Ionomics of plant disease
Xylella fastidiosa is a xylem limited organism that causes plant disease via an unknown mechanism. Different subspecies of X. fastidiosa cause devastating disease such as Pierces Disease in grapes, quick olive decline syndrome in Italy, CVC in citrus in Brazil and bacterial leaf scorch in Blueberries. The bacterium must form a biofilm to cause disease and the symptoms resemble nutrient imbalance. We are using the analysis of the host and pathogen ionome, total content of mineral elements, to determine the changes that occur before and during disease. This work is done in collaboration with Leonardo De La Fuente, Dept. of Entomology and Plant Pathology, Auburn University and is funded by the NIFA.
Major questions are:
1) Does the biofilm of Xf accumulate metals to supply the bacterium at a cost to the host that induces disease?
2) How does remodeling of the host ionize impact disease status?
3) How does Xf achieve host specificity and host switching?
4) How conserved is the ionome remodeling in Xf isolates and other plant diseases?
Selected publications on Xylella fastidiosa
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Chen H, Kandel PP, Cruz LF, Cobine PA, De La Fuente L. The Major Outer Membrane Protein MopB Is Required for Twitching Movement and Affects Biofilm Formation and Virulence in Two Xylella fastidiosa strains. Mol Plant Microbe Interact. 2017 Nov;30(11):896-905. PubMed PMID: 28800709.
Kandel PP, Almeida RPP, Cobine PA, De La Fuente L. Natural Competence Rates Are Variable Among Xylella fastidiosa Strains and Homologous Recombination Occurs In Vitro Between Subspecies fastidiosa and multiplex. Mol Plant Microbe Interact. 2017 Jul;30(7):589-600. PubMed PMID: 28459171.
Cruz LF, Parker JK, Cobine PA, De La Fuente L. Calcium-Enhanced Twitching Motility in Xylella fastidiosa Is Linked to a Single PilY1 Homolog. Appl Environ Microbiol. 2014 Dec;80(23):7176-85. PubMed PMID: 25217013; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC4249194.
Oliver JE, Sefick SA, Parker JK, Arnold T, Cobine PA, De La Fuente L. Ionome changes in Xylella fastidiosa-infected Nicotiana tabacum correlate with virulence and discriminate between subspecies of bacterial isolates. Mol Plant Microbe Interact. 2014 Oct;27(10):1048-58. PubMed PMID: 24983508.