Disrupt LuxR solo quorum sensing that mediates plant virulence and insect transmission of Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus to control the disease

Disrupt LuxR solo quorum sensing that mediates plant virulence and insect transmission of Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus to control the disease

Report Date: 10/15/2015
Project: 15-017   Year: 2015
Category: Horticultural & Management
Author: Nabil Killiny
Sponsor: Citrus Research and Development Foundation

The Genome of Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (CLas) revealed the presence of luxR that encodes LuxR protein, one of the two components typical of bacterial “quorum sensing” or cell-to-cell communication systems. Interestingly, the genome lacks the second components; luxI that produce Acyl-Homoserine Lactones (AHLs) suggesting that CLas has a solo LuxR system. In the current project, we will test the effect of AHL-producing citrus plants on the pathogencity of CLas. Although the postdoctoral researcher has joined our lab two months later than the proposed starting date, we have selected different Lux-I genes from different bacteria expressing different AHLs. The selected genes included TraI (accession number: L22207.1) from Agrobacterium tumefaciens, AhyI (accession number: CAA61653) from Aeromonas hydrophilia, AYsI (accession number: DQ058009) from Agrobacterium vitis, CepI (accession number: AF019654.1) from Burkholderia cepacia, CviI (accession number: AY277257.1) from Chromobacterium violaceum, EsaI (accession number: L32183) from Panteoa stewartii, ExpI (Accession number: AY507108.1) from Pectobacterium carotovorum, LasI (protein ID: AHW72185.1) from Pseudomonas aeruginosa, RhlI (accession number: U11811.1) from Pseudomonas aeruginosa, PhzI (accession number: AAC18898.1) from Pseudomonas fluorescens, CinI (accession number: AF210630) from Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. Viciae, RhiI (protein ID: CAK10388) from Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. Viciae, RaiI (accession number: AJ427969) from Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. Viciae, CerI (accession number: AF016298) from Rhodobacter sphaeroides, SwrI (accession number: U22823.1) from Serratia liquifaciens, SinI (Protein ID: CAC46418.1) from Sinorhizobium meliloti, VanI (accession number: U69677) from Vibrio anguillarum, LuxI (protein ID: AAD48474.1) from Vibrio fischeri, LuxM (accesion number: L13940) from Vibrio harveyi, Yenl (accession number: X76082.1) from Yersinia enterocolitica, YpsI (accession number: AF079973.1) from Yersinia pseudotuberculosis, and YtbI (accession number: AF079136.2) from Yersinia pseudotuberculosis. Currently, we are synthesizing the genes in order to insert them in CTV-based vector prior to the infiltration inside citrus trees.


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