Molecular mechanisms involved in pathogen adaptation and virulence, host resistance and symptom development in citrus-bacteria interactions

• Grant number: 11/20468-1
• Support Opportunities: Research Projects - Thematic Grants
• Start date: July 01, 2012
• End date: June 30, 2018
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Biochemistry - Molecular Biology
• Principal Investigator: Celso Eduardo Benedetti
• Grantee: Celso Eduardo Benedetti
• Host Institution: Centro Nacional de Pesquisa em Energia e Materiais (CNPEM). Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Inovação (Brasil). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Pesquisadores principais: Andrea Balan Fernandes
• Associated researchers: Adriana Franco Paes Leme ; Ana Carolina de Mattos Zeri ; Andre Luis Berteli Ambrosio ; Juliana Helena Costa Smetana ; Marcelo Falsarella Carazzolle ; Maria Luiza Peixoto de Oliveira ; Mário Tyago Murakami ; Maurício Luís Sforça ; Paulo Sergio Lopes de Oliveira
• Associated scholarship(s): 17/18570-9 - Functional analysis of CsMAF1, an RNA polymerase III repressor involved in cell growth control and pathogen response in plants, BP.PD; 17/07641-2 - Synthesis and characterization of inhibitors for human and citrus deadenylase CAF1 (CNOT7), BP.IC; 16/03151-8 - Aminoacil-tRNA Synthetases as Targets for Development of Agrobactericides intented for Control of Plant Diseases caused by Xanthomonas species, BP.PD; + associated scholarships 15/18712-2 - Functional and structural studies of the repressor protein PhoU in the phosphate transport signalling in Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. citri, BP.MS; 14/19623-0 - Functional analysis of the cyclophilin CsCyp on citrus genes transcription activated by tal effectors from Xanthomonas citri, BP.PD; 13/22399-2 - Biochemical and functional analysis of a citrus sinensis protein, CsEIE, involved in the defense against Xanthomonas citri, BP.DD; 13/22507-0 - Functional characterization of CsWRKY, a sweet orange (citrus sinensis) transcription factor involved in citrus canker resistance, BP.PD; 13/24043-0 - Functional analysis of the bigR operon from Xylella fastidiosa: identification of inhibitor molecules for the sulfur dioxygenase Blh and possible redox mechanism involved in BigR oxidation and operon activatio, BP.DR - associated scholarships

Abstract

The citrus industry is one of the most important agribusiness sectors in Brazil benefiting not only the citrus growers, exporters and consumers, but the society in general with incomes and jobs. However, despite its economic strength, the sector is facing several challenges and production costs have risen annually due mostly to the need of controlling numerous citrus diseases with agrochemicals and pesticides. We have been studying the interaction of citrus plants with the bacterial pathogens Xanthomonas citri and Xylella fastidiosa, the causal agents of "citrus canker" and "citrus variegated chlorosis", respectively. Previously, we identified several sweet orange proteins involved in the recognition of the so called transcriptional-activator like (TAL) effectors from X. citri, and X. fastidiosa proteins required for bacterial growth under low oxygen tension. In addition, we found that the plant hormones auxin and gibberellin are required for initial canker development and that TAL effectors from Xanthomonas aurantifolii pathotype C, a pathogen of the Mexican lime only, appears to function as "Avr" proteins in sweet oranges. In this proposal, we plan to elucidate the function of various X. citri and X. aurantifolii TAL effectors as pathogenicity and/or avirulence factors, and characterize the function of particular ABC transporter systems expected to play a role in pathogen adaptation. Moreover, we plan to elucidate the structure and function of sweet orange proteins implicated in canker development and resistance responses against X. aurantifolii and to generate transgenic citrus plants with increased resistance against bacterial pathogens, particularly X. citri. The proposal will also include an approach to obtain citrus plants resistant to Candidatus liberibacter, the causal agent of "Huanglongbing". (AU)

Scientific publications

(11)

(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)

SOPRANO, ADRIANA SANTOS; COSTA SMETANA, JULIANA HELENA; BENEDETTI, CELSO EDUARDO. Regulation of tRNA biogenesis in plants and its link to plant growth and response to pathogens. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-GENE REGULATORY MECHANISMS, v. 1861, n. 4, SI, p. 344-353, APR 2018. (14/12445-0, 11/20468-1, 12/06736-6)

PEGOS, VANESSA R.; SANTOS, RODRIGO M. L.; MEDRANO, FRANCISCO J.; BALAN, ANDREA. Structural features of PhoX, one of the phosphate-binding proteins from Pho regulon of Xanthomonas citri. PLoS One, v. 12, n. 5, MAY 22 2017. (13/09172-9, 11/20468-1)

