Publications

4544

Ocean warming, disease, and pollution have contributed to global declines in coral abundances and diversity. In the Caribbean, corals previously dominated reefs, providing an architectural framework for diverse ecological habitats, but have significantly declined due to infectious disease and anthropogenic climate change. Key species like the coral Acropora cervicornis are critically endangered, prompting researchers to focus on scientific endeavors to identify factors influencing coral disease resistance and resilience. We previously showed that disease susceptibility, growth rates, and bleaching risk were all associated with the abundance of a single bacterial parasite, Candidatus Aquirickettsia rohweri which proliferates in vivo under nutrient enrichment. Yet how nutrients influence parasite physiology in vivo remains unknown. Here, we analyzed parasite gene expression from a disease-susceptible A. cervicornis genotype exposed to ambient or nutrient enrichment conditions. Electron microscopy showed that Ca. A. rohweri was abundant in coral tissue and densely packed in mucocytes prior to nutrient enrichment. Under ambient conditions, the parasite upregulated genes involved in translation, protein maintenance, and cell envelope integrity, consistent with a conserve-and-maintain strategy. Nutrient enrichment induced expression of genes associated with central metabolism, nutrient import, stress response, host interaction, and two-component systems. Together, these results indicate that nutrient enrichment activates a growth-and-exploitation strategy, likely exacerbating parasitic pressure on A. cervicornis .

Citrus huanglongbing (HLB), associated with the bacterium ‘Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus’ and spread by the Asian citrus psyllid (Diaphorina citri; ACP), poses a significant threat to California’s citrus industry. First identified in Los Angeles in 2012, HLB has since spread through residential areas across Southern California. A risk-based survey (RBS) model has been developed to improve HLB surveillance and intervention. Within this framework, model components change as HLB dynamics shift, requiring regular updates to maintain data accuracy and model reliability. Disease spread is influenced by natural factors, such as ACP establishment and confirmed HLB locations, as well as human-mediated factors like global mobility (travel introduction from HLB-infected countries), transportation of citrus materials, nurseries, packinghouses, farmers’ markets, and proximity to private or otherwise inaccessible lands. Human-mediated risk factors account for approximately 26.3% (18.4 to 38.4%) of HLB incidence across different years, and natural causes predominantly explain the remaining 73.7% (61.6 to 81.7%). Notably, global mobility was crucial for early HLB detection in new areas, whereas ACP density strongly correlated with disease spread once established. A retrospective analysis from 2015 to 2022 evaluated the RBS model’s performance, showing a predictive power of 88 to 97%, which confirms its validity for developing targeted interventions and early detection strategies in California.

A field investigation was conducted during the winter seasons of 2021–22 and 2022–23 at the Jawaharlal Nehru Krishi Vishwa Vidyalaya (JNKVV), Jabalpur, Central India, to identify and characterize the phytoplasma strains associated with niger (var. JNC6) and sesame (var. RT315) exhibiting severe phyllody symptoms. Disease incidence ranged from 0-3%, and 3 to 15% were recorded in niger and sesame crops during the study period. Nested PCR assays using universal phytoplasma primer pairs P1/P7 followed by R16F2n/R16R2 consistently amplified ~1.25 kb fragments of the 16S rRNA gene from both the symptomatic plants, confirming phytoplasma association. Additional amplification of phytoplasma-specific sec A (~600 bp) and sec Y (~1.7 kb) gene fragments further validated the phytoplasma infection in both crops. Two predominant leafhopper species, Amrasca biguttula and Orosius albicinctus , colonizing and feeding niger and sesame fields were identified. Notably, only Amrasca biguttula was tested positive for phytoplasma using the similar PCR assays mentioned above, implicating it as a putative vector. Sequence identity, phylogenetic analysis, and in silico RFLP profiling of 16S rRNA, sec A, and sec Y gene sequences from both the symptomatic plants and leafhoppers confirmed the presence of a ‘ Ca. P. asiaticum’ related strain (16SrII-C subgroup). This study represents the first global report of 16SrII-C subgroup phytoplasma infection in niger, highlighting a new host record. The detection of an identical phytoplasma strain in niger, sesame, and Amrasca biguttula suggests a possible epidemiological link and underscores the role of these natural hosts and the leafhopper in the dissemination of ‘ Ca. P. asiaticum’-related phytoplasma strains in Central India.

Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (CLas) is an unculturable, phloem-limited gram-negative bacterium associated with citrus Huanglongbing (HLB) disease in Florida and most other citrus-producing countries around the world. HLB is considered the most destructive disease of citrus and is severely affecting the fruit production worldwide. Natural transmission of CLas occurs by the Asian citrus psyllid (ACP) vector Diaphorina citri. Under greenhouse conditions, the experimental transmission of CLas to non-infected trees usually is accomplished using infected ACP or by grafting infected citrus tissue. CLas was confirmed infecting citrus in Florida in 2005 and many characteristics of the disease have been described. However, the transmission of CLas for controlled greenhouse studies is often prob lematic and poorly understood. Due the complexity in maintenance of ACP colonies for controlled vector transmission, the experimental infection of new plants is accomplished primarily by grafting, but several factors may influence the reliability of this method. This study evaluates the propagation and transmission efficiency of CLas using graft inoculation methods under greenhouse conditions. Three experiments were conducted for with graft inoculation: 1) seedlings of 12 cultivars; 2) ‘Tango’ mandarin on 13 rootstock cultivars; and 3) ‘Navel’ orange on 14 rootstock cultivars. Plants were inoculated with buds from infected greenhouse-grown ‘Valencia’ orange plants that were poly merase chain reaction (PCR) positive for CLas and symptomatic for HLB. Three bud pieces were used to inoculate each plant using the inverted-T method.

Citrus huanglongbing (HLB), or citrus greening, is caused by a bacterial pathogen (Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus, CLas) and is considered the most destructive citrus disease worldwide. The disease has affected millions of citrus trees both in Florida and around the world, resulting in billions of dollars in annual production losses. Infection by the CLas disrupts vascular movement, weakens the tree root system, and cause a rapid decline in tree health. Despite extensive research efforts, there are still no effective management tools to cure HLB-positive trees or prevent new infections. Current HLB management strategies include chemical application of insecticides to control the insect vector of the CLas bacterium (the Asian citrus psyllid) and traditional antibiotics that kill the CLas bacterium. Vector control has not been effective and antibiotic use has been complicated because the CLas bacterium resides inside the plant in the vascular system, and it is difficult to get enough antibiotics to penetrate at effective concentrations. We present a novel method of biological molecule delivery method referred to as Symbionts™. In Symbionts™, host cells are modified to divide autonomously using plant growth regulator genes from Agrobacterium tumefaciens and to produce biological molecules that can improve host-plant defenses against CLas. To produce the Symbiont, host cells expressing cargo of interest can either be induced on citrus trees by infection with A. tumefaciens, or cultured symbiont cells can be produced in the lab and transplanted (free of A. tumefaciens).

ABSTRACT We report the draft metagenome-assembled genome (MAG) of “ Candidatus Phytoplasma australasiaticum” strain TBB-AP, obtained from a symptomatic tomato plant collected in Andhra Pradesh, India. This assembly provides a genomic resource for functional and evolutionary studies of phytoplasmas associated with tomato big bud disease.

ABSTRACT Cable bacteria conduct long-distance electron transport in sediments but are not yet isolated in pure culture. We report the metagenome-assembled genome of Candidatus Electrothrix sp. NPCB-01 from Newport Bay, California. This 3.46-Mb genome encodes sulfur oxidation, nitrogen and carbon metabolism, and nickel homeostasis genes, expanding resources for these electroactive microbes.