Ed Stover

Reduced Susceptibility to Xanthomonas citri in Transgenic Citrus Expressing the FLS2 Receptor From Nicotiana benthamiana

Overexpression of plant pattern-recognition receptors by genetic engineering provides a novel approach to enhance plant immunity and broad-spectrum disease resistance. Citrus canker disease associated with Xanthomonas citri is one of the most important diseases damaging citrus production worldwide. In this study, we cloned the FLS2 gene from Nicotiana benthamiana cDNA and inserted it into the binary vector pBinPlus/ARS to transform Hamlin sweet orange and Carrizo citrange. Transgene presence was confirmed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and gene expression of NbFLS2 was compared by reverse transcription quantitative PCR. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in response to flg22Xcc was detected in transgenic Hamlin but not in nontransformed controls. Low or no ROS production was detected from nontransformed Hamlin seedlings challenged with flg22Xcc. Transgenic plants highly expressing NbFLS2 were selected and were evaluated for resistance to canker incited by X. citri 3213. Our results showed that the integration and expression of the NbFLS2 gene in citrus can increase canker resistance and defense-associated gene expression when challenged with X. citri. These results suggest that canker-susceptible Citrus genotypes lack strong basal defense induced by X. citri flagellin and the resistance of these genotypes can be enhanced by transgenic expression of the flagellin receptor from a resistant species.

Long-Term Field Evaluation Reveals Huanglongbing Resistance in Citrus Relatives

Citrus huanglongbing (HLB) is a destructive disease with no known cure. To identify sources of HLB resistance in the subfamily Aurantioideae to which citrus belongs, we conducted a six-year field trial under natural disease challenge conditions in an HLB endemic region. The study included 65 Citrus accessions and 33 accessions belonging to 20 other closely related genera. For each accession, eight seedling trees were evaluated. Based on quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis of the pathogen titers and disease symptoms, eight disease-response categories were identified. We report two immune, six resistant, and 14 tolerant accessions. Resistance and tolerance observed in different accessions may be attributed to a multitude of factors, including psyllid colonization ability, absence of pathogen multiplication, transient replication of the bacterium, lack of pathogen establishment in the plant, delayed infection, or recovery from infection. Most citrus cultivars were considered susceptible: 15 citrons, lemons, and limes retained leaves in spite of the disease status. Resistance and high levels of field tolerance were observed in many noncitrus genera. Disease resistance/tolerance was observed in Australian citrus relative genera Eremocitrus and Microcitrus, which are sexually compatible with citrus and may be useful in future breeding trials to impart HLB resistance to cultivated citrus.

Induction of innate immune responses by flagellin from the intracellular bacterium, 'Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum'.

Background‘Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum’ (Lso) is a phloem-limited alphaproteobacterium associated with the devastating zebra chip disease of potato (Solanum tuberosum). Like other members of Liberibacter, Lso-ZC1 encodes a flagellin domain-containing protein (FlaLso) with a conserved 22 amino-acid peptide (flg22Lso). To understand the innate immune responses triggered by this unculturable intracellular bacterium, we studied the pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) that triggered immunity in Nicotiana benthamiana, using the flg22Lso peptide and the full length flaLso gene.ResultsOur results showed that the expression of flaLso via Agrobacterium-mediated transient expression induced a slow necrotic cell death in the inoculated leaves of N. benthamiana, which was coupled with a burst of reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. Moreover, the expression of several representative genes involved in innate immunity was transiently up-regulated by the flg22Lso in N. benthamiana. The FlaLso, however, induced stronger up-regulation of these representative genes compared to the flg22Lso, especially that of flagellin receptor FLAGELLIN SENSING2 (FLS2) and respiratory burst oxidase (RbohB) in N. benthamiana. Although neither cell death nor ROS were induced by the synthetic flg22Lso, a weak callose deposition was observed in infiltrated leaves of tobacco, tomato, and potato plants.ConclusionThe flagellin of Lso and its functional domain, flg22Lso share characteristics of pathogen-associated molecular patterns, and trigger unique innate immune responses in N. benthamiana. Slow and weak activation of the innate immune response in host plants by the flagellin of Lso may reflect the nature of its intracellular life cycle. Our findings provide new insights into the role of the Lso flagellin in the development of potato zebra chip disease and potential application in breeding for resistance.

