Functional characterization of secreted proteins on the SAP11 region of the Aster Yellows phytoplasma strain Witches' Broom genome

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Phytoplasmas are bacterial plant pathogens that have been associated with massive yield losses of crops worldwide. They are particularly devastating for high-value production crops, such as blackberry, apple and pear productions in the United Kingdom; grape vines in southern Europe; and palm trees in Africa, the Caribbean Islands, Florida and Mexico. They are also prevalent in wild plant species, and are associated with losses of native plants unique to some areas. Phytoplasmas are transmitted from plant to plant by phloem-feeding insects in which they are predominantly dependent on their plant and insect hosts for dispersal in nature. They have the unique ability to invade and replicate in their plant and insect hosts. Furthermore, some phytoplasmas, including Aster Yellows phytoplasma strain Witches' broom (AY-WB), manipulate plant species to become better hosts for phloem-feeding insects, including insects that normally do not survive on these species. Thus, apparently, phytoplasmas can interfere with plant defense responses to insect attack. Phytoplasmas also interfere with plant developmental processes as they can induce dramatic symptoms in plants such as witches' broom (growth of a dense mass of shoots from a single point) and phyllody (retrograde metamorphosis of the floral organs to the condition of leaves). Genome sequencing and subsequent bioinformatics analyses have revealed that phytoplasmas produce a range of effector proteins of which some target plant cell nuclei and can perturb plant processes. In this proposal, we focus on the characterization of some of the effector proteins of AY-WB. We will determine whether these effector proteins are involved in symptom development and in increased attractiveness of plants to insect vectors.