Project description:The Asian citrus psyllid (Diaphorina citri) is a pest of citrus and the primary insect vector of the bacterial pathogen, ‘Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus’ (CLas), which is associated with citrus greening disease. Variability in CLas titer in insects collected from infected plants has been attributed in part to the host plant from which the insects were collected. CLas accumulates to high titers in infected Citrus macrophylla, and in D. citri feeding on the infected plants of this species. In contrast, in the citrus relative Murraya paniculata, CLas titers remain low in infected plants and in D. citri exposed to infected plants. In this study, top-down and bottom-up proteomics methods were used to investigate the impact of these different host plants on D. citri protein expression. Difference in gel electrophoresis (DIGE) was used to identify protein spots on two-dimensional gels that were larger in one of three insect sample classes compared to the other two: D. citri continuously reared on C. macrophylla, D. citri reared continuously on M. paniculata, and D. citri transferred to M. paniculata for five days feeding after continuous rearing on C. macrophylla. Peptide mass spectrometry was used to identify and quantify proteins in target spots upregulated in each sample class. Shotgun proteomics was used to identify and quantify proteins from analysis of tryptic peptide samples prepared from whole insects from four sample classes: the reciprocal host switch condition (D. citri transferred to C. macrophylla for five days feeding after continuous rearing on M. paniculata) in addition to the three sample classes used in DIGE analysis. Integration of the results of both analyses reveals proteins identified by separate experimental workflows to be upregulated in insects adapted to each host plant, and in insects adapting to a novel host plant. A peptidoglycan-degrading protein involved in the immune response to bacterial pathogens was found to be upregulated in M. paniculata-reared D. citri. In the absence of CLas infection, host plant factors specific to M. paniculata may prime the antibacterial immune response in D. citri. Understanding the insect proteins involved in the adaptation of D. citri to host plants with variation in their susceptibility to CLas will inform the development of control strategies aimed at stopping the spread of citrus greening disease.
Project description:We have used the citrus GeneChip array (GPL5731) to survey the transcription profiles of sweet orange in response to the bacterial pathogens Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. citri (Xac) and Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. aurantifolii (Xaa). Xac is the causal agent of the citrus canker disease on a wide range of citrus species, including sweet oranges (Citrus sinensis). On the other hand, Xaa is pathogenic to Mexican lime (Citrus aurantifolia) only, and in sweet orange it triggers a defense response. In order to identify the genes induced during the defense response (Xaa-responsive genes) or citrus canker development (Xac-responsive genes), we conducted microarrays hybridization experiments at 6 and 48 hours after bacterial infiltration (habi). The analysis revealed that genes commonly modulated by Xac and Xaa are associated with basal defenses normally triggered by pathogen-associated molecular patterns, including those involved in reactive oxygen species production and lignification. Significantly, Xac-infected leaves showed considerable changes in the transcriptional profiles of defense-, cell wall-, vesicle trafficking- and cell growth-related genes between 6 and 48 habi. This is consistent with the notion that Xac suppresses host defenses near the beginning of the infection and simultaneously changes the physiological status of the host to promote cell enlargement and division. Finally, Xaa triggered a MAP kinase signaling pathway involving WRKY and ethylene-responsive transcriptional factors known to activate downstream defense genes. Keywords: Comprehensive transcriptional analysis of the Citrus-Xanthomonas interaction Adult leaves of sweet orange were infiltrated with the bacterial suspensions or water (mock control). Two stages were selected after bacterial infiltration for RNA extraction and hybridization on Affymetrix microarrays. In total, these experiments consist of two biological replicates of six samples: water-infiltrated leaves, Xaa-infiltrated leaves and Xac-infiltrated leaves, at both 6 and 48 (habi).
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.
Project description:‘Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus’ (CLas), the bacterial pathogen associated with citrus greening disease, is transmitted by Diaphorina citri, the Asian citrus psyllid (ACP). This dataset was obtained from analysis of CLas(+) whole adult ACP samples.
Project description:‘Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus’ (CLas), the bacterial pathogen associated with citrus greening disease, is transmitted by Diaphorina citri, the Asian citrus psyllid (ACP). This dataset was obtained from analysis of CLas(-) whole adult ACP samples.
Project description:‘Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus’ (CLas), the bacterial pathogen associated with citrus greening disease, is transmitted by Diaphorina citri, the Asian citrus psyllid (ACP). This dataset was obtained from analysis of CLas(+) whole nymph ACP samples.
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:‘Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus’ (CLas), the bacterial pathogen associated with citrus greening disease, is transmitted by Diaphorina citri, the Asian citrus psyllid (ACP). This dataset was obtained from analysis of peptides from CLas(-) nymph ACP samples.
Project description:Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (Las) is an emergent bacterial pathogen associated with the devastating citrus Huanglongbing (HLB), also known as the greening disease. Vectored by the Asian Citrus Psyllid (Diaphorina citri), Las colonizes the phloem tissue of citrus. So far, efforts of cultivating Las in vitro have not been successful and dual-transcriptome analyses could only detect ~100 Las genes due to the low abundance of bacterial RNA in infected citrus/psyllid tissues. Therefore, the biology of this pathogen is poorly understood. Here, we established a procedure to enrich Las RNA for transcriptome analysis in order to obtain insights into the interactions of Las with its two hosts. We were able to confidently determine the expression profiles of >400 Las genes, including 106 that were differentially expressed between citrus and psyllids. Genes related to transcription/translation and defense were found to be upregulated in citrus; whereas genes upregulated in psyllids are involved in metabolic pathways related to tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle. Genes encoding the succinate dehydrogenase and NADH quinone oxidoreductase complexes, as well as the flagellar system are also expressed to higher levels in psyllids. We also analyzed the relative expression levels of Sec-delivered effectors, which are considered key virulence factors of Las. This work advances our understanding of the HLB biology and offers novel insight into the HLB pathogenesis.
Project description:‘Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus’ (CLas), the bacterial pathogen associated with citrus greening disease, is transmitted by Diaphorina citri, the Asian citrus psyllid (ACP). We used quantitative mass spectrometry to compare the proteomes of CLas(+) and CLas(-) populations of D. citri. This experiment used adult mixed sex whole insect samples as starting material for protein extraction. DNA extracted from CLas(+) ACP was tested by qPCR to confirm presence of CLas.