scholarly journals Identification of Gene Candidates Associated with Huanglongbing Tolerance, Using ‘Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus’ Flagellin 22 as a Proxy to Challenge Citrus

2018 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 200-211 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qingchun Shi ◽  
Vicente J. Febres ◽  
Shujian Zhang ◽  
Fahong Yu ◽  
Greg McCollum ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction ◽  
Citrus Canker ◽  
Defense Responses ◽  
Candidatus Liberibacter Asiaticus ◽  
Tolerance Mechanisms ◽  
Molecular Pattern ◽  
Number Of Genes ◽  
Candidatus Liberibacter ◽  
Liberibacter Asiaticus ◽  
Polymerase Chain

The 22–amino acid (flg22) pathogen-associated molecular pattern from the flagellin of Xanthomonas citri subsp. citri has been shown to induce defense responses correlated with citrus canker resistance. Here, flg22 of ‘Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus’, the putative causal agent of Huanglongbing (HLB), elicited differential defense responses that were weaker than those from Xcc-flg22, between those of the HLB-tolerant mandarin cultivar Sun Chu Sha and susceptible grapefruit cultivar Duncan. Transcriptomics was used to compare the effect of CLas-flg22 and Xcc-flg22 between the citrus genotypes and identified 86 genes induced only by CLas-flg22 in the tolerant mandarin. Expression of 16 selected genes was validated, by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction, and was evaluated in citrus during ‘Ca. L. asiaticus’ infection. Differential expression of a number of genes occurred between tolerant and susceptible citrus infected with ‘Ca. L. asiaticus’, suggesting their involvement in HLB tolerance. In addition, several genes were similarly regulated by CLas-flg22 and ‘Ca. L. asiaticus’ treatments, while others were oppositely regulated in the tolerant mandarin, suggesting similarity and interplay between CLas-flg22 and ‘Ca. L. asiaticus’–triggered defenses. Genes identified are valuable in furthering the study of HLB tolerance mechanisms and, potentially, for screening for HLB-tolerant citrus using CLas-flg22 as a pathogen proxy.

scholarly journals Seasonal Variation of ‘Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus’ Titers in New Shoots of Citrus in Distinct Environments

Plant Disease ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 101 (4) ◽  
pp. 583-590 ◽  
Author(s):  
Silvio A. Lopes ◽  
Fernanda Q. B. F. Luiz ◽  
Hermes T. Oliveira ◽  
Juan C. Cifuentes-Arenas ◽  
Laudecir L. Raiol-Junior
Keyword(s):  
Sweet Orange ◽  
Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction ◽  
Diaphorina Citri ◽  
Candidatus Liberibacter Asiaticus ◽  
Cumulative Rainfall ◽  
Data Loggers ◽  
Minas Gerais State ◽  
Candidatus Liberibacter ◽  
Liberibacter Asiaticus ◽  
Polymerase Chain

The major citrus area of Brazil occupies near 450,000 ha between the Triângulo Mineiro (TM) region of Minas Gerais State and the south of São Paulo State (SPS). Significant climatic variation occurs between regions which could affect huanglongbing (HLB) progress, which is lower in TM. To investigate this possibility, young sweet orange shoots were sampled periodically over 2 years to determine ‘Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus’ titers in naturally infected trees in orchards in Analândia, central SPS, and Frutal and Comendador Gomes, within TM. Data-loggers recorded local temperature and relative humidity hourly. In the laboratory, five ‘Ca. L. asiaticus’-free Diaphorina citri adults were placed on each sampled shoot for 48 h to feed and acquire the pathogen. Shoots and insects were individually analyzed by quantitative polymerase chain reaction to determine ‘Ca. L. asiaticus’ titers. The incidence of ‘Ca. L. asiaticus’-positive shoots, ‘Ca. L. asiaticus’ titers, and acquisition rates were lower for shoots from Comendador Gomes than those from Frutal or Analândia. Stronger association was observed between ‘Ca. L. asiaticus’ titers and the number of hours below 15°C (h < 15°C) or above 30°C (h > 30°C), and cumulative rainfall registered during the 15 days prior to sampling of shoots on each occasion. ‘Ca. L. asiaticus’ titers associated positively with h < 15°C and rainfall and negatively with h > 30°C. The slower spread and lower incidence of HLB in TM may be related to lower incidences of ‘Ca. L. asiaticus’-positive young shoots and lower titers of ‘Ca. L. asiaticus’ in the same shoots as a consequence of the warmer and drier conditions.

