Chen, Jianchi

‘Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus’ (CLas) is an unculturable, phloem-restricted αProteobacteria, associated with citrus Huanglongbing (HLB), which is one of the most destructive diseases in citrus production worldwide. Here, we present the genome sequences of CLas strains PA19 and PA20 from HLB-affected kinnow trees in Multan, Punjab Province, Pakistan. The CLas genomes of PA19 and PA20 comprise 1,224,156 bp and 1,226,225 bp, respectively, with an average GC content of 36.4%. Both harbored the Type 2 prophage. In this study, we report two CLas genomes from Pakistan, which extends the sequence database of CLas and will contribute to CLas biology and HLB management.

‘Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus’ (Las) is an unculturable α-proteobacterium associated with citrus huanglongbing (HLB), a devastating disease currently threatening the citrus industry worldwide. Here, we present the genome sequence of Las strain TaiYZ2 from an HLB-affected pomelo tree in Hat Yai district, Songkhla Province, Thailand. The TaiYZ2 genome is composed of 1,230,623 bp with G+C content of 36.4%. This is the first Las genome sequence from Thailand, which will enrich current Las genome resource and facilitate HLB research and management.

‘Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus’ (CLas) is an unculturable α-proteobacterium associated with citrus Huanglongbing (HLB; yellow shoot disease). PCR procedures that accurately confirm or exclude CLas infection in citrus tissue/Asian citrus psyllid (ACP) samples are critical for HLB management. When CLas was described in 1994, a 23-bp signature oligonucleotide sequence (OI1) in the 16S rRNA gene (rrs, three genomic copies) was identified based on Sanger sequencing. OI1 contains single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) distinguishing CLas from non-CLas species. The SNPs were used to design the primer HLBas, a key primer for a commonly used TaqMan PCR system (HLBas-PCR) for CLas detection. Recent developments in next-generation sequencing technology have led to the identification of 15 CLas whole genome sequence strains (WGSs). Analyses of CLas WGSs have generated a significant amount of biological information that could help to improve CLas detection. Utilizing the WGS information, this study re-evaluated the sequence integrity of OI1/HLBas and identified and/or confirmed a missing nucleotide G in the two primers. Replacement primers for OI1 and HLBas are proposed. At low cycle threshold (Ct) values (e.g., <30), HLBas-PCR remained reliable in CLas determination. At high Ct values (e.g., >30), HLBas-PCR alone was unreliable in differentiating whether samples contain low CLas titers or whether CLas is not present. The availability of ribonucleotide reductase (RNR)-PCR derived from the five-copy nrdB gene helped to resolve this problem. To further enhance low CLas titer detection, a 4CP-PCR system, based on a four-copy genomic locus, was developed. Evaluation of 107 HLB samples (94 citrus and 13 ACP) showed that 4CP-PCR was more sensitive than HLBas-PCR and shared similar sensitivity with RNR-PCR.

Prophages, the lysogenic form of bacterial phages, are important genetic entities of ‘Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus’ (CLas), a nonculturable α-proteobacterium associated with citrus Huanglongbing. Two CLas prophages have been described, SC1 (NC_019549.1, Type 1) and SC2 (NC_019550.1, Type 2), which involve the lytic cycle and the lysogenic cycle, respectively. To explore the prophage repertoire, 523 CLas DNA samples extracted from leaf petioles of CLas-infected citrus were collected from southern China and surveyed for Type 1 and Type 2 prophages by specific PCR. Eighteen samples were found lacking both prophages. One sample, JXGC, sequenced using Illumina HiSeq, generated >100 million short sequence reads (150 bp per read). Read mapping to known prophage sequences showed a sequence coverage of 46% to SC1 and 50% to SC2. BLAST search using SC1 and SC2 as queries identified three contigs from the JXGC de novo assembly that form a circular P-JXGC-3 (31,449 bp), designated as a new Type 3 prophage. Chromosomal integration of P-JXGC-3 was detected to occur within a helicase gene, resulting in a duplication of this gene. P-JXGC-3 had 36 open reading frames (ORFs), 10 of which were not found in Type 1 or Type 2 prophages, including four genes that encoded a restriction-modification (R-M) system (hsdR, hsdS, hsdM1, and hsdM2). Typed by prophage-specific PCR, the CLas strains in southern China contained all combinations of the three prophage types with the exception of a Type 2−Type 3 combination, suggesting active ongoing prophage−phage interactions. Based on gene annotation, P-JXGC-3 is not capable of reproduction via the lytic cycle. The R-M system was speculated to play a role against Type 1 prophage−phage invasion.