Publications

4473

Huanglongbing (HLB) is one of the most destructive diseases in citrus production worldwide. Early detection of HLB pathogens can facilitate timely removal of infected citrus trees in the field. However, low titer and uneven distribution of HLB pathogens in host plants make reliable detection challenging. Therefore, the development of effective detection methods with high sensitivity is imperative. This study reports the development of a novel method, tandem repeat-based polymerase chain displacement reaction (TR-PCDR), for the detection of ‘Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus’, a widely distributed HLB-associated bacterium. A uniquely designed primer set (TR2-PCDR-F/TR2-PCDR-1R) and a thermostable Taq DNA polymerase mutant with strand displacement activity were used for TR-PCDR amplification. Performed in a regular thermal cycler, TR-PCDR could produce more than two amplicons after each amplification cycle. Sensitivity of the developed TR-PCDR was 10 copies of target DNA fragment. The sensitive level was proven to be 100× higher than conventional PCR and similar to real-time PCR. Data from the detection of ‘Ca. L. asiaticus’ with filed samples using the above three methods also showed similar results. No false-positive TR-PCDR amplification was observed from healthy citrus samples and water controls. These results thereby illustrated that the developed TR-PCDR method can be applied to the reliable, highly sensitive, and cost-effective detection of ‘Ca. L. asiaticus’.

AbstractChlamydial infections are recognised as causative agent of epitheliocystis, reported from over 90 fish species. In the present study, the farmed striped catfish Pangasianodon hypophthalmus (14–15 cm, 70–90 g) with a history of cumulative mortality of about 23% during June and July 2015, were brought to the laboratory. The histopathological examination of gills from the affected fish revealed presence of granular basophilic intracellular inclusions, mostly at the base of the interlamellar region and in gill filaments. A concurrent infection with Trichodina spp., Ichthyobodo spp. and Dactylogyrus spp. was observed in the gills. The presence of chlamydial DNA in the gills of affected fish was confirmed by amplification and sequencing of 16S rRNA gene. BLAST‐n analysis of these amplicons revealed maximum similarity (96%) with Candidatus Actinochlamydia clariae. On the basis of phylogenetic analysis, it was inferred that the epitheliocystis agents from striped catfish were novel and belonged to the taxon Ca. Actinochlamydia. It is proposed that epitheliocystis agents from striped catfish will be named as Ca. Actinochlamydia pangasiae. The 16S rRNA gene amplicons from novel chlamydiae were labelled and linked to inclusions by in situ hybridisation. This is the first report of epitheliocystis from India in a new fish host P. hypophthalmus.

The 22–amino acid (flg22) pathogen-associated molecular pattern from the flagellin of Xanthomonas citri subsp. citri has been shown to induce defense responses correlated with citrus canker resistance. Here, flg22 of ‘Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus’, the putative causal agent of Huanglongbing (HLB), elicited differential defense responses that were weaker than those from Xcc-flg22, between those of the HLB-tolerant mandarin cultivar Sun Chu Sha and susceptible grapefruit cultivar Duncan. Transcriptomics was used to compare the effect of CLas-flg22 and Xcc-flg22 between the citrus genotypes and identified 86 genes induced only by CLas-flg22 in the tolerant mandarin. Expression of 16 selected genes was validated, by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction, and was evaluated in citrus during ‘Ca. L. asiaticus’ infection. Differential expression of a number of genes occurred between tolerant and susceptible citrus infected with ‘Ca. L. asiaticus’, suggesting their involvement in HLB tolerance. In addition, several genes were similarly regulated by CLas-flg22 and ‘Ca. L. asiaticus’ treatments, while others were oppositely regulated in the tolerant mandarin, suggesting similarity and interplay between CLas-flg22 and ‘Ca. L. asiaticus’–triggered defenses. Genes identified are valuable in furthering the study of HLB tolerance mechanisms and, potentially, for screening for HLB-tolerant citrus using CLas-flg22 as a pathogen proxy.

SummaryDuring summer of 2015, Eucalyptus camaldulensis plants showing witches’ broom, little leaf and general yellowing of the foliage were observed in west of Fars and Khozestan province of Iran. DNA from samples of 22 symptomatic and two asymptomatic trees was extracted and subjected to molecular analyses. Nested‐PCR test using R16F2n/R16R2 primers confirmed phytoplasma presence in 63% of symptomatic Eucalyptus plants. Sequence analysis along with virtual RFLP of the 16S ribosomal DNA allowed to classify three Eucalyptus witches’ broom strains into the “stolbur” (“Candidatus phytoplasma solani”) 16SrXII‐A subgroup. Comparison of the secA and secY gene sequences with sequences deposited in GenBank confirmed the phytoplasma identity. Real and virtual RFLPs of the amplified secY gene using HaeIII, MseI and RsaI restriction enzymes showed profiles indistinguishable from each other. This is the first study reporting E. camaldulensis as a new host species for “Ca. P. solani.”

AbstractAn enormous diversity of previously unknown bacteria and archaea has been discovered recently, yet their functional capacities and distributions in the terrestrial subsurface remain uncertain. Here, we continually sampled a CO2-driven geyser (Colorado Plateau, Utah, USA) over its 5-day eruption cycle to test the hypothesis that stratified, sandstone-hosted aquifers sampled over three phases of the eruption cycle have microbial communities that differ both in membership and function. Genome-resolved metagenomics, single-cell genomics and geochemical analyses confirmed this hypothesis and linked microorganisms to groundwater compositions from different depths. AutotrophicCandidatus“Altiarchaeum sp.” and phylogenetically deep-branching nanoarchaea dominate the deepest groundwater. A nanoarchaeon with limited metabolic capacity is inferred to be a potential symbiont of theCa. “Altiarchaeum”. Candidate Phyla Radiation bacteria are also present in the deepest groundwater and they are relatively abundant in water from intermediate depths. During the recovery phase of the geyser, microaerophilic Fe- and S-oxidizers have high in situ genome replication rates. AutotrophicSulfurimonassustained by aerobic sulfide oxidation and with the capacity for N2fixation dominate the shallow aquifer. Overall, 104 different phylum-level lineages are present in water from these subsurface environments, with uncultivated archaea and bacteria partitioned to the deeper subsurface.

ABSTRACT The genome of “ Candidatus Carsonella ruddii” strain BT from Bactericera trigonica in Israel was sequenced. The full-length genome is 173,904 bp long and has a G+C content of 14.6%, with 224 predicted open reading frames (ORFs) and 30 RNAs.