Publications

4505

Abstract Background ‘ Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum’ (Lso) is a phloem-limited bacterial pathogen causing significant diseases in solanaceous crops. In the United States, haplotypes A and B are transmitted by the potato psyllid Bactericera cockerelli . We previously identified differences in their acquisition and transmission between adults and nymphs. The present study characterized the dynamics of LsoA and LsoB acquisition and transmission by nymphs and examined the transcriptional responses of the nymphal gut upon their acquisition. Methods and results Nymphs were exposed to LsoA- or LsoB-infected plants for 1, 3, 5, or 7 days to measure the bacterial accumulation and for 8 days to assess the transmission efficiency following sequential inoculation of tomato plants. Quantitative PCR showed that LsoB accumulated to higher levels than LsoA after 3 days of acquisition. Following the sequential inoculation, LsoB was transmitted earlier than LsoA indicating a shorter latency period. RNA-seq analysis of the guts following a 1- and 5-day acquisition access periods revealed a greater transcriptional regulation at 5 days than at 1 day. Furthermore, the responses were haplotype-specific: LsoA primarily affected genes involved in protein translation, ER stress, and cell cycle regulation, whereas LsoB regulated genes involved in autophagy, apoptosis, and immune pathways. Conclusions This study revealed haplotype-specific gene regulation potentially leading to LsoB being transmitted more efficiently by psyllid nymphs.

Abstract ‘Candidatus Mycoplasma haemolamae’ (CMhl) is a hemotropic bacterium infecting South American Camelids (SAC), whose epidemiology and clinical significance are still not fully elucidated. This study investigated CMhl by qPCR in blood samples of alpacas ( Vicugna pacos ) and llamas ( Lama glama ) in Italy in 2021–2024, characterizing CMhl haplotypes based on partial 16 S rRNA sequences and defining haematological findings in a subset of CMhl-infected animals. Statistical analysis was performed to detect potential risk factors associated with CMhl positivity. Out of 206 animals (200 alpacas and 6 llamas), CMhl was detected by qPCR in 88 (42.7%) animals. CMhl haplotype #1 and #2 were detected in 42.2% and 0.5% of the animals, respectively. Binary logistic regression analysis showed that higher CMhl positivity was significantly associated with larger herd size ( P  = 0.011), Northern Italy area of origin ( P  = 0.031) and warmer seasons ( P  = 0.003). The detection of two CMhl haplotypes confirms the high diffusion of CMhl in SAC farmed in Italy. Results confirm that CMhl usually causes subclinical infections, suggesting that antimicrobial treatment is likely not necessary based on qPCR positivity alone. Results focusing on the association of CMhl positivity with warm temperatures and large herd size suggest the need of further studies on the genetic features, epidemiology and immune response in CMhl-positive SAC from Italy, with emphasis on understanding potential vector transmission.

ABSTRACT Citrus Huanglongbing (HLB), caused by ‘ Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus’ ( Ca Las), is the most devastating disease affecting the global citrus industry. Here, we reported that the Ca Las effector SDE70 promotes HLB pathogenicity by targeting the citrus ubiquitination pathway. Transgenic expression of SDE70 in Wanjincheng orange ( Citrus sinensis Osbeck) accelerated early Ca Las proliferation, aggravated HLB symptoms, and increased susceptibility to citrus canker induced by Xanthomonas citri subsp. citri ( Xcc ). These results demonstrate that SDE70 functions as a broad‐spectrum suppressor of citrus immunity. Mechanistically, SDE70 physically interacts with CsRUB2, a citrus ubiquitin‐related protein. Furthermore, CsRUB2 overexpression in Wanjincheng oranges reduced resistance to HLB but enhanced resistance to citrus canker. Both SDE70 and CsRUB2 elevated salicylic acid (SA) and hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) levels in transgenic plants while lowering methyl salicylate (MeSA) levels. CsRUB2 also decreased jasmonic acid (JA). In contrast to the suppressive effect of SDE70, CsRUB2 enhanced the transcription of citrus immunity genes. Transient expression assays further demonstrated that the SDE70–CsRUB2 interaction dysregulates citrus immunity by perturbing SA, MeSA, JA, and H 2 O 2 signals. These findings provide a theoretical basis for understanding citrus– Ca Las interactions and breeding citrus varieties with broad‐spectrum resistance to both HLB and citrus canker.

Persian lime (Citrus latifolia Tan.) is a crop of high economic and social relevance in Mexico due to its nutritional properties, associated health benefits, and particularly the foreign exchange generated through exportation. In recent years, the state of Veracruz has become the leading production region for this species at the national level. However, this crop is susceptible to several vascular diseases that cause significant economic losses in the citrus industry. Among these, Huanglongbing (HLB) is considered the most destructive disease, exerting the greatest impact on Persian lime production. This study involved the collection of Persian lime leaf tissues from different sources: field-grown plants, certified nursery plants, and plants previously sanitized through micrografting and thermotherapy processes. Genomic DNA was extracted from the collected samples. DNA integrity was verified by agarose gel electrophoresis and quantified using a NanoDrop One-C spectrophotometer. Quantitative Real-Time Polymerase PCR (qPCR) was performed using a QuantStudio One thermocycler and SYBR Green Master Mix as the fluorescent detection system. Samples were considered HLB-positive when the cycle threshold (Ct) value was below 35 during the quantification of Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus. The results support the early, precise, and efficient detection of CLas by qPCR in Persian lime plants, thereby contributing to improved diagnostic and phytosanitary management strategies for this crop.

