Zhang Shushe, Lu Yaobin, He Jun, Zhou Changyong, Wang Xuefeng
College of Plant Protection, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400712, P. R. China.
Xianghu Laboratory, Hangzhou, 311231, Zhejiang, P. R. China.
BMC Genomics. 2025 Aug 2;26(1):717. doi: 10.1186/s12864-025-11922-1.
Citrus Huanglongbing (HLB) is the most catastrophic citrus disease worldwide. SEC-dependent effectors (SDEs) play prominent roles in HLB pathogenesis, and 86 were predicted from the genome of Liberibacter asiaticus. Nevertheless, little is known about the comprehensive picture of effector action mechanisms. In this study, RNA-seq was performed to explore the gene expression profiling of transgenic citrus plants expressing a Las SDE, CLIBASIA_00185 (0185-OE).
A total of 6,506 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified between 0185-OEs and the wild-type (WT) control through RNA-seq. Gene ontology (GO) analysis indicated that molecular functions associated with cellular process, cell part, binding, and catalysis activity were affected. Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis revealed that DEGs were enriched in pathways including primary and secondary metabolisms. Further analysis demonstrated that DEGs implicated in sugar metabolism, phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, and endocytosis pathway were markedly induced in 0185-OE group compared to those in WTs. Ten genes were chosen to verify RNA-seq data with qRT-PCR, and their expression patterns were in good agreement with those of RNA-seq.
The transcriptomic analysis demonstrated that CLIBASIA_00185 (Las0185) governed sugar metabolism, phenylpropanoid biosynthesis and endocytosis for pathogen survival and development. The results determined a prominent role of Las0185 in HLB pathogenicity that could be a target for disease management.
The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12864-025-11922-1.
柑橘黄龙病（HLB）是全球最具灾难性的柑橘病害。依赖于Ⅱ型分泌系统的效应蛋白（SDEs）在HLB致病过程中发挥着重要作用，从亚洲韧皮杆菌的基因组中预测出了86个该类效应蛋白。然而，关于效应蛋白作用机制的全貌却知之甚少。在本研究中，进行了RNA测序以探究表达亚洲韧皮杆菌SDE（CLIBASIA_00185，即0185-OE）的转基因柑橘植株的基因表达谱。
通过RNA测序，在0185-OE植株和野生型（WT）对照之间共鉴定出6506个差异表达基因（DEGs）。基因本体（GO）分析表明，与细胞过程、细胞部分、结合和催化活性相关的分子功能受到影响。京都基因与基因组百科全书（KEGG）通路分析显示，DEGs在包括初级和次级代谢的通路中富集。进一步分析表明，与WT相比，参与糖代谢、苯丙烷生物合成和内吞作用通路的DEGs在0185-OE组中显著上调。选择了10个基因用qRT-PCR验证RNA测序数据，它们的表达模式与RNA测序结果高度一致。
转录组分析表明，CLIBASIA_00185（Las0185）调控糖代谢、苯丙烷生物合成和内吞作用以利于病原体的存活和发育。结果确定了Las0185在HLB致病性中的重要作用，这可能成为病害治理的一个靶点。
在线版本包含可在10.1186/s12864-025-11922-1获取的补充材料。