scholarly journals Heat Treatment Eliminates ‘Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus’ from Infected Citrus Trees Under Controlled Conditions

2013 ◽  
Vol 103 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michele T. Hoffman ◽  
Melissa S. Doud ◽  
Lisa Williams ◽  
Mu-Qing Zhang ◽  
Fang Ding ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction ◽  
Thermal Exposure ◽  
Candidatus Liberibacter Asiaticus ◽  
Time Duration ◽  
Bacterial Titer ◽  
Heat Treated ◽  
Candidatus Liberibacter ◽  
Vigorous Growth ◽  
Liberibacter Asiaticus ◽  
Polymerase Chain

Huanglongbing (HLB) is one of the most destructive diseases of citrus worldwide. The three known causal agents of HLB are species of α-proteobacteria: ‘Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus’, ‘Ca. L. africanus’, and ‘Ca. L. americanus’. Previous studies have found distinct variations in temperature sensitivity and tolerance among these species. Here, we describe the use of controlled heat treatments to cure HLB caused by ‘Ca. L. asiaticus’, the most prevalent and heat-tolerant species. Using temperature-controlled growth chambers, we evaluated the time duration and temperature required to suppress or eliminate the ‘Ca. L. asiaticus’ bacterium in citrus, using various temperature treatments for time periods ranging from 2 days to 4 months. Results of quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) after treatment illustrate significant decreases in the ‘Ca. L. asiaticus’ bacterial titer, combined with healthy vigorous growth by all surviving trees. Repeated qPCR testing confirmed that previously infected, heat-treated plants showed no detectable levels of ‘Ca. L. asiaticus’, while untreated control plants remained highly infected. Continuous thermal exposure to 40 to 42°C for a minimum of 48 h was sufficient to significantly reduce titer or eliminate ‘Ca. L. asiaticus’ bacteria entirely in HLB-affected citrus seedlings. This method may be useful for the control of ‘Ca. Liberibacter’-infected plants in nursery and greenhouse settings.

scholarly journals Incidence and Severity of Huanglongbing and Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus Titer among Field-infected Citrus Cultivars

HortScience ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 46 (10) ◽  
pp. 1344-1348 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ed Stover ◽  
Greg McCollum
Keyword(s):  
Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction ◽  
Candidatus Liberibacter Asiaticus ◽  
Leaf Sample ◽  
River Region ◽  
High Incidence ◽  
Candidatus Liberibacter ◽  
Indian River ◽  
Liberibacter Asiaticus ◽  
Polymerase Chain ◽  
Low Incidence

Incidence and severity of Huanglongbing (HLB) disease were assessed in Apr. 2010 among eight citrus cultivars representing diverse scion types growing in commercial groves in Florida's Indian River region, an area with a high incidence of HLB. In each grove, 20 trees of each cultivar were rated for visual HLB symptoms and leaves were collected for quantitative polymerase chain reaction quantification of Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (CLas), the presumptive causal agent of HLB. There was a strong correlation between HLB rating and CLas titer (titer represented by Ct, r2 = 0.37 and 0.40, for whole tree and leaf sample, respectively, both with P < 0.0001) across all cultivars and groves. Although incidence and severity of HLB varied considerably among the groves, scion-specific differences were apparent, even when analyses excluded potentially confounding grove effects. ‘Temple’ tangor showed the most consistently low incidence of HLB symptoms and CLas titer; in contrast, ‘Murcott’ tangor and ‘Minneola’ tangelo had the highest incidence of HLB symptoms and highest CLas titer. These results suggest useful resistance to HLB with reduced symptoms and reduced CLas titer may be found in conventional scion cultivars and further work is needed to assess this potential and its commercial value.

scholarly journals Detection of ‘Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus’ in Diaphorina citri and Its Importance in the Management of Citrus Huanglongbing in Florida

2008 ◽  
Vol 98 (4) ◽  
pp. 387-396 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. L. Manjunath ◽  
S. E. Halbert ◽  
C. Ramadugu ◽  
S. Webb ◽  
R. F. Lee
Keyword(s):  
Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction ◽  
Diagnostic Methods ◽  
Diaphorina Citri ◽  
Candidatus Liberibacter Asiaticus ◽  
Citrus Production ◽  
Candidatus Liberibacter ◽  
Citrus Huanglongbing ◽  
Liberibacter Asiaticus ◽  
Polymerase Chain ◽  
Polymerase Chain Reaction Methodology

