Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus “Las” is a phloem-limited bacterial plant pathogen, and the most prevalent species of Liberibacter associated with citrus huanglongbing (HLB), a devastating disease of citrus worldwide. Although, the complete sequence of the Las genome provides the basis for studying functional genomics of Las and molecular mechanisms of Las-plant interactions, the functional characterization of Las effectors remains a slow process since remains to be cultured. Like other plant pathogens, Las may deliver effector proteins into host cells and modulate a variety of host cellular functions for their infection progression. In this study, we identified 16 putative Las effectors via bioinformatics, and transiently expressed them in Nicotiana benthamiana. Diverse subcellular localization with different shapes and aggregation patterns of the effector candidates were revealed by UV- microscopy after transient expression in leaf tissue. Intriguingly, one of the 16 candidates, Las5315mp (mature protein), was localized in the chloroplast and induced cell death at 3 days post inoculation (dpi) in N. benthamiana. Moreover, Las5315mp induced strong callose deposition in plant cells. This study provides new insights into the localizations and potential roles of these Las effectors in planta.

Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (Las) is a fastidious, phloem-restricted pathogen with a significantly reduced genome, and attacks all citrus species with no immune cultivars documented to date. Like other plant bacterial pathogens, Las deploys effector proteins into the organelles of plant cells, such as mitochondria and chloroplasts to manipulate host immunity and physiology. These organelles are responsible for the synthesis of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and have a critical role in plant immune signaling during hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) production. In this study, we investigated H 2 O 2 and ATP accumulation in relation to citrus huanglongbing (HLB) in addition to revealing the expression profiles of genes critical for the production and detoxification of H 2 O 2 and ATP synthesis. We also found that as ATP and H 2 O 2 concentrations increased in the leaf, so did the severity of the HLB symptoms, a trend that remained consistent among the four different citrus varieties tested. Furthermore, the upregulation of ATP synthase, a key enzyme for energy conversion, may contribute to the accumulation of ATP in infected tissues, whereas downregulation of the H 2 O 2 detoxification system may cause oxidative damage to plant macromolecules and cell structures. This may explain the cause of some of the HLB symptoms such as chlorosis or leaf discoloration. The findings in this study highlight important molecular and physiological mechanisms involved in the host plants' response to Las infection and provide new targets for interrupting the disease cycle.

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Citrus canker, caused by the bacterial pathogen Xanthomonas citri ssp. citri (Xcc), has been attributed to millions of dollars in loss or damage to commercial citrus crops in subtropical production areas of the world. Since identification of resistant plants is one of the most effective methods of disease management, the ability to screen for resistant seedlings plays a key role in the production of a long-term solution to canker. Here, an inverse correlation between reactive oxygen species (ROS) production by the plant and the ability of Xcc to grow and form lesions on infected plants is reported. Based on this information, a novel screening method that can rapidly identify citrus seedlings that are less susceptible to early infection by Xcc was devised by measuring ROS accumulation triggered by a 22-amino acid sequence of the conserved N-terminal part of flagellin (flg22) from X. citri ssp. citri (Xcc-flg22). In addition to limiting disease symptoms, ROS production was also correlated with the expression of basal defense-related genes such as the pattern recognition receptors LRR8 and FLS2, the leucine-rich repeat receptor-like protein RLP12, and the defense-related gene PR1, indicating an important role for pathogen-associated molecular pattern-triggered immunity (PTI) in determining resistance to citrus canker. Moreover, the differential expression patterns observed amongst the citrus seedlings demonstrated the existence of genetic variations in the PTI response among citrus species/varieties.

Huanglongbing (HLB), a systemic and destructive disease of citrus, is associated with ‘Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus’ (Las) in the United States. Our earlier work has shown that Las bacteria were significantly reduced or eliminated when potted HLB-affected citrus were continuously exposed to high temperatures of 40 to 42 °C for a minimum of 48 h. To determine the feasibility and effectiveness of solar thermotherapy in the field, portable plastic enclosures were placed over commercial and residential citrus, exposing trees to high temperatures through solarization. Within 3–6 weeks after treatment, most trees responded with vigorous new growth. Las titer in new growth was greatly reduced for 18–36 months after treatment. Unlike with potted trees, exposure to high heat did not eradicate the Las population under field conditions. This may be attributed to reduced temperatures at night in the field compared to continuous high temperature exposure that can be maintained in growth chambers, and the failure to achieve therapeutic temperatures in the root zone. Despite the presence of Las in heat-treated commercial citrus, many trees produced abundant flush and grew vigorously for 2 to 3 years after treatment. Transcriptome analysis comparing healthy trees to HLB-affected citrus both before and after heat treatment demonstrated that post-treatment transcriptional expression patterns more closely resembled the expression patterns of healthy controls for most differentially expressed genes and that genes involved with plant-bacterium interactions are upregulated after heat treatment. Overall, these results indicate that solar thermotherapy can be an effective component of an integrated control strategy for citrus HLB.

