Open AccessGlobal gene expression changes in C andidatus L iberibacter asiaticus during the transmission in distinct hosts between plant and insect
Author(s) -
Yan Qing,
Sreedharan Aswathy,
Wei Shiping,
Wang Jihua,
PelzStelinski Kirsten,
Folimonova Svetlana,
Wang Nian
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
molecular plant pathology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.945
H-Index - 103
eISSN - 1364-3703
pISSN - 1464-6722
DOI - 10.1111/mpp.12015
Subject(s) - biology , gene , pathogen , gene expression , insect , host (biology) , plant disease resistance , genetics , botany
Summary Huanglongbing ( HLB ) or citrus greening disease is a destructive disease of citrus worldwide, which is associated with C andidatus L iberibacter asiaticus. This phloem‐limited fastidious pathogen is transmitted by the A sian citrus psyllid, D iaphorina citri , and appears to be an intracellular pathogen that maintains an intimate association with the psyllid or the plant throughout its life cycle. The molecular basis of the interaction of this pathogen with its hosts is not well understood. We hypothesized that, during infection, C a . L . asiaticus differentially expresses the genes critical for its survival and/or pathogenicity in either host. To test this hypothesis, quantitative reverse transcription‐polymerase chain reaction was performed to compare the gene expression of C a . L . asiaticus in planta and in psyllid. Overall, 381 genes were analysed for their gene expression in planta and in psyllid. Among them, 182 genes were up‐regulated in planta compared with in psyllid ( P < 0.05), 16 genes were up‐regulated in psyllid ( P < 0.05) and 183 genes showed no statistically significant difference ( P ≥ 0.05) in expression between in planta and in psyllid. Our study indicates that the expression of the C a . L . asiaticus genes involved in transcriptional regulation, transport system, secretion system, flagella assembly, metabolic pathway and stress resistance are changed significantly in a host‐specific manner to adapt to the distinct environments of plant and insect. To our knowledge, this is the first large‐scale study to evaluate the differential expression of C a . L . asiaticus genes in a plant host and its insect vector.