‘Candidatus Phytoplasma phoenicium’ associated with almond witches’-broom disease: from draft genome to genetic diversity among strain populations

BMC Microbiology

Piero Attilio Bianco¹  Alberto Alma⁶  Marina Molino Lova²  Rosemarie Tedeschi⁶  Paola Casati¹  Hana Sobh⁴  Elia Choueiri⁵  Christin Siewert³  Yusuf Abou-Jawdah⁴  Maan Jawhari⁴  Michael Kube³  Fabio Quaglino¹ 

[1] Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences - Production, Landscape, Agroenergy, Università degli Studi di Milano, via Celoria 2, Milan, 20133, Italy;AVSI Foundation, Jounieh, Ghadir, Lebanon;Division Phytomedicine, Thaer-Institute, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany;Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon;Department of Plant Protection, Lebanese Agricultural Research Institute, Tal Amara, Lebanon;Department of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences, Università degli Studi di Torino, Grugliasco (TO), Italy

关键词: BI-1;    Integral membrane protein;    Vector;    Parasitism;    Phytoplasma;   

Others  :  1227615
DOI  :  10.1186/s12866-015-0487-4

 received in 2015-04-10, accepted in 2015-07-16,  发布年份 2015

【 摘 要 】

Background

Almond witches’-broom (AlmWB), a devastating disease of almond, peach and nectarine in Lebanon, is associated with ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma phoenicium’. In the present study, we generated a draft genome sequence of ‘Ca. P. phoenicium’ strain SA213, representative of phytoplasma strain populations from different host plants, and determined the genetic diversity among phytoplasma strain populations by phylogenetic analyses of 16S rRNA, groEL, tufB and inmp gene sequences.

Results

Sequence-based typing and phylogenetic analysis of the gene inmp, coding an integral membrane protein, distinguished AlmWB-associated phytoplasma strains originating from diverse host plants, whereas their 16S rRNA, tufB and groEL genes shared 100 % sequence identity. Moreover, dN/dS analysis indicated positive selection acting on inmp gene. Additionally, the analysis of ‘Ca. P. phoenicium’ draft genome revealed the presence of integral membrane proteins and effector-like proteins and potential candidates for interaction with hosts. One of the integral membrane proteins was predicted as BI-1, an inhibitor of apoptosis-promoting Bax factor. Bioinformatics analyses revealed the presence of putative BI-1 in draft and complete genomes of other ‘Ca. Phytoplasma’ species.

Conclusion

The genetic diversity within ‘Ca. P. phoenicium’ strain populations in Lebanon suggested that AlmWB disease could be associated with phytoplasma strains derived from the adaptation of an original strain to diverse hosts. Moreover, the identification of a putative inhibitor of apoptosis-promoting Bax factor (BI-1) in ‘Ca. P. phoenicium’ draft genome and within genomes of other ‘Ca. Phytoplasma’ species suggested its potential role as a phytoplasma fitness-increasing factor by modification of the host-defense response.

【 授权许可】

   
2015 Quaglino et al.

【 图 表 】

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