like abiotic or biotic events. Bacteria possess a wide range of metabolic capacity making them great resources for the development of new tools for the food, pharmaceutical, and agricultural industries among others. In the case of smoke taint, microbial enzymes that catabolize aromatic compounds for the bioremediation of affected berries could be of great help to the wine industry and are currently of particular interest. In this study, we identify two members of the grape microbiome capable of degrading guaiacol, a primary volatile phenol in smoke and identify changes in the grape microbiome caused by simulated wildfire smoke with the goal of providing genetic tools to help combat smoke taint in wine.

Technical Abstract: In this study, we identify two members of the grape microbiome capable of degrading guaiacol, a primary volatile phenol in smoke and identify changes in the grape microbiome caused by simulated wildfire smoke with the goal of providing genetic tools to help combat smoke taint in wine. We describe the discovery of two grape associated bacterial strains of the same species, Gordonia alkanivorans, that can assimilate guaiacol in vitro. Furthermore, we analyze the transcriptomes of these strains growing on guaiacol as a sole carbon source to identify the genes involved in the degradation of this compound. Finally, we demonstrate that smoke exposure has a significant but potential transitory impact on the bacterial communities of grape leaves and berries in the vineyard, demonstrating the potential that smoke exposure has for altering the landscape of protective plant microbe associations present there.