Publications

4495

ABSTRACT “ Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum” (Lso) is a highly destructive plant pathogen within the alpha-proteobacteria group. Multiple Lso haplotypes occur worldwide, each uniquely associated with a specific psyllid vector. Haplotypes A and B, found in the United States, cause serious damage to solanaceous crops and are transmitted by Bactericera cockerelli , known as the potato psyllid in a circulative and persistent manner. The psyllid gut is the first organ encountered by Lso and may act as a barrier to its transmission; however, the immune response of the gut to Lso infection remains largely uncharacterized. In this study, we examined autophagic responses in the gut of potato psyllids at early, mid, and late infection stages. Based on gene expression analyses, microscopic observations, and Western blotting, we found no clear evidence of autophagy induction despite Lso infection. Nevertheless, during mid and late phases of LsoB infection, we observed downregulation of the mechanistic target of rapamycin and decreased accumulation of ATG8-II. Notably, inducing autophagy with rapamycin significantly reduced LsoA titers in the psyllid guts after a 5-day acquisition access period and lowered transmission efficiency, while LsoB remained unaffected. These findings suggest that modulating autophagy in the gut of potato psyllids could be a promising strategy to limit LsoA acquisition and transmission, while highlighting LsoA and LsoB possess distinct molecular regulatory mechanisms in the psyllid gut. IMPORTANCE Liberibacters are devastating plant pathogens transmitted by psyllids. Because these bacteria are fastidious, the study of the molecular mechanisms involved in plant infection and transmission is difficult. Here, we determined that inducing autophagy in the potato psyllid can affect the acquisition and transmission of Lso haplotype A but not haplotype B. Comparing the host and vector responses to different liberibacters can help identify their transmission and infection mechanisms and find targets to disrupt these processes.

ABSTRACT Huanglongbing (HLB), caused by Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (CLas), is the most devastating citrus disease worldwide. Developing effective therapies remains a major challenge, as CLas cannot be cultured in vitro and colonizes the host phloem systemically. This study presents a rapid, reproducible, and cost-effective in vivo platform for screening bacteriostatic and bactericidal compounds using CLas-infected citron (Citrus medica (L.) Osbeck) stem cuttings. Among seven citrus genotypes tested, citron stem cuttings exhibited superior rooting performance and uniform vegetative growth. Four propagation protocols were developed and assessed based on the dynamics of rooting and shoot growth, CLas colonization, and the response to oxytetracycline (OTC) treatment. CLas+ stem cuttings were treated with OTC via drenching at different developmental root stages. The roots or new vegetative flushes were sampled for bacterial quantification by qPCR. In Protocol 2, in which treatments were applied and sampled 14 and 35 days after planting (DAP) respectively, OTC-treated roots achieved the highest suppression of CLas and the lower incidence of CLas+ rooted cuttings compared to non-treated roots. Time-course analysis showed that OTC delayed bacterial establishment in root tissues, with maximal suppression observed at 35 DAP. The proposed protocols simulate the natural progression of systemic infection in citrus plants, allow the assessment of phytotoxicity, and offer a scalable technology that does not underestimate the efficacy of future bactericidal candidates. This platform significantly reduces time and cost compared to traditional seedling or nursery tree experiments and enhances the early-phase screening of antimicrobial compounds. Altogether, this stem cutting-based approach represents a biologically relevant, scalable tool to accelerate therapeutic discovery and strengthen integrated HLB management strategies.

Abstract Background Candidatus Phytoplasma infection is among the most destructive plant diseases, characterized by phyllody, witches broom, virescence etc. Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.), one of the oldest cultivated oilseed crops, valued for its nutritional and medicinal properties, is highly susceptible to phytoplasma infection, causing substantial annual yield losses. The present study aimed to investigate the metabolomic and molecular alterations in sesame plants as a consequence of phytoplasma infection in two distinct tissue types, leaves and flowers, using a multi-omics approach. Results The study revealed that phytoplasma infection significantly alters the expression of floral homeobox and meristem identity genes in an antagonistic manner, resulting in the development of leaf-like traits in floral tissues. Integrated analyses of transcriptomic and metabolomic datasets showed that control leaves, control flowers, infected leaves, and infected flowers each displayed distinct metabolomic and transcriptomic profiles. Metabolomic profiling demonstrated major changes in pathways such as porphyrin metabolism, brassinosteroid metabolism, and phenylpropanoid biosynthesis. Complementary KEGG pathway enrichment analysis of transcriptome data confirmed strong enrichment of secondary metabolite biosynthesis in both tissue types upon infection. Tissue-specific responses were evident. Floral tissues accumulated green pigments due to increased porphyrin biosynthesis and reduced degradation, while leaves showed simultaneous upregulation of both biosynthesis and breakdown pathways of porphyrins. Floral tissues exhibited stronger stress-associated responses, including upregulation of genes related to stress enzymes, phenylpropanoids, and lignification-related metabolites. In contrast, certain compounds such as lignans were specifically accumulated in leaves upon infection. These observations were further supported by biochemical, histological, and qRT-PCR assays. Conclusion This study provides the first clear evidence of tissue-specific metabolic reprogramming in sesame under Ca. Phytoplasma infection through integrated transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses. These findings improve our understanding of host-pathogen interactions and offer a basis for strategies to reduce phytoplasma-induced yield losses.

