The bacterial agent of citrus canker disease (Xanthomonas citri ssp. citri, Xcc) has caused tremendous economic losses to the citrus industry around the world. Pathogen-associated molecular pattern (PAMP)-triggered immunity (PTI) is important to plant immunity. In this study, we compared the defence responses of citrus canker-resistant and citrus canker-susceptible genotypes to the Xcc-derived PAMP flg22 (Xflg22) by analysing the expression of 20 citrus defence-associated genes. We showed that, in the most resistant genotype, 'Nagami' kumquat, there was significant induction of several defence genes (EDS1, NDR1, PBS1, RAR1, SGT1, PAL1, NPR2 and NPR3) as early as 6 h and up to 72 h after Xflg22 treatment. At the other end of the spectrum, highly susceptible 'Duncan' grapefruit showed no induction of the same defence genes, even 120 h after treatment. Citrus genotypes with partial levels of resistance showed intermediate levels of transcriptional reprogramming that correlated with their resistance level. Xflg22 also triggered a rapid oxidative burst in all genotypes which was higher and accompanied by the induction of PTI marker genes (WRKY22 and GST1) only in the more resistant genotypes. Pretreatment with Xflg22 prior to Xcc inoculation inhibited bacterial growth in kumquat, but not in grapefruit. A flagellin-deficient Xcc strain (XccΔfliC) showed greater growth increase relative to wild-type Xcc in kumquat than in grapefruit. Taken together, our results indicate that Xflg22 initiates strong PTI in canker-resistant genotypes, but not in susceptible ones, and that a robust induction of PTI is an important component of citrus resistance to canker.

Background: Citrus Huanglongbing (HLB) is a bacterial disease with high economic significance. The associated agent Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus is a fastidious, phloem-limited, intracellular bacterium that is transmitted by an insect vector the Asian citrus psyllid (ACP). The genome of Ca. L. asiaticus contains protein secretion machinery that suggests host cell modulation capacity of this bacterium.Results: A total of 28 candidate effectors, an important class of secreted proteins, were predicted from the Ca. L. asiaticus genome. Sequence specific primers were designed for reverse transcription (RT) and quantitative PCR (qPCR), and expression was validated for 20 of the effector candidates in infected citrus with multiple genetic background. Using detached leaf inoculation, the mRNA of effectors was detected from 6 h to 7 days post ACP exposure. It was observed that higher bacterial titers were associated with a larger number of effectors showing amplification across all samples. The effectors' expression were compared in citrus hosts with various levels of HLB tolerance, including susceptible Duncan grapefruit and Washington navel orange, tolerant citron and Cleopatra mandarin, and resistant Pomeroy trifoliate and Carrizo citrange. Across all genotypes relatively high expression was observed for CLIBASIA_03695, CLIBASIA_00460, CLIBASIA_00420, CLIBASIA_04580, CLIBASIA_05320, CLIBASIA_04425, CLIBASIA_00525 and CLIBASIA_05315 in either a host-specific or -nonspecific manners. The two genotypes in each HLB-response group also show effector-expression profiles that seem to be different. In a companion study, the expression of effectors was compared between leaves and roots of own-rooted citrus that had been Ca. L. asiaticusinfected for more than a year. Results indicated relatively high expression of CLIBASIA_03875, CLIBASIA_04800 and CLIBASIA_05640 in all leaf and some root tissues of citron, Duncan and Cleopatra.Conclusion: This temporal and spatial expression analysis of Ca. L. asiaticus effectors identified candidates possibly critical for early bacterial colonization, host tolerance suppression and long-term survival which are all worthy of further investigation.

Pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs)-triggered immunity (PTI) is an important component of plant innate immunity. In a previous study, we showed that the PAMP flg22 from Xanthomonas citri ssp. citri (Xflg22), the causal agent of citrus canker, induced PTI in citrus, which correlated with the observed levels of canker resistance. Here, we identified and sequenced two bacterial flagellin/flg22 receptors (FLS2-1 and FLS2-2) from ‘Duncan’ grapefruit (Citrus paradisi, CpFLS2-1 and CpFLS2-2) and ‘Sun Chu Sha’ mandarin (C. reticulata, CrFLS2-1 and CrFLS2-2). We were able to isolate only one FLS2 from ‘Nagami’ kumquat (Fortunella margarita, FmFLS2-1) and gene flanking sequences suggest a rearrangement event that resulted in the deletion of FLS2-2 from the genome. Phylogenetic analysis, gene structure and presence of critical amino acid domains all indicate we identified the true FLS2 genes in citrus. FLS2-2 was more transcriptionally responsive to Xflg22 than FLS2-1, with induced expression levels higher in canker-resistant citrus than in susceptible ones. Interestingly, ‘Nagami’ kumquat showed the highest FLS2-1 steady-state expression levels, although it was not induced by Xflg22. We selected FmFLS2-1, CrFLS2-2 and CpFLS2-2 to further evaluate their capacity to enhance bacterial resistance using Agrobacterium-mediated transient expression assays. Both FmFLS2-1 and CrFLS2-2, the two proteins from canker-resistant species, conferred stronger Xflg22 responses and reduced canker symptoms in leaves of the susceptible grapefruit genotype. These two citrus genes will be useful resources to enhance PTI and achieve resistance against canker and possibly other bacterial pathogens in susceptible citrus types.