Foodborne illness is a common yet preventable public health concern generating significant costs for the healthcare system, making systems to accurately detect this pathogen a topic of current research. Enzyme-based immunoassays are highly desirable because they offer shorter response times compared to traditional culture-based methods. Biosensors employing the electrochemical and optical detection of a substrate oxidized by horseradish peroxidase (HRP) have been used to successfully detect biomolecules; however, their inability to handle large sample volumes severely limits their application to food safety despite their accuracy and reliability. Here, we describe a biosensor with the capacity to process a large sample volume by utilizing an Ag/AgCl reference electrode, a platinum counter electrode, and a porous working electrode made from graphite felt coated with antibodies specific for Salmonella common structural antigens. This design allows samples to flow-through the electrode while capturing target pathogens. Following sample exposure, HRP-conjugated antibodies facilitate pathogen detection that culminates in an oxidation reaction with the output analyzed via Osteryoung square wave voltammetry. Detection limits of 1000 Salmonella enterica serotype Typhimurium cells were achieved using this newly devised flow-through, enzyme-amplified, electrochemical biosensor in samples as large as 60 mL. The low cost of the sensor allows for incorporation into disposable detection devices while its design not only broadens its applicability in sample processing but also permits the detection of various microbes by simply exchanging the antibodies.

Huanglongbing (HLB), also known as citrus greening, is one of the most destructive diseases of citrus worldwide. HLB is associated with three species of ‘Candidatus Liberibacter’ with ‘Ca. L. asiaticus’ (Las) being the most widely distributed around the world, and the only species detected in Thailand. To understand the genetic diversity of Las bacteria in Thailand, we evaluated two closely-related effector genes, lasA I and lasA II, found within the Las prophages from 239 infected citrus and 55 infected psyllid samples collected from different provinces in Thailand. The results indicated that most of the Las-infected samples collected from Thailand contained at least one prophage sequence with 48.29% containing prophage 1 (FP1), 63.26% containing prophage 2 (FP2), and 19.38% containing both prophages. Interestingly, FP2 was found to be the predominant population in Las-infected citrus samples while Las-infected psyllids contained primarily FP1. The multiple banding patterns that resulted from amplification of lasA I imply extensive variation exists within the full and partial repeat sequence while the single band from lasA II indicates a low amount of variation within the repeat sequence. Phylogenetic analysis of Las-infected samples from 22 provinces in Thailand suggested that the bacterial pathogen may have been introduced to Thailand from China and the Philippines. This is the first report evaluating the genetic variation of a large population of Ca. L. asiaticus infected samples in Thailand using the two effector genes from Las prophage regions.

Citrus canker, caused by Xanthomonas citri ssp. citri, is a serious disease that causes substantial economic losses to the citrus industry worldwide. The bactericide bismerthiazol has been used to control rice bacterial blight (X. oryzae pv. oryzae). In this paper, we demonstrate that bismerthiazol can effectively control citrus canker by both inhibiting the growth of X. citri ssp. citri and triggering the plant's host defense response through the expression of several pathogenesis-related genes (PR1, PR2, CHI, and RpRd1) and the nonexpresser of PR genes (NPR1, NPR2, and NPR3) in 'Duncan' grapefruit, especially at early treatment times. In addition, we found that bismerthiazol induced the expression of the marker genes CitCHS and CitCHI in the flavonoid pathway and the PAL1 (phenylalanine ammonia lyase 1) gene in the salicylic acid (SA) biosynthesis pathway at different time points. Moreover, bismerthiazol also induced the expression of the priming defense-associated gene AZI1. Taken together, these results indicate that the induction of the defense response in 'Duncan' grapefruit by bismerthiazol may involve the SA signaling pathway and the priming defense and that bismerthiazol may serve as an alternative to copper bactericides for the control of citrus canker.