Publications

4528

Melatonin is synthesized from the amino acid L-tryptophan via the shikimic acid pathway and ubiquitously distributed in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes. Although most of melatonin biosynthesis genes were characterized in several plants and animal species including the insect model, Drosophila melanogaster, none of these enzymes have been identified from the Asian citrus psyllid, Diaphorina citri. We used comprehensive in silico analysis and gene expression techniques to identify the melatonin biosynthesis-related genes of D. citri and to evaluate the expression patterns of these genes within the adults of D. citri with gradient infection rates (0, 28, 34, 50, 58, and 70%) of the phytopathogenic bacterium Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus and after the treatment with exogenous melatonin. We showed that the D. citri genome possesses six putative melatonin biosynthesis-related genes including two putative tryptophan 5-hydroxylase (DcT5H-1 and DcT5H-2), a putative aromatic amino acid decarboxylase (DcAADC), two putative arylalkylamine N-acetyltransferase (DcAANAT-1 and DcAANAT-2), and putative N-acetylserotonin O-methyltransferase (DcASMT). The infection with Ca. L. asiaticus decreased the transcript levels of all predicted genes in the adults of D. citri. Moreover, melatonin supplementation induced their expression levels in both healthy and Ca. L. asiaticus-infected psyllids. These findings confirm the association of these genes with the melatonin biosynthesis pathway.

‘Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus,’ an uncultured α-proteobacterium, is associated with citrus huanglongbing (HLB, yellow shoot disease), a destructive disease threatening citrus production worldwide. Here, we reported the draft genome sequence of ‘Ca. L. asiaticus’ strain Myan16 from an HLB-affected lime tree in Myitkyina, Kachin State, Myanmar. The strain Myan16 genome is 1,229,102 bp with an average G+C content of 36.4%, along with a circular prophage: P-Myan16-2 (36,303 bp, type 2). This is the first genome sequence of a ‘Ca. L. asiaticus’ strain from Myanmar, which will enrich the current ‘Ca. L. asiaticus’ genome sequence database and facilitate HLB epidemiology research in Asia and world.

Comparison of the metabolic changes prior to symptom development upon infection with Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (CLas), the bacterium associated with citrus greening disease, between citrus hosts with different tolerances is lacking. The objective of this study was to compare the early response of Lisbon lemon (Citrus limon) and Washington navel orange (Citrus sinensis [L.] Osbeck), two citrus species commercially important to California, to CLas through graft inoculation. Here, we compare the transcriptome, proteome, and metabolome response, using RNA sequencing, liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry, and 1H nuclear magnetic resonance, respectively, from our two recently published studies examining the response of the lemon and navel oranges separately, and introduce new micronutrient data from inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry analysis, focusing on lemons at 10 and 14 weeks postgrafting (wpg), and navels at 8 and 18 wpg, prior to symptom development. Several micronutrients accumulated in presymptomatic infected lemons compared with controls, whereas little change was observed in the navels. Photosynthesis proteins were substantially altered by CLas infection in navels, with fewer changes observed in lemons. The metabolome differed between control and infected navels throughout infection, although differences between control and infected lemons were identified only after symptom expression. Taken together, these findings highlight differences in response to CLas between two varieties with differing tolerances. [Formula: see text] Copyright © 2021 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license .