Kinects of the accumulation of citrus leprosis virus C strains, the prevalent etiological agent of citrus leprosis

• Grant number: 20/06378-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: September 01, 2020
• End date: June 30, 2022
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Agronomy - Plant Health
• Principal Investigator: Juliana de Freitas Astúa
• Grantee: Matheus Potsclam Barro
• Host Institution: Instituto Biológico (IB). Agência Paulista de Tecnologia dos Agronegócios (APTA). Secretaria de Agricultura e Abastecimento (São Paulo - Estado). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Citrus leprosis (CL) is the most important viral disease affecting the Brazilian citriculture. Although caused by viruses of different species, the cilevirus citrus leprosis virus C (CiLV-C) is the prevalent causal agent in the country. Two different strains of CiLV-C, known as CiLV-C_SJP (São José do Rio Preto) and CiLV-C_CRD (Cordeirópolis), are unevenly spread throughout the Brazilian citrus belt, which comprises commercial orchards of the states of São Paulo and Minas Gerais. CL produces chlorotic and necrotic spots localized on the fruits,branches, and leaves of orange trees (Citrus sinensis). Upon identification in a few counties in the state of São Paulo in 2016, the further deciphering of CiLV-C_SJP genome and, particularly, the establishment of a specific method for its detection, led to the recognition of a continuous increasing incidence of this isolate. Preliminary epidemiological data suggest adaptative advantages of the strain SJP over CRD, for instance, in its interactions with host plants and/or the mite vector. To gain insight into the molecular bases of this phenomenon, the present project aims to reveal the dynamics of the accumulation of the two viral strains by RT-qPCR and its behavior in three different experimental systems. Firstly, viral loads from both single and mixed infections of the two strains will be assessed in samples from commercial orchards. The other two biological systems aim to replicate mixed infections under controlled conditions. Whereas in one of the approaches Arabidopsis thaliana plants will be independently or simultaneously infested with SJP and CRD viruliferous mites, in the second one, the viral strains will be mechanical transmitted to different herbaceous plants in the same combinations as in A. thaliana plants.Besides aiming to determine the probable causes explaining the asymmetric spreading of CiLV-C strains in the commercial orchards in SP and MG, the project will contribute to the epidemiological studies of CiLV-C and enlarge our knowledge about the intra-specific interactions during the mixed infections in the CL pathosystem. The proposal takes part in the major guidelines covered by the project "Understanding the molecular biology and ecology of plant-virus-vector relationships: Towards Sustainable, Integrated Virus Management Strategies"(Fapesp-NWO, proc. 2017/50222-0), coordinated by the advisor. (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)

CHABI-JESUS, CAMILA; RAMOS-GONZALEZ, PEDRO L.; POSTCLAM-BARRO, MATHEUS; FONTENELE, RAFAELA SALGADO; HARAKAVA, RICARDO; BASSANEZI, RENATO B.; MOREIRA, ALECIO S.; KITAJIMA, ELLIOT W.; VARSANI, ARVIND; FREITAS-ASTUA, JULIANA. Molecular Epidemiology of Citrus Leprosis Virus C: A New Viral Lineage and Phylodynamic of the Main Viral Subpopulations in the Americas. FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY, v. 12, APR 29 2021. (16/01960-6, 17/50334-3, 17/50222-0, 19/25078-9, 20/06378-9, 19/08186-2)