Comparative genomic analysis of coffee-infecting Xylella fastidiosa strains isolated from Brazil.
Strains of Xylella fastidiosa constitute a complex group of bacteria that develop within the xylem of many plant hosts, causing diseases of significant economic importance, such as Pierce's disease in North American grapevines and citrus variegated chlorosis in Brazil. X. fastidiosa has also been obtained from other host plants, in direct correlation with the development of diseases, as in the case of coffee leaf scorch (CLS)--a disease with potential to cause severe economic losses to the Brazilian coffee industry. This paper describes a thorough genomic characterization of coffee-infecting X. fastidiosa strains, initially performed through a microarray-based approach, which demonstrated that CLS strains could be subdivided in two phylogenetically distinct subgroups. Whole-genomic sequencing of two of these bacteria (one from each subgroup) allowed identification of ORFs and horizontally transferred elements (HTEs) that were specific to CLS-related X. fastidiosa strains. Such analyses confirmed the size and importance of HTEs as major mediators of chromosomal evolution amongst these bacteria, and allowed identification of differences in gene content, after comparisons were made with previously sequenced X. fastidiosa strains, isolated from alternative hosts. Although direct experimentation still needs to be performed to elucidate the biological consequences associated with such differences, it was interesting to verify that CLS-related bacteria display variations in genes that produce toxins, as well as surface-related factors (such as fimbrial adhesins and LPS) that have been shown to be involved with recognition of specific host factors in different pathogenic bacteria.
Núcleo Integrado de Biotecnologia, Universidade de Mogi das Cruzes, Av. Dr Cândido Xavier de Almeida Souza, 200, Mogi das Cruzes, SP, CEP 08780-911, Brazil.
Deibs
D
Barbosa
Núcleo Integrado de Biotecnologia, Universidade de Mogi das Cruzes, Av. Dr Cândido Xavier de Almeida Souza, 200, Mogi das Cruzes, SP, CEP 08780-911, Brazil.
Valquíria Campos
VC
Alencar
Núcleo Integrado de Biotecnologia, Universidade de Mogi das Cruzes, Av. Dr Cândido Xavier de Almeida Souza, 200, Mogi das Cruzes, SP, CEP 08780-911, Brazil.
Daiene Souza
DS
Santos
Núcleo Integrado de Biotecnologia, Universidade de Mogi das Cruzes, Av. Dr Cândido Xavier de Almeida Souza, 200, Mogi das Cruzes, SP, CEP 08780-911, Brazil.
Ana Cláudia
AC
de Freitas Oliveira
Centro APTA Citros Sylvio Moreira - Instituto Agronômico de Campinas, Caixa Postal 04, Cordeirópolis, SP, CEP 13490-970, Brazil.
Alessandra A
AA
de Souza
Centro APTA Citros Sylvio Moreira - Instituto Agronômico de Campinas, Caixa Postal 04, Cordeirópolis, SP, CEP 13490-970, Brazil.
Helvecio D
HD
Coletta-Filho
Núcleo Integrado de Biotecnologia, Universidade de Mogi das Cruzes, Av. Dr Cândido Xavier de Almeida Souza, 200, Mogi das Cruzes, SP, CEP 08780-911, Brazil.
Regina
R
Costa de Oliveira
Centro de Ciências Naturais e Humanas, Universidade Federal do ABC, Rua Santa Adélia, 166, Santo André, SP, CEP 09210-170, Brazil.
Luiz R
LR
Nunes
D001938:Brazil; D002876:Chromosomes, Bacterial; D040503:Coffea / Q000382:microbiology*; D055028:Comparative Genomic Hybridization; D019295:Computational Biology; D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D016680:Genome, Bacterial; D023281:Genomics; D016366:Open Reading Frames; D010802:Phylogeny; D010935:Plant Diseases / Q000382:microbiology; D044167:Xylella / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification
D004251:DNA Transposable Elements