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Maize Bushy Stunt Phytoplasma Favors Its Spread by Changing Host Preference of the Insect Vector.

ABSTRACT: Plant pathogenic bacteria may influence vector behavior by inducing physiological changes in host plants, with implications for their spread. Here, we studied the effects of maize bushy stunt phytoplasma (MBSP) on the host selection behavior of the leafhopper vector, Dalbulus maidis (DeLong and Wolcott). Choice assays contrasting leaves of healthy (mock-inoculated) vs. infected maize (Zea mays L.) were conducted during the asymptomatic and symptomatic phases of plant infection, with leafhopper males or females previously exposed to infected plants (bacteriliferous insects) or not. In each assay, 40 adults were released in choice arenas where only the leaves of two plants from each treatment were offered and visible, and the insects landed on the leaves were counted 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11 and 23 h after release. During the asymptomatic phase of plant infection, an effect was observed only on bacteriliferous females, who preferred leaves of healthy plants 5 h after release or later. The symptomatic phase triggered a pull-push effect on non-bacteriliferous females, who were first attracted to symptomatic leaves but hours later moved to healthy leaves. Non-bacteriliferous males initially preferred symptomatic leaves (up to 5 h after release) and later became equally distributed between treatments. Bacteriliferous males and females initially did not discriminate between healthy and symptomatic leaves, but only the females tended to move to healthy leaves 9 h after release. Oviposition was drastically reduced on symptomatic leaves. The changes in vector behavior induced by MBSP favor its primary spread, since bacteriliferous females prefer healthy leaves at early (asymptomatic) stages of the crop. At later stages, secondary spread may be favored because non-bacteriliferous females are initially attracted to infected (symptomatic) leaves, allowing pathogen acquisition and subsequent transmission as they move to healthy plants.

SUBMITTER: Ramos A

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7565095 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Maize Bushy Stunt Phytoplasma Favors Its Spread by Changing Host Preference of the Insect Vector.

Ramos Anderson A Esteves Mariana Bossi MB Cortés Mayerli Tatiana Borbón MTB Lopes João Roberto Spotti JRS

Insects 20200905 9

Plant pathogenic bacteria may influence vector behavior by inducing physiological changes in host plants, with implications for their spread. Here, we studied the effects of maize bushy stunt phytoplasma (MBSP) on the host selection behavior of the leafhopper vector, <i>Dalbulus maidis</i> (DeLong and Wolcott). Choice assays contrasting leaves of healthy (mock-inoculated) vs. infected maize (<i>Zea mays</i> L.) were conducted during the asymptomatic and symptomatic phases of plant infection, wit ...[more]

PMID: 32899467

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Project description:Background and aimsMaize bushy stunt phytoplasma (MBSP) is a bacterial pathogen of maize ( Zea mays L.) across Latin America. MBSP belongs to the 16SrI-B sub-group within the genus ' Candidatus Phytoplasma'. MBSP and its insect vector Dalbulus maidis (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) are restricted to maize; both are thought to have coevolved with maize during its domestication from a teosinte-like ancestor. MBSP-infected maize plants show a diversity of symptoms. and it is likely that MBSP is under strong selection for increased virulence and insect transmission on maize hybrids that are widely grown in Brazil. In this study it was investigated whether the differences in genome sequences of MBSP isolates from two maize-growing regions in South-east Brazil explain variations in symptom severity of the MBSP isolates on various maize genotypes.MethodsMBSP isolates were collected from maize production fields in Guaíra and Piracicaba in South-east Brazil for infection assays. One representative isolate was chosen for de novo whole-genome assembly and for the alignment of sequence reads from the genomes of other phytoplasma isolates to detect polymorphisms. Statistical methods were applied to investigate the correlation between variations in disease symptoms of infected maize plants and MBSP sequence polymorphisms.Key resultsMBSP isolates contributed consistently to organ proliferation symptoms and maize genotype to leaf necrosis, reddening and yellowing of infected maize plants. The symptom differences are associated with polymorphisms in a phase-variable lipoprotein, which is a candidate effector, and an ATP-dependent lipoprotein ABC export protein, whereas no polymorphisms were observed in other candidate effector genes. Lipoproteins and ABC export proteins activate host defence responses, regulate pathogen attachment to host cells and activate effector secretion systems in other pathogens.ConclusionsPolymorphisms in two putative virulence genes among MBSP isolates from maize-growing regions in South-east Brazil are associated with variations in organ proliferation symptoms of MBSP-infected maize plants.

Dataset Information

Maize Bushy Stunt Phytoplasma Favors Its Spread by Changing Host Preference of the Insect Vector.

Publications

Maize Bushy Stunt Phytoplasma Favors Its Spread by Changing Host Preference of the Insect Vector.

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