Citrus huanglongbing (HLB or citrus greening), is a highly destructive disease that has been spreading in both Florida and Brazil. Its psyllid vector, Diaphorina citri Kuwayama, has spread to Texas and Mexico, thus threatening the future of citrus production elsewhere in mainland North America. Even though sensitive diagnostic methods have been developed for detection of the causal organisms, Candidatus Liberibacter spp., the pathogen cannot be detected consistently in plants until symptoms develop, presumably because of low titer and uneven distribution of the causal bacteria in nonsymptomatic tissues. In the present study, TaqMan based real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction methodology was developed for detection of ‘Ca. L. asiaticus’ in D. citri. Over 1,200 samples of psyllid adults and nymphs, collected from various locations in Florida, from visually healthy and HLB symptomatic trees at different times of the year were analyzed to monitor the incidence and spread of HLB. The results showed that spread of ‘Ca. L. asiaticus’ in an area may be detected one to several years before the development of HLB symptoms in plants. The study suggests that discount garden centers and retail nurseries may have played a significant role in the widespread distribution of psyllids and plants carrying HLB pathogens in Florida.

scholarly journals A New Diagnostic System for Detection of ‘Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus’ Infection in Citrus

Plant Disease ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 97 (10) ◽  
pp. 1295-1300 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lianming Lu ◽  
Baoping Cheng ◽  
Jinai Yao ◽  
Aitian Peng ◽  
Danchao Du ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Affinity Chromatography ◽  
Polyclonal Antibodies ◽  
Diagnostic System ◽  
Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay ◽  
Candidatus Liberibacter Asiaticus ◽  
Negative Results ◽  
Candidatus Liberibacter ◽  
Liberibacter Asiaticus ◽  
Polymerase Chain

In this study, two polyclonal antibodies were produced against the Omp protein of ‘Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus’. First, omp genes were sequenced to exhibit 99.9% identity among 137 isolates collected from different geographical origins. Then, two peptides containing the hydrophobic polypeptide-transport-associated (POTRA) domain and β-barrel domain, respectively, were identified on Omp protein. After that, these two peptides were overexpressed in Escherichia coli and purified by affinity chromatography to immunize the white rabbits. Finally, the antiserum was purified by affinity chromatography. The two Omp antibodies gave positive results (0.454 to 0.633, 1:1,600 dilution) in enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay against ‘Ca. L. asiaticus’-infected samples collected from different geographical origins but revealed negative results against other pathogen-infected, nutrient-deficient and healthy samples. The antibody against the POTRA domain of Omp protein could detect ‘Ca. L. asiaticus’ in 45.7% of the symptomatic samples compared with a 56.2% detection rate with a polymerase chain reaction assay. These new antibodies will provide a very useful supplement to the current approaches to ‘Ca. L. asiaticus’ detection and also provide powerful research tools for tracking distribution of this pathogen in vivo.

scholarly journals Viability of ‘Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus’ Prolonged by Addition of Citrus Juice to Culture Medium

2014 ◽  
Vol 104 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-26 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer K. Parker ◽  
Sarah R. Wisotsky ◽  
Evan G. Johnson ◽  
Faraj M. Hijaz ◽  
Nabil Killiny ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Grapefruit Juice ◽  
Culture Medium ◽  
Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction ◽  
Chemical Characterization ◽  
Candidatus Liberibacter Asiaticus ◽  
Citrus Greening Disease ◽  
Candidatus Liberibacter ◽  
The Media ◽  
Liberibacter Asiaticus