ABSTRACTSesame phyllody, a destructive disease caused by phytoplasma infection, induces severe morphological abnormalities, including floral virescence, phyllody, witches' broom, leaf deformation, and stunted growth. This study aimed to characterize phytoplasma isolates from diverse regions of India, identifying them as Candidatus Phytoplasma asteris (16Sr‐I), Candidatus Phytoplasma citri (16Sr‐II), and Candidatus Phytoplasma australasia (16Sr‐II). Whole‐genome sequencing of Candidatus Phytoplasma asteris isolate SPGN revealed a genome size of 563,754 bp, encoding 542 proteins, including several genes associated with antibiotic resistance. Effector prediction analysis identified key virulence‐associated proteins, such as SAP50‐like, SAP34‐like, TENGU‐su inducer, and immunodominant membrane proteins, which manipulate host development and immune responses. Transcriptomic analysis of infected sesame plants revealed significant gene expression alterations, with upregulated genes linked to floral malformation, vascular tissue modifications, and stress responses, while the downregulated genes were associated with flavonoid metabolism and immune signaling. Phytoplasma infection disrupted hormonal pathways, leading to increased expression of auxin, cytokinin, and gibberellin‐related genes, suggesting hormonal dysregulation as a key factor in symptom development. Furthermore, immune suppression was evident through the downregulation of key defense‐related genes, including those involved in MAPK signaling and pathogenesis‐related protein families. These findings enhance our understanding of phytoplasma pathogenesis in sesame and provide potential targets for developing effective disease management strategies.

‘Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus’ (CLas), the agent associated with the Huanglongbing citrus disease, is commonly detected using quantitative PCR (qPCR) with hydrolysis probes. Internal standards are typically included in the qPCR assays to reduce the risk of false negatives caused by inhibitors. When the internal standard is detected but CLas is not, it is generally assumed that the pathogen is absent from the tested sample. However, our study shows that trace amounts of CLas may go undetected if the internal standard is either overly abundant or too dissimilar to CLas. To overcome these limitations, we developed a synthetic internal standard (IS) that uses the same primer as the CLas target sequence, along with three to four downstream nucleotides, but with a unique internal sequence derived from smooth hammerhead shark (Sphyrna zygaena; IS-SHK). This sequence matches the guanine-cytosine content and melting temperature of the CLas target and was specifically selected to minimize potential interference from other nucleic acid materials in citrus samples. To minimize competition between the IS-SHK standard and the CLas target, an average of only 21 molecules of IS-SHK standard is added to each qPCR reaction. Therefore, when IS-SHK standard is detected at expected levels and CLas is not, the absence of CLas is confirmed rather than inhibition of the detection. Conversely, the absence of both IS-SHK standard and CLas suggests the presence of a qPCR inhibitor, warranting retesting of the sample.

AbstractBACKGROUNDAutophagy is a conserved mechanism by which eukaryotic organisms defend against pathogen infection. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the role of autophagy in the interactions of insect vectors with the phloem‐limited bacterial pathogen remain unclear. The citrus Huanglongbing (HLB)‐associated pathogen ‘Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus’ (CLas) seriously endangers development of the citrus industry. It spreads via Diaphorina citri in a persistent and propagative manner.RESULTSIn this study, a total of 30 autophagy‐related genes (ATG) were identified in the D. citri genome, among which multiple genes were significantly regulated after CLas infection. Concurrently, CLas infection also leads to an increased number of autophagosomes and enhanced accumulation of ATG8‐II. Ultrastructural observations revealed the presence of bacterial‐like structures within autophagosomes in the midgut of CLas‐infected D. citri. Furthermore, both activation and inhibition of autophagy significantly influenced CLas titers. However, autophagy cannot completely eliminate CLas in D. citri. We identified a CLas effector, SDE4040 (CLIBASIA_04040), that interacts with DcATG8 and co‐localizes on autophagosomes in D. citri. Co‐expression of SDE4040 and DcATG8 induces autophagy in Spodoptera frugiperda (Sf9) cells.CONCLUSIONTaken together, these results indicate that CLas infection activates the autophagy pathway in D. citri, contributing to a reduction in bacterial titer. Our data also revealed that CLas may trigger complex interactions with the insect. © 2025 Society of Chemical Industry.

Abstract Numerous cyanobacterial strains previously identified as Scytonema hyalinum were determined to be phylogenetically distant from the type species of Scytonema, S. hofmannii . Morphological and molecular evidence suggests this distinct clade necessitates placement in a new genus, and we have described Kalymmatonema gen. nov. herein. Kalymmatonema has been demonstrated to exhibit five ribosomal operons, all of which differed in both sequence and secondary structure of conserved helical domains in the 16S–23S internal transcribed spacer rRNA region. Four of these operon copies were highly similar in 16S and 23S rRNA gene sequences, whereas the divergent fifth copy is thought to represent a whole‐operon horizontal gene transfer event. Through in‐depth analysis, we were able to recognize seven species new to science, the type species K. desertorum sp. nov., K. arcangelii comb. nov., K. chimaera sp. nov., K. ethiopiense sp. nov., K. gypsitolerans sp. nov., K. mateoae sp. nov., and K. oahuense sp. nov. We also created the new combination, K. hyalinum comb. nov., in order to include the original Scytonema hyalinum in this new genus based upon the common morphological feature of a mucilaginous apical cap on the trichomes. Kalymmatonema displays a complex evolution of its ribosomal operons, with evidence not only of horizontal gene transfer but also of internal rearrangements and mobile genetic elements that have transposed the tRNA‐containing region of the ITS rRNA region among the four similar operons. Additional investigation of the evolutionary history of this interesting genus will likely lead to a better understanding of the processes shaping ribosomal evolution in cyanobacteria.