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Authors Avila

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Avila, Carlos A.


Publications
3

CitationNamesAbstract
Insights into Bactericera cockerelli and Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum interaction: a tissue-specific transcriptomic approach Singh Rajkumar et al. (2024). Frontiers in Plant Science 15 “Liberibacter solanacearum”
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Plant hairy roots enable high throughput identification of antimicrobials against Candidatus Liberibacter spp Irigoyen et al. (2020). Nature Communications 11 (1) Liberibacter
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Bactericera cockerelli resistance in the wild tomato Solanum habrochaites is polygenic and influenced by the presence of Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum Avila et al. (2019). Scientific Reports 9 (1) “Liberibacter solanacearum”
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Insights into Bactericera cockerelli and Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum interaction: a tissue-specific transcriptomic approach
The tomato-potato psyllid, Bactericera cockerelli (Šulc), belonging to the Hemiptera order, is an insect pest of solanaceous crops and vectors a fastidious bacterium, Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum (CLso), the presumptive causal agent of zebra chip and vein greening diseases in potatoes and tomatoes, respectively. The genome of B. cockerelli has been sequenced recently, providing new avenues to elucidate mechanistic insights into pathogenesis in vegetable crops. In this study, we performed RNA-sequencing of the critical psyllid organs (salivary glands and ovaries) involved in CLso pathology and transmission to host plants. Transcriptome analysis revealed differentially expressed genes and organ-specific enrichment of gene ontology (GO) terms related to metabolic processes, response to stress/stimulus, phagocytosis, proteolysis, endocytosis, and provided candidate genes encoding transcription factors (TFs). To examine gene regulatory networks across the psyllid organs under CLso(-) and CLso(+) conditions, we performed weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA), and unique modules differentiating the psyllid organs were identified. A comparative GO analysis of the unique gene modules revealed functional terms enriched in response to stress, gene regulation, and cell division processes in the ovaries. In contrast, respiration, transport, and neuronal transmission-related GO terms were enriched in the salivary glands. Altogether, this study reveals new insights into tissue-specific expression of the psyllid organs in the absence or presence of CLso bacterium. This knowledge can be leveraged to develop new pest and disease management strategies by delineating the regulatory networks involved in the psyllid-CLso interaction.
Plant hairy roots enable high throughput identification of antimicrobials against Candidatus Liberibacter spp
AbstractA major bottleneck in identifying therapies to control citrus greening and other devastating plant diseases caused by fastidious pathogens is our inability to culture the pathogens in defined media or axenic cultures. As such, conventional approaches for antimicrobial evaluation (genetic or chemical) rely on time-consuming, low-throughput and inherently variable whole-plant assays. Here, we report that plant hairy roots support the growth of fastidious pathogens likeCandidatusLiberibacter spp., the presumptive causal agents of citrus greening, potato zebra chip and tomato vein greening diseases. Importantly, we leverage the microbial hairy roots for rapid, reproducible efficacy screening of multiple therapies. We identify six antimicrobial peptides, two plant immune regulators and eight chemicals which inhibitCandidatusLiberibacter spp. in plant tissues. The antimicrobials, either singly or in combination, can be used as near- and long-term therapies to control citrus greening, potato zebra chip and tomato vein greening diseases.
Bactericera cockerelli resistance in the wild tomato Solanum habrochaites is polygenic and influenced by the presence of Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum
AbstractThe tomato-potato psyllid (TPP), Bactericera cockerelli, is a vector for the phloem-limited bacterium Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum (Lso), the causative agent of economically important diseases including tomato vein-greening and potato zebra chip. Here, we screened 11 wild tomato relatives for TPP resistance as potential resources for tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) cultivar development. Six accessions with strong TPP resistance (survival <10%) were identified within S. habrochaites, S. pennelli, S. huaylasense, S. chmielewskii, S. corneliomulleri, and S. galapagense. Two S. pennelli and S. corneliomulleri accessions also showed resistance to Lso. We evaluated recombinant inbred lines (RILs) carrying resistance from S. habrochaites accession LA1777 in the S. lycopersicum background and identified major quantitative trait loci (QTLs) responsible for adult TPP mortality and fecundity in several RILs carrying insertions in different chromosomes, indicating the polygenic nature of these traits. Analysis of a major resistance QTL in RIL LA3952 on chromosome 8 revealed that the presence of Lso is required to increase adult TPP mortality. By contrast, the reduced TPP oviposition trait in LA3952 is independent of Lso. Therefore, resistance traits are available in wild-tomato species, although their complex inheritance and modes of action require further characterisation to optimise their utilisation for tomato improvement.
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