Home 9 Outcomes 9 Publications 9 Nicotiana benthamiana as a model plant host for Xylella fastidiosa: Control of infections by transient expression and endotherapy with a bifunctional peptide

Nicotiana benthamiana as a model plant host for Xylella fastidiosa: Control of infections by transient expression and endotherapy with a bifunctional peptide

Authors: Aina Baró, Pasquale Saldarelli, Maria Saponari, Emilio Montesinos and Laura Montesinos
Date Published: 01/12/2023
Keywords: Plant-microbe interactions
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2022.1061463
Repository link: http://hdl.handle.net/10261/310019

Abstract

Transient expression of genes encoding peptides BP134 and BP178 by means of a Potato virus X (PVX) based-vector system, and treatment with synthetic peptides by endotherapy, were evaluated in the control of Xylella fastidiosa infections, in the model plant Nicotiana benthamiana. Transient production of BP178 significantly decreased disease severity compared to PVX and non-treated control (NTC) plants, without adverse effects. Plants treated with synthetic BP134 and BP178 showed consistently lower levels of disease than NTC plants. However, the coinfection with PVX-BP134 and X. fastidiosa caused detrimental effects resulting in plant death. The levels of X. fastidiosa in three zones sampled, upwards and downwards of the inoculation/treatment point, significantly decreased compared to the NTC plants, after the treatment with BP178, but not when BP178 was produced transiently. The effect of treatment and transient production of BP178 in the induction of defense-related genes was also studied. Synthetic BP178 applied by endotherapy induced the expression of ERF1, PR1a, PAL, PALII and WRKY25, while the transient expression of BP178 overexpressed the Cath, Cyc, PR4a, 9-LOX and Endochitinase B genes. Both treatments upregulated the expression of PR1, PR3, PR4 and CycT9299 genes compared to the NTC or PVX plants. It was concluded that the effect of BP178, either by endotherapy or by transient expression, on the control of the X. fastidiosa infections in N. benthamiana, was due in part to the induction of the plant defense system in addition to its bactericidal activity reported in previous studies. However, the protection observed when BP178 was transiently produced seems mainly mediated by the induction of plant defense, because the levels of X. fastidiosa were not significantly affected.

Landscape and environmental drivers of plant health decline during an active invasion of Xylella fastidiosa Wells et al. in Mediterranean agroecosystems

Authors: Ricardo Enrique Hernández-Lambraño, Francisco José Ruiz-Gómez, Montserrat Vilà, Blanca B. Landa, Rocío Hernández-Clemente, María Fernández-Bravo, Enrique Quesada-Moraga, Concepción Olivares-Garcia, Pablo González-Moreno

Date: 27/08/26

Invasive plant pathogens, such as Xylella fastidiosa (Xf), pose a major threat to global agricultural and natural ecosystems, yet their impacts are rarely assessed across agro–natural interfaces where plant diversity, landscape structure and environmental stress...

A metabolic model based on a pangenome core reveals putative conserved biochemical features of the phytopathogen Xylella fastidiosa

Authors: Paola Corbín-Agustí a , Miguel Álvarez-Herrera a , Miguel Román-Écija b , Patricia Álvarez a , Marta Tortajada c , Blanca B. Landa b , Juli Peretó a d

Date: 11/07/26

Xylella fastidiosa is a xylem-limited phytopathogenic bacterium responsible for severe diseases in many economically important crops. Despite its impact, its metabolism remains poorly characterized due to fastidious growth and the limited availability of defined...