Publications

3512

The digestive organs of terrestrial isopods harbour bacteria of the recently proposed mollicute family Hepatoplasmataceae. The only complete genome available so far for Hepatoplasmataceae is that of ‘Candidatus Hepatoplasma crinochetorum’. The scarcity of genome sequences has hampered our understanding of the symbiotic relationship between isopods and mollicutes. Here, we present four complete metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) of uncultured Hepatoplasmataceae members identified from shotgun sequencing data of isopods. We propose genomospecies names for three MAGs that show substantial sequence divergence from any previously known Hepatoplamsataceae members: ‘Candidatus Tyloplasma litorale’ identified from the semiterrestrial isopod Tylos granuliferus, ‘Candidatus Hepatoplasma vulgare’ identified from the common pill bug Armadillidium vulgare, and ‘Candidatus Hepatoplasma scabrum’ identified from the common rough woodlouse Porcellio scaber. Phylogenomic analysis of 155 mollicutes confirmed that Hepatoplasmataceae is a sister clade of Metamycoplasmataceae in the order Mycoplasmoidales. The 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequences and phylogenomic analysis showed that ‘Candidatus Tyloplasma litorale’ and other semiterrestrial isopod-associated mollicutes represent the placeholder genus ‘g_Bg2’ in the r214 release of the Genome Taxonomy Database, warranting their assignment to a novel genus. Our analysis also revealed that Hepatoplasmataceae lack major metabolic pathways but has a likely intact type IIA CRISPR-Cas9 machinery. Although the localization of the Hepatoplasmatacae members have not been verified microscopically in this study, these genomic characteristics are compatible with the idea that these mollicutes have an ectosymbiotic lifestyle with high nutritional dependence on their host, as has been demonstrated for other members of the family. We could not find evidence that Hepatoplasmataceae encode polysaccharide-degrading enzymes that aid host digestion. If they are to provide nutritional benefits, it may be through extra-copy nucleases, peptidases, and a patatin-like lipase. Exploration of potential host-symbiont interaction-associated genes revealed large, repetitive open reading frames harbouring beta-sandwich domains, possibly involved with host cell adhesion. Overall, genomic analyses suggest that isopod-mollicute symbiosis is not characterized by carbohydrate degradation, and we speculate on their potential role as defensive symbionts through spatial competition with pathogens to prevent infection.

AbstractThe unicellular cyanobacterium Candidatus Atelocyanobacterium thalassa (UCYN‐A) is a key diazotroph in the global ocean owing to its high N2 fixation rates and wide distribution in marine environments. Nevertheless, little is known about UCYN‐A in oxygen‐deficient zones (ODZs), which may be optimal environments for marine diazotrophy. Therefore, the distribution and diversity of UCYN‐A were studied in two consecutive years under contrasting phases (La Niña vs. El Niño) of El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) along a transect in the ODZ of the Mexican Pacific upwelling system. Of the three UCYN‐A sublineages found, UCYN‐A1 and UCYN‐A3 were barely detected, whereas UCYN‐A2 was dominant in all the stations and showed a wide distribution in both ENSO phases. The presence of UCYN‐A was associated with well‐oxygenated waters, but it was also found for the first time under suboxic conditions (<20 μM) at the bottom of a shallow coastal station, within the oxygen‐poor and nutrient‐rich Subsurface Subtropical water mass. This study contributes to the understanding of UCYN‐A distribution under different oceanographic conditions associated with ENSO phases in upwelling systems, especially because of the current climate change and increasing deoxygenation in many areas of the world's oceans.

<p><strong>Background.</strong> Climate change models have projected an increase in the distribution of certain crop pests of economic importance by forecasting more favorable future conditions for these organisms. In citrus farming, Huanglongbing is one of the most devastating diseases worldwide, since it has caused the death of millions of trees. <strong>Objetive.</strong> The objective of this study was to estimate the current and future distribution of <em>Candidatus </em>Liberibacter asiaticus in Mexico, under the climate change scenarios SSP2 4.5 and SSP5 8.5, for the years 2050 and 2070. <strong>Methodology.</strong> Distribution models were generated with MaxEnt and R, using uncorrelated bioclimatic variables from eight General Circulation Models (GCM) derived from CMIP6 and disease presence data. <strong>Results.</strong> The results indicate that the current suitability is 44.6 %. The future distribution depended on how model predictions were pooled. An optimistic approach that considered the intersection of all models showed a small reduction of 4.1% while, considering the union of all the GCM models, the increase will vary from 12.3 to 20.1 % of the Mexican territory depending on the particular scenario and time projection. <strong>Implications.</strong> The zones of potential occurrence of <em>Candidatus </em>Liberibacter asiaticus include most of the citrus-growing areas in Mexico. <strong>Conclusion. </strong>In some regions, future scenarios show a reduction in the potential occurrence of the species in citrus plantations. However, the risk remains because its surroundings include suitable areas that can be sources of dissemination of the disease. </p>

‘Candidatus Phytoplasma ulmi’ (Ca. P. ulmi) belongs to the ribosomal subgroup 16SrV-A and is associated with dieback, shoot proliferation and yellows disease on various Ulmus spp. Other plant species, such as Carpinus betulus and Prunus spp. have also been reported infected by the same pathogen. In 2021, in the frame of research activities focused on grapevine’s Flavescence dorée (FD), one specimen of Orientus ishidae - an East Palearctic leafhopper that was identified as an alternative vector of FD phytoplasmas - was found harboring Ca. P. ulmi in southern Switzerland. No phytoplasmas were detected in plant samples taken in the same location. Orientus ishidae has already been reported to be able to acquire diverse phytoplasmas associated with other plant diseases, such as Peach X-disease. This is the first report of Ca. P. ulmi in Switzerland, as well as in O. ishidae. Ca. P. ulmi may potentially be present in the wild compartment of the Swiss Pre-alpine and Alpine range, but no dedicated survey has so far been conducted. In the case of O. ishidae, this finding highlights the broad affinity of such a species for the acquisition of several phytoplasmas. This calls for a further investigation regarding its potential role as a vector on various pathosystems of agronomic importance.

The increasing impact of phloem-restricted bacteria on economically important crops has led to renewed interest in understanding the pathogenesis at the genomic and histological levels of these diseases. The genus Candidatus Liberibacter is associated with economically devastating diseases, highlighting Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (CLas) and Candidatus Liberibacter solanaceraum (CLso) in citrus and vegetables. Plant-pathogen interaction studies are limited due to the non-culturable nature of the pathogenic species of the genus Ca. Liberibacter, as well as the lack of experimental models. The objective of this work was to implement a model for the study of bacteria of the genus Candidatus Liberibacter, using tomato-CLso as an experimental model. Through a time course analysis of the tomato-CLso infective process, it was determined that there is a direct correlation between the bacterial load and symptom development, differentiated into early, intermediate and late stages. Additionally, a comparative transcriptional analysis of antibacterial defense marker genes (PR-P1, miR160, and miR393) determined that the response of these genes in the tomato-CLso and lime-CLas pathosystems are equivalent. Our results demonstrate that the tomato-CLso system represents an important model for the study of the interaction between plants and non-cultivable phloem restricted bacteria.