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Aggressiveness of Subspecies and STs of Xylella fastidiosa and Plant Response in Nicotiana benthamiana

Authors: Buisac, Aniol; Gascón, Beatriz; Montesinos, Emilio; Montesinos, Laura
Date Published: 09/02/2026
Keywords: Epidemiology | Pathogenicity
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1094/PHYTO-11-25-0366-R
Repository link: http://hdl.handle.net/10261/426319

Abstract

The aggressiveness of seventeen X. fastidiosa strains, representing different subspecies and sequence types (STs), was studied in the surrogated host N. benthamiana by the analysis of the population levels and symptoms dynamics, dose-response relationships and the transcriptomic response of the plant. Colonization of all strains was observed after 7 days post inoculation (dpi), and the first symptoms appeared after 14 dpi. Differences in patterns of population dynamics and symptoms development were observed between strains and there was neither a relationship between population growth and symptoms severity, nor between strains of the same subspecies and STs. Strains IVIA 5387, DeDonno, CN28 and GP18 showed a typical S-shaped dose-effect curve, and the minimum infective dose in N. benthamiana was established at 300 UFC/plant for all strains. The plant response to the infection by the subsp. pauca ST53 strains DeDonno, CN28 and GP18 was studied in relation to the expression of defense genes. A strain-dependent modulation depending on time was observed, where CN28 infection showed the highest gene overexpression (12 out of 19 genes), and DeDonno the lowest (8 of 19 genes). At 4 dpi, all strains upregulated the genes PR1, PR1a and ERF1 and downregulated the PDF1.2 gene, while at 30 dpi most of the genes were downregulated, especially the pathogenesis related (PR) genes, suggesting an immune evasion by the pathogen. Our findings are expected to provide valuable insights into the interaction between X. fastidiosa and its hosts, highlighting the importance of considering differences in aggressiveness among strains and in plant response.

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...