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Spatiotemporal and Quantitative Monitoring of the Fate of "Candidatus Phytoplasma Solani" in Tomato Plants Infected by Grafting.

ABSTRACT: Understanding how phytoplasmas move and multiply within the host plant is fundamental for plant-pathogen interaction studies. In recent years, the tomato has been used as a model plant to study this type of interaction. In the present work, we investigated the distribution and multiplication dynamics of one strain of "Candidatus Phytoplasma (Ca. P.) solani", (16SrXII-A) in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L., cv. Micro-Tom) plants. We obtained infected plants by grafting, a fast and effective method to maintain phytoplasma infection. In planta spread and multiplication of "Ca. P. solani" was monitored over time using qualitative and quantitative qPCR. Root, apical shoot, lower leaves, and upper leaves were sampled at each sampling time. We hypothesized that "Ca. P. solani" from the grafting site reached firstly the highest leaf, the apex and the roots; subsequently, the phytoplasmas spread to the rest of the upper leaves and then progressively to the lower leaves. Significant differences were found in "Ca. P. solani" titer among different plant tissues. In particular, the concentration of phytoplasma in the roots was significantly higher than that in the other plant compartments in almost all the sampling dates. Since the roots show rapid colonization and the highest concentration of phytoplasmas, they represent the ideal tissue to sample for an early, sensitive and robust diagnosis.

SUBMITTER: Carminati G

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8308695 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:BACKGROUND:'Candidatus Phytoplasma solani' is endemic in Europe and infects a wide range of weeds and cultivated plants. Phytoplasmas are prokaryotic plant pathogens that colonize the sieve elements of their host plant, causing severe alterations in phloem function and impairment of assimilate translocation. Typical symptoms of infected plants include yellowing of leaves or shoots, leaf curling, and general stunting, but the molecular mechanisms underlying most of the reported changes remain largely enigmatic. To infer a possible involvement of Fe in the host-phytoplasma interaction, we investigated the effects of 'Candidatus Phytoplasma solani' infection on tomato plants (Solanum lycopersicum cv. Micro-Tom) grown under different Fe regimes. RESULTS:Both phytoplasma infection and Fe starvation led to the development of chlorotic leaves and altered thylakoid organization. In infected plants, Fe accumulated in phloem tissue, altering the local distribution of Fe. In infected plants, Fe starvation had additive effects on chlorophyll content and leaf chlorosis, suggesting that the two conditions affected the phenotypic readout via separate routes. To gain insights into the transcriptional response to phytoplasma infection, or Fe deficiency, transcriptome profiling was performed on midrib-enriched leaves. RNA-seq analysis revealed that both stress conditions altered the expression of a large (>?800) subset of common genes involved in photosynthetic light reactions, porphyrin / chlorophyll metabolism, and in flowering control. In Fe-deficient plants, phytoplasma infection perturbed the Fe deficiency response in roots, possibly by interference with the synthesis or transport of a promotive signal transmitted from the leaves to the roots. CONCLUSIONS:'Candidatus Phytoplasma solani' infection changes the Fe distribution in tomato leaves, affects the photosynthetic machinery and perturbs the orchestration of root-mediated transport processes by compromising shoot-to-root communication.

Project description:Lavender decline compromises French lavender production, and preliminary data have suggested the involvement of "Candidatus Phytoplasma solani" in the etiology of the disease. In order to evaluate the epidemiological role of "Ca Phytoplasma solani," a 3-year survey was conducted in southeastern France. "Ca Phytoplasma solani" was detected in 19 to 56% of the declining plants, depending on seasons and cultivars, and its prevalence was correlated with symptom severity. Autumn was more favorable than spring for phytoplasma detection, and "Ca Phytoplasma solani" incidence was higher in Lavandula angustifolia than in Lavandula intermedia hybrids. Detection of the phytoplasma fluctuated over months, supporting the chronicity of infection. Three "Ca Phytoplasma solani" secY genotypes, S17, S16, and S14, were the most prevalent in lavender fields and were also detected in nurseries, whereas strains detected in surrounding bindweed and wild carrots were mostly of the S1 and S4 genotypes. This suggests that lavender is the main pathogen reservoir of the epidemic. Adults and nymphs of the planthopper vector Hyalesthes obsoletus were commonly captured in lavender fields and were shown to harbor mainly the prevalent phytoplasma genotypes detected in lavenders. The "Ca Phytoplasma solani" genotype S17 was transmitted to Catharanthus roseus periwinkle by naturally infected H. obsoletus Finally, the inventory of the bacterial community of declining lavenders that tested negative for "Ca Phytoplasma solani" by 16S rRNA deep sequencing ruled out the involvement of other phloem-limited bacterial pathogens.IMPORTANCE The etiology and main pathways for the spread of lavender decline, an infectious disease affecting French lavender production since the 1960s, have remained unclear, hampering the development of efficient control strategies. An extensive survey of lavender fields led to the conclusion that "Candidatus Phytoplasma solani" was chronically infecting declining lavenders and was associated with large infectious populations of Hyalesthes obsoletus planthoppers living on the crop itself. Lavender appeared to be the main reservoir host for lavender-specific phytoplasma strains, an unusual feature for this phytoplasma, which usually propagates from reservoir weeds to various economically important crops. These results point out the necessity to protect young lavender fields from the initial phytoplasma inoculum coming from surrounding lavender fields or from infected nurseries and to promote agricultural practices that reduce the development of H. obsoletus vector populations.

Dataset Information

Spatiotemporal and Quantitative Monitoring of the Fate of "Candidatus Phytoplasma Solani" in Tomato Plants Infected by Grafting.

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