Emerging Fruit Crops

Hundreds of fruit species with commercial potential are currently in a status of low economic importance. Some, such as quince, pomegranate, and figs, have been cultivated for thousands of years. Others have only been locally collected and consumed from wild populations of the fruit. The development of these underappreciated crops depends on a range of factors including the cultivation limitations, yields, uses of the fruit, and marketing potential. Although initially many crops are developed using selections from the wild, as they are developed, breeding programs work toward improving the crop for both production and quality. This chapter examines nine emerging crops chosen among hundreds of potential crops which are currently showing much promise as commercial crops. These include five tree fruits, namely, pawpaw, quince, mayhaw, pomegranate, and fig, and four berry crops, namely, blue honeysuckle, elder, goji, and ‘ōhelo.

Overexpression of a Modified Plant Thionin Enhances Disease Resistance to Citrus Canker and Huanglongbing (HLB)

Huanglongbing (HLB or citrus greening disease) caused by Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (Las) is a great threat to the US citrus industry. There are no proven strategies to eliminate HLB disease and no cultivar has been identified with strong HLB resistance. Citrus canker is also an economically important disease associated with a bacterial pathogen (Xanthomonas citri). In this study, we characterized endogenous citrus thionins and investigated their expression in different citrus tissues. Since no HLB-resistant citrus cultivars have been identified, we attempted to develop citrus resistant to both HLB and citrus canker through overexpression of a modified plant thionin. To improve effectiveness for disease resistance, we modified and synthesized the sequence encoding a plant thionin and cloned into the binary vector pBinPlus/ARS. The construct was then introduced into Agrobacterium strain EHA105 for citrus transformation. Transgenic Carrizo plants expressing the modified plant thionin were generated by Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. Successful transformation and transgene gene expression was confirmed by molecular analysis. Transgenic Carrizo plants expressing the modified thionin gene were challenged with X. citri 3213 at a range of concentrations, and a significant reduction in canker symptoms and a decrease in bacterial growth were demonstrated compared to nontransgenic plants. Furthermore, the transgenic citrus plants were challenged with HLB via graft inoculation. Our results showed significant Las titer reduction in roots of transgenic Carrizo compared with control plants and reduced scion Las titer 12 months after graft inoculation. These data provide promise for engineering citrus disease resistance against HLB and canker.

GUS expression driven by constitutive and phloem-specific promoters in citrus hybrid US-802

Transgenic solutions are being widely explored to develop huanglongbing (HLB) resistance in citrus. A critical component of a transgenic construct is the promoter, which determines tissue specificity and level of target gene expression. This study compares the characteristics of five promoters regulating the beta-glucuronidase (GUS) reporter gene in the trifoliate hybrid rootstock US-802. Two of the selected promoters direct high levels of constitutive transgene expression in other dicotyledonous plants: 2X35S, the tandem-repeat promoter of the cauliflower mosaic virus 35S gene and bul409S, a truncation of the potato polyubiquitin promoter. Because Candidatus Liberibacter, the Gram-negative bacterium associated with HLB, infects only the phloem tissue, it may be advantageous to limit transgene expression to the vascular tissue and reduce expression in the fruit. Thus, we also tested three promoters that demonstrate phloem specificity when transformed and expressed in other plants: WDV, from wheat dwarf geminivirus; AtSUC2, the sucrose-H+ symporter gene promoter from Arabidopsis; and CsSUS, the sucrose synthase promoter from citrus. Histochemical staining for GUS activity was observed throughout leaf and stem tissues for the constitutive promoters, while the three phloem-specific promoters largely showed the expected tissue-specific staining. Expression of GUS in some individual transformants with promoters CsSUS and WDV appeared leaky, with some laminar tissue staining. Relative quantification of qRT-PCR data revealed a wide range of mRNA abundance from transgenics with each of the five promoters. Fluorometry also revealed that GUS activity differed depending on the promoter used, but mRNA levels and enzyme activity were not highly correlated.

Transcriptome Profiling of Huanglongbing (HLB) Tolerant and Susceptible Citrus Plants Reveals the Role of Basal Resistance in HLB Tolerance.

