A chemical approach to understand the Huanglongbing (greening) disease

• Grant number: 21/00728-0
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: October 01, 2021
• End date: September 30, 2023
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Chemistry - Organic Chemistry
• Principal Investigator: Taicia Pacheco Fill
• Grantee: Taicia Pacheco Fill
• Host Institution: Instituto de Química (IQ). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Brazil is the world's largest citrus producer and exporter of frozen concentrated orange juice and therefore, citrus represent an important percentage of Brazilian economy. Since 2004, Brazil has been fighting a very devastating pathogen, the bacterium Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (CLas) the causal agent of Huanglongbing (HLB) disease, which is nowadays, the biggest concern related to the world’s citriculture and considered the most destructive disease in citriculture's history. In Brazil, the disease is commonly known as greening. So far, scientists still could not develop an efficient and safe control strategy to this problem. Our research group has been focusing attention in the citrus diseases caused by bacteria and fungi, trying to gain insights into the pathogen-host interaction from a chemical perspective. Based on our initial findings (unpublished data), we hypothesized a new bacterial virulence chemical mechanism and propose an alternative to control the greening disease. Thus, in this project, we intend to try to understand the bacterial virulence strategy using chemical analytical approaches and transcriptomic approaches and use the pathogen's strategy against itself. If our hypothesis on the bacterial virulence is correct, we are going to provide the first insights into an alternative and safe strategy to control the disease in short term, saving the orchards and restructuring Brazilian citriculture to its highest productivity. (AU)

Scientific publications

(4)

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

BASTOS, RAFAEL WESLEY; AKIYAMA, DANIEL; DOS REIS, THAILA FERNANDA; COLABARDINI, ANA CRISTINA; LUPERINI, RAFAEL SANCHEZ; DE CASTRO, PATRICIA ALVES; BALDINI, REGINA LUCIA; FILL, TAICIA; GOLDMAN, GUSTAVO H.. Secondary Metabolites Produced during Aspergillus fumigatus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa Biofilm Formation. MBIO, v. 13, n. 4, p. 17-pg., 2022-07-20. (17/07536-4, 21/07038-0, 21/11062-3, 17/19821-5, 16/07870-9, 21/00728-0, 16/12948-7)

DA SILVA, STEPHANIE NEMESIO; DE OLIVEIRA, LUIS FERNANDO; REPKE, RODRIGO ALBERTO; PEREIRA, ALANA KELYENE; BARBOSA, LUIDY DARLAN; NUNES, RAFAEL LEIRIA; SUSSULINI, ALESSANDRA; PINHEIRO, FABIO; FILL, TAICIA PACHECO. Metabolomic analysis reveals stress tolerance mechanisms in common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) related to treatment with a biostimulant obtained from Corynebacterium glutamicum. MOLECULAR OMICS, v. N/A, p. 13-pg., 2023-07-28. (21/00728-0, 22/02992-0)

FRANCOIS, GUERLINE AMORIM; DE MORAES PONTES, JOAO GUILHERME; PEREIRA, ALANA KELYENE; FILL, TAICIA PACHECO. Exploring the Citrus Sour Rot pathogen: biochemical aspects, virulence factors, and strategies for disease management-a review. FUNGAL BIOLOGY REVIEWS, v. 41, p. 14-pg., 2022-08-16. (21/00728-0, 20/02805-0, 19/06359-7)

CASTELLI, RAFAEL F.; PEREIRA, ALANA; HONORATO, LEANDRO; VALDEZ, ALESSANDRO; DE OLIVEIRA, HAROLDO C.; BAZIOLI, JAQUELINE M.; GARCIA, ANE W. A.; FREITAS KLIMECK, TABATA D'MAIELLA; REIS, FLAVIA C. G.; STAATS, CHARLEY C.; et al. Extracellular Vesicle Formation in Cryptococcus deuterogattii Impacts Fungal Virulence and Requires the NOP16 Gene. Infection and Immunity, v. 90, n. 8, p. 14-pg., 2022-07-12. (21/00728-0)