Project description:Citrus variegated chlorosis (CVC), caused by Xylella fastidiosa, is an important citrus disease that produces chlorotic injuries on leaves and reduced fruit size. This bacterium colonizes plant xylem, thereby interrupting sap flow. Other disease symptoms depend on environmental factors, since asymptomatic and symptomatic CVC plants may be genetically similar. The endophytic microbiome comprises many microbial species that may interact with pathogens, reducing disease symptoms and improving plant growth. However, the genetic and physiological mechanisms that underlie this interaction are largely unknown. In this study, the citrus endophytic bacterium Methylobacterium mesophilicum SR1.6/6 was isolated from healthy plants. This bacterium was able to colonize citrus xylem and could be transferred from plant to plant by Bucephalogonia xanthopis (Insecta), suggesting that this endophytic bacterium may interact with X. fastidiosa in planta, as a result of co-transmission by the same insect vector. To better understand how X. fastidiosa genetic responds to the presence of M. mesophilicum in the same environment, we used microarrays to evaluate the transcriptional profile of X. fastidiosa, after in vitro co-cultivation with M. mesophilicum SR1.6/6. The results showed that during co-cultivation with M. mesophilicum, X. fastidiosa downregulated genes related to growth, while genes related to energy production (cellular respiration) and transport were upregulated. Moreover, X. fastidiosa modulates genes associated with molecular recognition, nutrient competition and the stress response, suggesting the existence of a specific adaptive response to the presence of M. mesophilicum in the culture medium