Huanglongbing (HLB) is currently the most destructive disease of citrus worldwide. Although there is no immune cultivar, field tolerance to HLB within citrus and citrus relatives has been observed at the USDA Picos farm at Ft. Pierce, Florida, where plants have been exposed to a very high level of HLB pressure since 2006. In this study, we used RNA-Seq to evaluate expression differences between two closely related cultivars after HLB infection: HLB-tolerant “Jackson” grapefruit-like-hybrid trees and HLB susceptible “Marsh” grapefruit trees. A total of 686 genes were differentially expressed (DE) between the two cultivars. Among them, 247 genes were up-expressed and 439 were down-expressed in tolerant citrus trees. We also identified a total of 619 genes with significant differential expression of alternative splicing isoforms between HLB tolerant and HLB susceptible citrus trees. We analyzed the functional categories of DE genes using two methods, and revealed that multiple pathways have been suppressed or activated in the HLB tolerant citrus trees, which lead to the activation of the basal resistance or immunity of citrus plants. We have experimentally verified the expressions of 14 up-expressed genes and 19 down-expressed genes on HLB-tolerant “Jackson” trees and HLB-susceptible “Marsh” trees using real time PCR. The results showed that the expression of most genes were in agreement with the RNA-Seq results. This study provided new insights into HLB-tolerance and useful guidance for breeding HLB-tolerant citrus in the future.

Cross-Protection of Grapefruit from Decline-Inducing Isolates of Citrus Tristeza Virus

The ability of three mild isolates of citrus tristeza virus (CTV) to prevent natural infection of 84 Ruby Red grapefruit on sour orange rootstock by aphid-transmitted, decline-inducing isolates of CTV was assessed by symptoms and verified by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) after 16 years. Of 21 trees in each of four treatments protected by the DD 102 bb, Guettler HS, and DPI 1-12-5-X-E mild CTV isolates, 14, 10, and 14% were infected by severe isolates (MCA13 monoclonal antibody reactive) compared with 67% for unprotected control trees. The health of trees protected by the DD 102 bb CTV isolate was significantly better than that of unprotected control trees as measured by decline, tree ratings, and tree height. These data suggest that infection by certain mild isolates of CTV can cross-protect grapefruit trees on sour orange rootstock from decline-inducing isolates of CTV that are prevalent in the Indian River region of Florida.

Accurate measurement of transgene copy number in crop plants using droplet digital PCR.

Genetic transformation is a powerful means for the improvement of crop plants, but requires labor- and resource-intensive methods. An efficient method for identifying single-copy transgene insertion events from a population of independent transgenic lines is desirable. Currently, transgene copy number is estimated by either Southern blot hybridization analyses or quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) experiments. Southern hybridization is a convincing and reliable method, but it also is expensive, time-consuming and often requires a large amount of genomic DNA and radioactively labeled probes. Alternatively, qPCR requires less DNA and is potentially simpler to perform, but its results can lack the accuracy and precision needed to confidently distinguish between one- and two-copy events in transgenic plants with large genomes. To address this need, we developed a droplet digital PCR-based method for transgene copy number measurement in an array of crops: rice, citrus, potato, maize, tomato and wheat. The method utilizes specific primers to amplify target transgenes, and endogenous reference genes in a single duplexed reaction containing thousands of droplets. Endpoint amplicon production in the droplets is detected and quantified using sequence-specific fluorescently labeled probes. The results demonstrate that this approach can generate confident copy number measurements in independent transgenic lines in these crop species. This method and the compendium of probes and primers will be a useful resource for the plant research community, enabling the simple and accurate determination of transgene copy number in these six important crop species.

Characterizing the citrus cultivar Carrizo genome through 454 shotgun sequencing.

The citrus cultivar Carrizo is the single most important rootstock to the US citrus industry and has resistance or tolerance to a number of major citrus diseases, including citrus tristeza virus, foot rot, and Huanglongbing (HLB, citrus greening). A Carrizo genomic sequence database providing approximately 3.5×genome coverage (haploid genome size approximately 367 Mb) was populated through 454 GS FLX shotgun sequencing. Analysis of the repetitive DNA fraction indicated a total interspersed repeat fraction of 36.5%. Assembly and characterization of abundant citrus Ty3/gypsy elements revealed a novel type of element containing open reading frames encoding a viral RNA-silencing suppressor protein (RNA binding protein, rbp) and a plant cytokinin riboside 5′-monophosphate phosphoribohydrolase-related protein (LONELY GUY, log). Similar gypsy elements were identified in the Populus trichocarpa genome. Gene-coding region analysis indicated that 24.4% of the nonrepetitive reads contained genic regions. The depth of genome coverage was sufficient to allow accurate assembly of constituent genes, including a putative phloem-expressed gene. The development of the Carrizo database (http://citrus.pw.usda.gov/) will contribute to characterization of agronomically significant loci and provide a publicly available genomic resource to the citrus research community.