Jaime Cubero

The draft genome sequences of two strains of Xanthomonas arboricola, isolated from asymptomatic peach trees in Spain, are reported here. These strains are avirulent and do not belong to the same phylogroup as X. arboricola pv. pruni, a causal agent of bacterial spot disease of stone fruits and almonds.

Xanthomonas arboricola is a species in genus Xanthomonas which is mainly comprised of plant pathogens. Among the members of this taxon, X. arboricola pv. pruni, the causal agent of bacterial spot disease of stone fruits and almond, is distributed worldwide although it is considered a quarantine pathogen in the European Union. Herein, we report the draft genome sequence, the classification, the annotation and the sequence analyses of a virulent strain, IVIA 2626.1, and an avirulent strain, CITA 44, of X. arboricola associated with Prunus spp. The draft genome sequence of IVIA 2626.1 consists of 5,027,671 bp, 4,720 protein coding genes and 50 RNA encoding genes. The draft genome sequence of strain CITA 44 consists of 4,760,482 bp, 4,250 protein coding genes and 56 RNA coding genes. Initial comparative analyses reveals differences in the presence of structural and regulatory components of the type IV pilus, the type III secretion system, the type III effectors as well as variations in the number of the type IV secretion systems. The genome sequence data for these strains will facilitate the development of molecular diagnostics protocols that differentiate virulent and avirulent strains. In addition, comparative genome analysis will provide insights into the plant-pathogen interaction during the bacterial spot disease process.

ABSTRACT In addition to the agronomical characteristics of strawberries (Fragaria x ananassa Duch.), strawberry breeding programs should take into account its resistance to pathogens. The main goal of this study was to evaluate the resistance of strawberry cultivars against crown and root rot caused by Phytophthora cactorum (Lebert & Cohn) J. Schrot., Verticillium wilt caused by Verticillium dahliae Kleb. and V. albo-atrum Reinke et Berth., and angular leaf spot caused by Xanthomonas fragariae Kennedy and King, all of which are important diseases in strawberry plant nurseries in Spain. Ten strawberry cultivars were used for resistance testing against P. cactorum; nine cultivars were used for resistance testing against V dahliae and V. albo-atrum; and eight strawberry cultivars were used for resistance testing against two strains of X. fragariae, IVIA349.9a and NCPPB 1469. These assays were conducted under greenhouse conditions for P. cactorum, and under growth chamber conditions for V dahliae and V albo-atrum and X fragariae. 'Sabrosa', was classified as being resistant to P. cactorum and V dahliae and V albo-atrum and only 'Sieger' was classified as being resistant to both strains of X fragariae. These results emphasize the importance of screening for disease resistance before using strawberry cultivars in commercial strawberry production in Spain.

Agrobacterium spp. are routinely used in plant transformation to introduce genes of interest in valuable economic species. However, several agrobacteria species are also plant pathogens with ability to survive in different environments including the inner part of the plants. To avoid the release of genetic modified bacteria a successful plant transformation protocol must include the total elimination of agrobacteria by the use of antibiotics. Because sometimes these antibiotics failed in removing the bacteria entirely, confirmation of agrobacteria absence after plant transformation and regeneration is required. Different methodologies can be used for this purpose: isolation techniques followed by identification are used if detection of viable and culturable bacteria is necessary and techniques based on the polymerase chain reaction can be used to detect agrobacteria independently of their physiological state. Here we present several protocols to detect Agrobacterium in tissues of tr...

SUMMARY Taxonomic status: Bacteria, Proteobacteria, gamma subdivision, Xanthomodales, Xanthomonas group, axonopodis DNA homology group, X. axonopodis pv. citri (Hasse) Vauterin et al. Microbiological properties: Gram negative, slender, rod-shaped, aerobic, motile by a single polar flagellum, produces slow growing, non-mucoid colonies in culture, ecologically obligate plant parasite. Host range: Causal agent of Asiatic citrus canker on most Citrus spp. and close relatives of Citrus in the family Rutaceae. Disease symptoms: Distinctively raised, necrotic lesions on fruits, stems and leaves. Epidemiology: Bacteria exude from lesions during wet weather and are disseminated by splash dispersal at short range, windblown rain at medium to long range and human assisted movement at all ranges. Crop loss: Severe infections cause defoliation, blemished fruit, premature fruit drop, die-back of twigs and general debilitation of the tree. Distribution: Citrus canker is not present in all subtropi...

Xanthomonas arboricola pv. pruni, the causal agent of bacterial spot disease of stone fruit, is considered a quarantine organism by the European Union and the European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization (EPPO). The bacterium can undergo an epiphytic phase and/or be latent and can be transmitted by plant material, but currently, only visual inspections are used to certify plants as being X. arboricola pv. pruni free. A novel and highly sensitive real-time TaqMan PCR detection protocol was designed based on a sequence of a gene for a putative protein related to an ABC transporter ATP-binding system in X. arboricola pv. pruni. Pathogen detection can be completed within a few hours with a sensitivity of 10(2) CFU ml(-1), thus surpassing the sensitivity of the existing conventional PCR. Specificity was assessed for X. arboricola pv. pruni strains from different origins as well as for closely related Xanthomonas species, non-Xanthomonas species, saprophytic bacteria, and healthy Prunus samples. The efficiency of the developed protocol was evaluated with field samples of 14 Prunus species and rootstocks. For symptomatic leaf samples, the protocol was very efficient even when washed tissues of the leaves were directly amplified without any previous DNA extraction. For samples of 117 asymptomatic leaves and 285 buds, the protocol was more efficient after a simple DNA extraction, and X. arboricola pv. pruni was detected in 9.4% and 9.1% of the 402 samples analyzed, respectively, demonstrating its frequent epiphytic or endophytic phase. This newly developed real-time PCR protocol can be used as a quantitative assay, offers a reliable and sensitive test for X. arboricola pv. pruni, and is suitable as a screening test for symptomatic as well as asymptomatic plant material.