Identification of a Novel 1033‐Nucleotide Deletion Polymorphism in the Prophage Region of ‘Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus’: Potential Applications for Bacterial Epidemiology |
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| Authors: | Xuefeng Wang Huanan Su Li Huang Xiaoling Deng Jianchi Chen Changyong Zhou Zhongan Li |
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| Affiliation: | 1. National Citrus Engineering Research Center, Citrus Research Institute, Southwest University, Chongqing, China;2. Citrus Huanglongbing Research Center, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China;3. Agricultural Research Services, United States Department of Agriculture, Parlier, CA, USA |
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| Abstract: | The prophage/phage region in the genome of ‘Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus’, an alpha‐proteobacterium associated with citrus Huanglongbing, included many valuable loci for genetic diversity studies. Previously, a mosaic genomic region (CLIBASIA_05640 to CLIBASIA_05650) was characterized, and this revealed inter‐ and intracontinental variations of ‘Ca. L. asiaticus’. In this study, 267 ‘Ca. L. asiaticus’ isolates collected from eight provinces in China were analysed with a primer set flanking the same mosaic region plus downstream sequence. While most amplicon sizes ranged from 1400 to 2000 bp, an amplicon of 550 bp (S550) was found in 14 samples collected from south‐western China. Sequence analyses showed that S550 was the result of a 1033 bp deletion which included the previously known mosaic region. The genetic nature of the deletion event remains unknown. The regional restriction of S550 suggests that the ‘Ca. L. asiaticus’ population from south‐western China is different from those in eastern China. The small and easy‐to‐detect S550 amplicon could serve as a molecular marker for ‘Ca. L. asiaticus’ epidemiology. |
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| Keywords: | ‘ Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus’ epidemiology genetic diversity prophage |
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