Huanglongbing, or citrus greening disease, is associated with infection by the phloem-limited bacterium ‘Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus’. Infection with ‘Ca. L. asiaticus’ is incurable; therefore, knowledge regarding ‘Ca. L. asiaticus’ biology and pathogenesis is essential to develop a treatment. However, ‘Ca. L. asiaticus’ cannot currently be successfully cultured, limiting its study. To gain insight into the conditions conducive for growth of ‘Ca. L. asiaticus’ in vitro, ‘Ca. L. asiaticus’ inoculum obtained from seed of fruit from infected pomelo trees (Citrus maxima ‘Mato Buntan’) was added to different media, and cell viability was monitored for up to 2 months using quantitative polymerase chain reaction in conjunction with ethidium monoazide. Media tested included one-third King's B (K), K with 50% juice from the infected fruit, K with 50% commercially available grapefruit juice, and 100% commercially available grapefruit juice. Results show that juice-containing media dramatically prolong viability compared with K in experiments reproduced during 2 years using different juice sources. Furthermore, biofilm formed at the air–liquid interface of juice cultures contained ‘Ca. L. asiaticus’ cells, though next-generation sequencing indicated that other bacterial genera were predominant. Chemical characterization of the media was conducted to discuss possible factors sustaining ‘Ca. L. asiaticus’ viability in vitro, which will contribute to future development of a culture medium for ‘Ca. L. asiaticus’.

scholarly journals In Planta Distribution of ‘Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus’ as Revealed by Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) and Real-Time PCR

2008 ◽  
Vol 98 (5) ◽  
pp. 592-599 ◽  
Author(s):  
Satyanarayana Tatineni ◽  
Uma Shankar Sagaram ◽  
Siddarame Gowda ◽  
Cecile J. Robertson ◽  
William O. Dawson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Polymerase Chain Reaction ◽  
Real Time ◽  
Real Time Pcr ◽  
Citrus Tree ◽  
Candidatus Liberibacter Asiaticus ◽  
In Planta ◽  
Chain Reaction ◽  
Candidatus Liberibacter ◽  
Liberibacter Asiaticus ◽  
Polymerase Chain

Huanglongbing (HLB) is one of the most devastating diseases of citrus worldwide, and is caused by a phloem-limited fastidious prokaryotic α-proteobacterium that is yet to be cultured. In this study, a combination of traditional polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and real-time PCR targeting the putative DNA polymerase and 16S rDNA sequence of ‘Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus,’ respectively, were used to examine the distribution and movement of the HLB pathogen in the infected citrus tree. We found that ‘Ca. Liberibacter asiaticus’ was distributed in bark tissue, leaf midrib, roots, and different floral and fruit parts, but not in endosperm and embryo, of infected citrus trees. Quantification analysis of the HLB bacterium indicated that it was distributed unevenly in planta and ranged from 14 to 137,031 cells/μg of total DNA in different tissues. A relatively high concentration of ‘Ca. Liberibacter asiaticus’ was observed in fruit peduncles. Our data from greenhouse-infected plants also indicated that ‘Ca. Liberibacter asiaticus’ was transmitted systemically from infection site to different parts of the plant. Understanding the distribution and movement of the HLB bacterium inside an individual citrus tree is critical for discerning its virulence mechanism and to develop management strategies for HLB.

scholarly journals Reaction of sweet orange cultivars expressing the attacin A gene to 'Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus' infection

2013 ◽  
Vol 48 (11) ◽  
pp. 1440-1448 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rafaella Teles Arantes Felipe ◽  
Francisco de Assis Alves Mourão Filho ◽  
Silvio Aparecido Lopes ◽  
Beatriz Madalena Januzzi Mendes ◽  
Maurel Behling ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sweet Orange ◽  
Pcr Analysis ◽  
Candidatus Liberibacter Asiaticus ◽  
Randomized Design ◽  
Transgenic Lines ◽  
Candidatus Liberibacter ◽  
Liberibacter Asiaticus ◽  
Polymerase Chain ◽  
Attacin A ◽  
Leaf Symptoms

The objective of this work was to evaluate the reaction of four sweet orange cultivars expressing the attacin A gene to 'Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus' (Las) infection, a bacterium associated to huanglongbing (HLB) disease. Transgenic sweet orange plants of Hamlin, Natal, Pêra, and Valência cultivars, as well as nontransgenic controls received inocula by grafting budwood sections of HLB-infected branches. Disease progression was evaluated through observations of leaf symptoms and by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis, eight months after inoculation. A completely randomized design was used, with four experiments (one for each cultivar) performed simultaneously. Bacteria title was estimated by quantitative PCR (qPCR). HLB symptoms and Las titers were present in nontransgenic and transgenic plants expressing the attacin A gene of the four sweet orange cultivars, eight months after bacteria inoculation. Five transgenic lines (transformation events) of 'Pêra' sweet orange expressing the attacin A gene have significantly lower Las titers in comparison with nontransgenic plants of this cultivar.

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