Characterization of Citrus proteins that interact with the PthA effector protein, inducer of citrus canker

• Grant number: 06/60074-4
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate (Direct)
• Start date: March 01, 2007
• End date: February 28, 2011
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Biochemistry - Molecular Biology
• Principal Investigator: Celso Eduardo Benedetti
• Grantee: Mariane Noronha Domingues
• Host Institution: Associação Brasileira de Tecnologia de Luz Síncrotron (ABTLuS). Campinas , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Citrus canker caused by Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. citri (Xac) has emerged as one the major treats to the Brazilian citriculture because the disease affects all commercial citrus varieties and the pathogen spreads very easily by stormy whether. Xac penetrates the host through natural openings like stomata but also through wounds caused by insects and agriculture tools. Once inside the host tissue, the bacterium uses a type III secretion system to deliver effector proteins that will ultimately change the molecular status of the plant cell. One of these effector proteins is PthA, the best known pathogenicity factor from Xac. PthA is sufficient to induce cell hypertrophy and hyperplasia, which are the basis of the canker symptoms. It is suggested that PthA functions as a transcriptional factor inside the host cell, but the molecular mechanism by which PthA alters transcription is not known. The aim of this work is to characterize protein-protein interactions between PthA and proteins from Citrus sinensis previously identified in a two-hybrid screen. Among the Citrus proteins we will be looking at are: Aquaporin, cysteine protease, water-stress protein, serine hydrolase and glycine-rich protein. It is expected that the confirmation of these interactions will open up new avenues to the understanding of Xac-Citrus interaction. (AU)

Academic Publications

(References retrieved automatically from State of São Paulo Research Institutions)

DOMINGUES, Mariane Noronha. Characterization of Citrus sinensis proteins that interact with the PthA effector protein, inducer citrus canker. 2011. Doctoral Thesis - Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Instituto de Biologia Campinas, SP.