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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Frederick, Maryland » Foreign Disease-Weed Science Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #383836
Research Project: Molecular Identification, Characterization, and Biology of Foreign and Emerging Viral and Bacterial Plant Pathogens

Location: Foreign Disease-Weed Science Research

Title: Identification of phloem translatome alterations during Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus infection in tolerant and susceptible citrus cultivars

Author
item Collum, Tamara - Tami
item GRANDO, MAGALI - US Department Of Agriculture (USDA)
item Stone, Andrew
item Sherman, Diana
item CULVER, JAMES - University Of Maryland
item DARDICK, CHRIS - US Department Of Agriculture (USDA)
item STOVER, ED - US Department Of Agriculture (USDA)
item Rogers, Elizabeth

Submitted to: American Phytopathological Society Annual Meeting
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/22/2021
Publication Date: 1/6/2022
Citation: Collum, T.D., Grando, M., Stone, A.L., Sherman, D.J., Culver, J.N., Dardick, C., Stover, E., Rogers, E.E. 2022. Identification of phloem translatome alterations during Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus infection in tolerant and susceptible citrus cultivars. American Phytopathological Society Annual Meeting. https://10.1094/PHYTO-111-10-S2.1.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1094/PHYTO-111-10-S2.1

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Huanglongbing (HLB) is a devastating disease of citrus worldwide. In the United States, HLB has been associated with the phloem-restricted bacterium Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (CLas). CLas can be spread by phloem feeding Asian citrus psyllids or through grafting. Molecular interactions between CLas and the plant are required for accumulation and spread of CLas in phloem tissues. However, many of these interactions are not well characterized. In this study, we have adapted translating ribosome affinity purification (TRAP) methodologies to analyze phloem specific responses to CLas in citrus trees. This method uses tissue specific promoters to express FLAG-tagged ribosomal proteins for immuno-capture of cell-specific mRNAs. HLB-susceptible sweet orange, HLB-resistant Poncirus, and HLB-tolerant Carrizo (sweet orange x Poncirus) were transformed to express the FLAG-tagged ribosome protein L18 (RPL18) under the control of two phloem-specific promoters (pSULTR2;2 and p396ss) as well as the constitutive CaMV 35S promoter. Tagged ribosome complexes were purified from citrus leaves using anti-FLAG conjugated magnetic beads. High quality translatome RNA was recovered from citrus expressing FLAG-RPL18 but not from non-transformed control plants. TRAP citrus lines have been infected with CLas using no-choice Asian citrus psyllid feeding, and efforts are underway to identify phloem genes that are altered during infection. Identified genes will represent unique phloem specific targets for disrupting the CLas life cycle.