DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF NOVEL BIOREPORTER STRAINS TO IDENTIFY ALTERNATIVE DSF RECEPTORS IN Xanthomonas citri subsp. citri

• Grant number: 17/10517-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Post-doctor
• Start date: October 01, 2017
• End date: March 31, 2018
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Agronomy - Plant Health
• Principal Investigator: Jesus Aparecido Ferro
• Grantee: Juan Carlos Caicedo Cepeda
• Supervisor: Leo Eberl
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias (FCAV). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Jaboticabal. Jaboticabal , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: University of Zurich (UZH), Switzerland
• Associated to the scholarship: 15/22473-3 - IDENTIFICATION OF ALTERNATIVE SENSOR(S) FOR DSF AUTOINDUCER, PATHOGENICITY REGULATOR IN Xanthomonas citri subsp. citri, BP.PD

Abstract

Xanthomonas citri subsp. citri (Xcc) is the causal agent of citrus canker, a disease that affects almost all types of citrus crops. Production of particular pathogenicity factors in Xcc is coordinated by rpf gene cluster, which encodes elements of a cell-cell communication system called Quorum Sensing (QS). QS in Xcc is mediated by DSF (Diffusible Signal Factor), synthesis and perception of DSF are dependent on several Rpf proteins. Detailed analysis of the regulatory functions of the Rpf proteins have suggested the presence of several DSF sensor proteins other than RpfC. This proposal aims to design and to construct a DSF biosensor strains, to use it as molecular tools to identify alternative DSF receptors in Xcc, in order to understand mechanism of virulence regulation in better detail and thus find new targets for citrus canker treatment.