DOMINGUES, MARIANE NORONHA; SFORCA, MAURICIO LUIS; SOPRANO, ADRIANA SANTOS; LEE, JACK; CAMPOS BRASIL DE SOUZA, TATIANA DE ARRUDA; CASSAGO, ALEXANDRE; PORTUGAL, RODRIGO VILLARES; DE MATTOS ZERI, ANA CAROLINA; MURAKAMI, MARIO TYAGO; SADANANDOM, ARI; et al. Structure and Mechanism of Dimer-Monomer Transition of a Plant Poly(A)-Binding Protein upon RNA Interaction: Insights into Its Poly(A) Tail Assembly. Journal of Molecular Biology, v. 427, n. 15, p. 2491-2506, JUL 31 2015. (11/20468-1)

SHIMO, HUGO MASSAYOSHI; TERASSI, CAROLINA; SILVA, CAIO CESAR LIMA; ZANELLA, JACKELINE DE LIMA; MERCALDI, GUSTAVO FERNANDO; ROCCO, SILVANA APARECIDA; BENEDETTI, CELSO EDUARDO. Role of the Citrus sinensis RNA deadenylase CsCAF1 in citrus canker resistance. MOLECULAR PLANT PATHOLOGY, v. 20, n. 8, p. 1105-1118, AUG 2019. (13/22507-0, 11/20468-1, 14/50880-0)

SOPRANO, ADRIANA SANTOS; ABE, VALERIA YUKARI; COSTA SMETANA, JULIANA HELENA; BENEDETTI, CELSO EDUARDO. Citrus MAF1, a Repressor of RNA Polymerase III, Binds the Xanthomonas citri Canker Elicitor PthA4 and Suppresses Citrus Canker Development. Plant Physiology, v. 163, n. 1, p. 232-242, SEP 2013. (10/00634-1, 11/20468-1)

SOPRANO, ADRIANA SANTOS; DE GIUSEPPE, PRISCILA OLIVEIRA; SHIMO, HUGO MASSAYOSHI; LIMA, TATIANI BRENELLI; HELENO BATISTA, FERNANDA APARECIDA; RIGHETTO, GERMANNA LIMA; DE CARVALHO PEREIRA, JOSE GERALDO; GRANATO, DANIELA CAMPOS; ZIEM NASCIMENTO, ANDREY FABRICIO; GOZZO, FABIO CESAR; et al. Crystal Structure and Regulation of the Citrus Pol III Repressor MAF1 by Auxin and Phosphorylation. Structure, v. 25, n. 9, p. 1360+, SEP 5 2017. (11/20468-1)

SOPRANO, ADRIANA SANTOS; COSTA SMETANA, JULIANA HELENA; BENEDETTI, CELSO EDUARDO. Regulation of tRNA biogenesis in plants and its link to plant growth and response to pathogens. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-GENE REGULATORY MECHANISMS, v. 1861, n. 4, p. 10-pg., 2018-04-01. (14/12445-0, 11/20468-1, 12/06736-6)

DE LIMA SILVA, CAIO CESAR; SHIMO, HUGO MASSAYOSHI; DE FELICIO, RAFAEL; MERCALDI, GUSTAVO FERNANDO; ROCCO, SILVANA APARECIDA; BENEDETTI, CELSO EDUARDO. Structure-function relationship of a citrus salicylate methylesterase and role of salicylic acid in citrus canker resistance. SCIENTIFIC REPORTS, v. 9, MAR 7 2019. (11/20468-1, 13/22507-0, 16/03151-8, 13/22399-2)

SAMPAIO, ALINE; PEGOS, VANESSA RODRIGUES; OSHIRO, ELISA EMIKO; BALAN, ANDREA. The periplasmic binding protein NrtT affects xantham gum production and pathogenesis in Xanthomonas citri. FEBS OPEN BIO, v. 7, n. 10, p. 1499-1514, OCT 2017. (13/09172-9, 11/22386-2, 11/20468-1)

ABE, VALERIA YUKARI; BENEDETTI, CELSO EDUARDO. Additive roles of PthAs in bacterial growth and pathogenicity associated with nucleotide polymorphisms in effector-binding elements of citrus canker susceptibility genes. MOLECULAR PLANT PATHOLOGY, v. 17, n. 8, p. 1223-1236, OCT 2016. (11/19988-0, 11/20468-1)

PEREIRA, ANDRE L. A.; CARAZZOLLE, MARCELO F.; ABE, VALERIA Y.; DE OLIVEIRA, MARIA L. P.; DOMINGUES, MARIANE N.; SILVA, JAQUELINE C.; CERNADAS, RAUL A.; BENEDETTI, CELSO E.. Identification of putative TAL effector targets of the citrus canker pathogens shows functional convergence underlying disease development and defense response. BMC Genomics, v. 15, FEB 25 2014. (10/00634-1, 11/20468-1)