Understanding the molecular system of degradation and utilization of cellulose by the phytopathogen Xanthomonas citri subsp. citri

• Grant number: 18/03724-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• Start date: June 01, 2018
• End date: July 31, 2022
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Biochemistry - Molecular Biology
• Principal Investigator: Mário Tyago Murakami
• Grantee: José Alberto Diogo
• Host Institution: Centro Nacional de Pesquisa em Energia e Materiais (CNPEM). Campinas , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The genus Xanthomonas is composed of gram-negative bacteria capable of infecting different plant species, many of them of great economic and social importance, such as rice and orange. Brazil as the second largest producer of citrus fruits in the world for decades is concerned with Citrus Canker disease, caused by the presence of the bacterium Xanthomonas citri subsp. citri, which has harmful potential to this crop, due to be present in the country the ideal conditions for the development of the disease and the lack of effective strategies in its fight.The ease with which this pathogen is disseminated and installed in the host has aroused the interest of studies aimed at elucidating the mechanisms of infection. These involve the secretion of enzymes for degradation of the cell wall, among them Glycosidic Hydrolases (GHs), such as cellulases. The species Xanthomonas citri has in its genome a high number of GHs in relation to other species of the genus, suggesting the use of different enzymes and strategies to dismantle the cell wall during the colonization of the host. Thus, the metabolic apparatus of X. citri shows a potential field to be explored to prospect for new enzymes and to understand their functional and structural factors, such as the elucidation of biochemical processes in the plant-pathogen interaction. Thus, the present project proposes to explore and better understand the cellulolytic system of X. citri subsp. citri through the study of five endocellulases, revealing their structural, mechanistic and functional aspects, and their role in the virulence and development of this phytopathogen. (AU)

Scientific publications

(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)

VIEIRA, PLINIO S.; BONFIM, ISABELA M.; ARAUJO, EVANDRO A.; MELO, RICARDO R.; LIMA, AUGUSTO R.; FESSEL, MELISSA R.; PAIXAO, DOUGLAS A. A.; PERSINOTI, GABRIELA F.; ROCCO, SILVANA A.; LIMA, TATIANI B.; et al. Xyloglucan processing machinery in Xanthomonas pathogens and its role in the transcriptional activation of virulence factors. NATURE COMMUNICATIONS, v. 12, n. 1, JUN 30 2021. (17/14253-9, 15/26982-0, 16/06509-0, 15/13684-0, 18/03724-3, 19/13936-0, 17/00203-0, 16/19995-0)

Academic Publications

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

DIOGO, José Alberto. Biochemical, structural and functional studies of glycosidic hydrolases from phytopatogen Xanthomonas citri subsp. citri str. 306. 2023. Doctoral Thesis - Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Instituto de Biologia Campinas, SP.