Sweet potato witches’ broom disease caused by phytoplasmas threatens crop productivity in Fujian, China. Here, we report a complete phytoplasma genome consisting of a single circular chromosome (680,179 bp with a G + C content of 29.44%) via the next-generation sequencing of sweet potato witches’ broom-infected samples. A total of 730 genes were predicted, and two 16S rRNAs were revealed to be identical to sequences in ‘ Candidatus Phytoplasma australasiaticum’. Following the latest guidelines for the description of phytoplasma species, we have named the strain ‘ Candidatus Phytoplasma australasiaticum’ SPWBPT2024. The genome contained 33 transporters, 35 putative effectors (including SAP11 and SAP54 with multiple copies), and 2 potential mobile units. Analyses of published peanut and sweet potato phytoplasma genomes revealed similarities between their effectors and the effectors in this phytoplasma genome. A motif analysis was performed to clarify the difference between the two SAP54 copies in the obtained phytoplasma genome, as well as the trends in conserved motifs in other strains. In addition, metabolic pathway-related genes in three genomes were examined, revealing deficiencies in the glycolysis and pyrimidine synthesis pathways. A pangenome analysis revealed that the phytoplasma genome is an open genome. To gain further insights into whole-cell metabolic processes, we reconstructed draft genome-scale metabolic models of the genome. This study provides valuable genomic insights into this phytoplasma, characterizing conserved and strain-specific SAP effectors, as well as distinct metabolic deficiencies that may help advance research to combat phytoplasma infections, including accurate diagnostics, vector transmission control, and antimicrobial interventions.

Shorea assamica is an evergreen to semi-evergreen tree in the family Dipterocarpaceae. It is widely distributed in China, India, Myanmar, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, and other regions. In China, it is found in western Yunnan and southeastern Tibet. The species is valued for its aromatic white resin, which serves as an important chemical raw material (Ang and Maruyama 1997). In May 2025, S. assamica trees exhibiting symptoms of witches'-broom disease and plexus bud disease were found at Mengmao, WanDing, Nongdao, Jiegao, and Jiexiang in RuiLi County (97°31′-98°02′ E, 23°38′-24°14′ N), Dehong Prefecture, Yunnan Province, China. Following disease onset, the overall growth of infected plants was significantly slower compared to healthy individuals. Infected plants exhibited excessive branching, shortened internodes, and a clustered growth symptom. Lateral buds on diseased tree frequently developed into abnormal twigs, with many buds forming dense clusters and only a few producing leaves. The disease was designated as S. assamica witches'-broom (SAWB). Across the seven surveyed areas, over 74% of trees displayed symptoms, while the disease incidence in nursery-cultivated seedlings was 66%. The disease was found to be spreading actively. A total of 56 samples were collected from seven areas, including 42 symptomatic plants and 14 asymptomatic plants. The lateral stem tissues of 30 samples were observed under a scanning electron microscope (Hitachi S-3000N). Spherical bodies were found in the phloem sieve cells of symptomatic plants. Total DNA was extracted from 56 plant samples using the CTAB method (Porebski et al. 1997) and subjected to nested PCR testing. Double-distilled water was used as negative control, and the DNA extracted from Dodonaea viscosa affected by D. viscosa witches’-broom disease was used as a positive control. Nested PCR was employed to amplify the pathogen’s 16S rRNA gene (Lee et al. 1993; Schneider et al. 1993), and 1.2 kb segment was produced (GenBank accessions: PZ025091, PZ025092, and PZ025093). PCR specific to the ribosomal protein (rp) gene yielded a segment of approximately 1.2 kb (Lee et al. 2003) (GenBank accessions: PZ028767, PZ028768, and PZ028769). The fragment size from 31 samples was consistent with the positive control, confirming the association of phytoplasma with the disease. A BLAST analysis of the 16S rRNA sequences of S. assamica witches’-broom phytoplasma showed that it shared 99.68% identity with that of Rice orange leaf phytoplasma (GenBank accession: JQ965690). The rp sequence shared 99.83% identity with that of Salix tetradenia witches'-broom phytoplasma (GenBank accession: KC117314). An analysis with iPhyClassifier (Zhao et al. 2013) showed that the virtual RFLP pattern derived from the 16S rDNA fragment of SAWB phytoplasma was identical (similarity coefficient 0.98) to the reference pattern of 16Sr group I, subgroup B (OY-M, GenBank accession AP006628). The SAWB phytoplasma is a variant of 16SrI-B. The phylogenetic tree was reconstructed based on 16S rRNA and rp gene sequences using MEGA (Tamura et al. 2013). The analysis was conducted using the neighbor-joining method with 1,000 replicates of bootstrap analysis. The results indicated that the SAWB phytoplasmas grouped into clades including phytoplasmas belonging to 16SrI-B and rpI-B, respectively. In addition, 1-year-old S. assamica were used for grafting assays in nursery, the twigs from infected S. assamica under natural conditions were used as a scion, and the phytoplasma was detected using nested PCR after grafting for 40 days. To the best of our knowledge, S. assamica is a new host of ‘Ca. P. asteris’-related strain (16SrI-B) in China. The newly emerged disease is a threat to S. assamica.