Publications

4859

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‘Candidatus Phytoplasma (Ca. P.) solani’ is associated with Bois noir (BN) of grapevine and stolbur of solanaceous plants and is primarily transmitted by Hyalesthes obsoletus Signoret. Four tuf‐a and five tuf‐b1 ‘Ca. P. solani’ strains were transmitted to tomato plants (cv. Micro‐Tom) to set the basis for studying molecular interactions between different strains of the pathogen and host plants. The strains were acquired by using bait‐plants and by capturing H. obsoletus adults on bindweed and stinging nettle in vineyards of Friuli Venezia Giulia (northeastern Italy) with a high prevalence of BN. Captured insects were forced to feed on healthy tomato plants to induce infection. All strains obtained from symptomatic plants and confirmed by real‐time PCR were maintained on tomato through grafting. Successively, the strains were characterised by macroscopic and microscopic symptoms induced in the host, Multi‐Locus Sequence Typing (MLST) based on tuf, secY, stamp, and vmp1 genes, in‐planta spread and multiplication patterns. Molecular typing distinguished the strains into five lineages comprised in three clusters: one including strains of tuf‐a genotype and two including strains of tuf‐b1 genotype. Quite different symptoms were induced on tomatoes by strains belonging to the two tuf genotypes; infection by tuf‐a strains resulted in plant decline around 95–100 days after grafting and absence of cauliflower‐like inflorescence with symptoms of phyllody and virescence, which were usually associated with tuf‐b1 strains. The different symptoms, the outcome of disease, and the ultrastructural observation performed on sieve elements suggested a higher virulence of tuf‐a strains in tomato. Overall, our results propose that genomic variability of ‘Ca. P. solani’ strains should be extensively explored to determine possible associations with type of symptoms and strain virulence.

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 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.

ABSTRACT Insects of the suborder Auchenorrhyncha harbour multiple ancient endosymbionts that jointly produce essential nutrients lacking from the host's diet. Compared to cicadas, leafhoppers, and spittlebugs, our understanding of the multipartite symbioses among planthoppers, an extremely diverse insect group, is still very limited. Herein, we assembled the genomes of the primary endosymbionts of two planthopper species from the Cixiidae family, Cixius wagneri and Pentastiridius leporinus , both vectors of phytopathogenic Arsenophonus in Europe. Each species harboured a different tripartite endosymbiont consortium: while P. leporinus carried the well‐known combination ‘ Candidatus Karelsulcia muelleri’, ‘ Ca . Vidania fulgoroideae’, and ‘ Ca . Purcelliella pentastirinorum’, C. wagneri harboured a yet unknown Gammaproteobacterium in addition to Karelsulcia and Vidania . This new endosymbiont ‘ Ca . Mirabilia symbiotica’ is likely much older than Purcelliella , considering its extremely reduced genome. In both species, Karelsulcia and Vidania jointly produce the 10 essential amino acids, whereas Purcelliella and Mirabilia provide the non‐essential amino acid cysteine and slightly different gene sets encoding B vitamins. Our findings confirm the functional stability of multipartite planthopper endosymbiont consortia despite changing partners over evolutionary time. In addition, we describe a new Rickettsia strain from the Meloidae group colonising P. leporinus , highlighting the diversity of bacterial endosymbionts associated with planthoppers.