PLoS ONE (Jan 2016)

'Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus', Causal Agent of Citrus Huanglongbing, Is Reduced by Treatment with Brassinosteroids.

  • Eduardo Canales,
  • Yamilet Coll,
  • Ingrid Hernández,
  • Roxana Portieles,
  • Mayra Rodríguez García,
  • Yunior López,
  • Miguel Aranguren,
  • Eugenio Alonso,
  • Roger Delgado,
  • Maritza Luis,
  • Lochy Batista,
  • Camilo Paredes,
  • Meilyn Rodríguez,
  • Merardo Pujol,
  • María Elena Ochagavia,
  • Viviana Falcón,
  • Ryohei Terauchi,
  • Hideo Matsumura,
  • Camilo Ayra-Pardo,
  • Raixa Llauger,
  • María del Carmen Pérez,
  • Mirian Núñez,
  • Melissa S Borrusch,
  • Jonathan D Walton,
  • Yussuan Silva,
  • Eulogio Pimentel,
  • Carlos Borroto,
  • Orlando Borrás-Hidalgo

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0146223
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 11, no. 1
p. e0146223

Abstract

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Huanglongbing (HLB) constitutes the most destructive disease of citrus worldwide, yet no established efficient management measures exist for it. Brassinosteroids, a family of plant steroidal compounds, are essential for plant growth, development and stress tolerance. As a possible control strategy for HLB, epibrassinolide was applied to as a foliar spray to citrus plants infected with the causal agent of HLB, 'Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus'. The bacterial titers were reduced after treatment with epibrassinolide under both greenhouse and field conditions but were stronger in the greenhouse. Known defense genes were induced in leaves by epibrassinolide. With the SuperSAGE technology combined with next generation sequencing, induction of genes known to be associated with defense response to bacteria and hormone transduction pathways were identified. The results demonstrate that epibrassinolide may provide a useful tool for the management of HLB.