Project description:Pathogens can trigger a broad array of changes in gene expression in plants. In this study we report the changes in gene expression patterns that occurred when greenhouse grown Washington Navel oranges (C. sinensis) was graft innoculated with citrus pathogens. Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus, Spiroplasma citri, and two isolates of citrus tristeza virus were studied.
Project description:Endosymbiotic bacteria associated with eukaryotic hosts are omnipresent in nature, particularly in insects. Studying the bacterial side of host-symbiont interactions is, however, often limited by the unculturability and genetic intractability of the symbionts. Spiroplasma poulsonii is a maternally transmitted bacterial endosymbiont that is naturally associated with several Drosophila species. S. poulsonii strongly affects its host’s physiology, for example by causing male killing or by protecting it against various parasites. Despite intense work on this model since the 1950s, attempts to cultivate endosymbiotic Spiroplasma in vitro have failed so far. Here, we developed a method to sustain the in vitro culture of S. poulsonii by optimizing a commercially accessible medium. We also provide a complete genome assembly, including the first sequence of a natural plasmid of an endosymbiotic Spiroplasma species. Last, by comparing the transcriptome of the in vitro culture to the transcriptome of bacteria extracted from the host, we identified genes putatively involved in host-symbiont interactions. This work provides new opportunities to study the physiology of endosymbiotic Spiroplasma and paves the way to dissect insect-endosymbiont interactions with two genetically tractable partners.
Project description:Xanthomonas is one important model microbe to study the molecular determinants of virulence and host range of pathogens since Xanthomonas is capable of infecting numerous monocotyledonous and dicotyledonous plants. Among the plant diseases caused by Xanthomonas, X. citri subsp. citri (Xcc) causes citrus canker, which has significant impact on citrus production. Xcc is classified into different strains primarily by host range including A and Aw. The A (Asiatic) strain (XccA) has a wide host range and is most virulent, whereas Aw (Wellington) strain has restricted host range including Key or Mexican lime and alemow. We hypothesized that not only gene content but also gene expression contributes to the difference in virulence and host range of closely related strains. To test our hypothesis, comparative genomic and transcriptome analyses were conducted to study the two closely related Xcc A and Aw strains. The genome of X. citri subsp. citri strain Aw12879 (Xcaw) was completely sequenced using 454 Pyrosequencing, Illumina sequencing and Optical mapping. The finished genome (5.3 Mb chromosome and two plasmids pXcaw19 and pXcaw58) of Xcaw was annotated, curated and compared with XccA genome. Protein blast revealed multiple genes including type III secretion system (TIIISS) effectors xopAF and xopAG are present in Xcaw but absent in XccA. Comparative genomic analysis showed various changes in genes encoding LPS and type IV secretion system. Furthermore, RNA-Seq was used to compare expression profile of Xcaw and XccA in nutrient rich (NB) medium and XVM2 medium which is known to mimic the intercellular space of plant cells using Illumina sequencing. Multiple avirulence/effector genes were over-expressed in Xcaw compared to XccA which might contribute to the limited host range of Xcaw compared to XccA. The overexpression of genes involved in cell wall degradation, attachment, ROS (reactive oxygen species) scavenging, nutrient transportation in XccA might contribute to its expanding of host range. Our data suggest that both gene content and gene expression contribute to difference in virulence and host range of bacterial pathogens. This study lays the foundation to further characterize the mechanisms for virulence and host range of strains of X. citri subsp. citri and other bacterial pathogens.
Project description:Xanthomonas is one important model microbe to study the molecular determinants of virulence and host range of pathogens since Xanthomonas is capable of infecting numerous monocotyledonous and dicotyledonous plants. Among the plant diseases caused by Xanthomonas, X. citri subsp. citri (Xcc) causes citrus canker, which has significant impact on citrus production. Xcc is classified into different strains primarily by host range including A and Aw. The A (Asiatic) strain (XccA) has a wide host range and is most virulent, whereas Aw (Wellington) strain has restricted host range including Key or Mexican lime and alemow. We hypothesized that not only gene content but also gene expression contributes to the difference in virulence and host range of closely related strains. To test our hypothesis, comparative genomic and transcriptome analyses were conducted to study the two closely related Xcc A and Aw strains. The genome of X. citri subsp. citri strain Aw12879 (Xcaw) was completely sequenced using 454 Pyrosequencing, Illumina sequencing and Optical mapping. The finished genome (5.3 Mb chromosome and two plasmids pXcaw19 and pXcaw58) of Xcaw was annotated, curated and compared with XccA genome. Protein blast revealed multiple genes including type III secretion system (TIIISS) effectors xopAF and xopAG are present in Xcaw but absent in XccA. Comparative genomic analysis showed various changes in genes encoding LPS and type IV secretion system. Furthermore, RNA-Seq was used to compare expression profile of Xcaw and XccA in nutrient rich (NB) medium and XVM2 medium which is known to mimic the intercellular space of plant cells using Illumina sequencing. Multiple avirulence/effector genes were over-expressed in Xcaw compared to XccA which might contribute to the limited host range of Xcaw compared to XccA. The overexpression of genes involved in cell wall degradation, attachment, ROS (reactive oxygen species) scavenging, nutrient transportation in XccA might contribute to its expanding of host range. Our data suggest that both gene content and gene expression contribute to difference in virulence and host range of bacterial pathogens. This study lays the foundation to further characterize the mechanisms for virulence and host range of strains of X. citri subsp. citri and other bacterial pathogens. mRNA expression profiles of Xcc strain A and Aw were generated in 2 media: NB and XVM2 by deep sequencing, in triplicate, using Illumina GAII.