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Review
. 2018 Jan;19(1):238-254.
doi: 10.1111/mpp.12526. Epub 2017 Mar 9.

The enemy within: phloem-limited pathogens

Claire Bendix  1 , Jennifer D Lewis  1   2
Affiliations
Review

The enemy within: phloem-limited pathogens

Claire Bendix et al. Mol Plant Pathol. 2018 Jan.

Abstract

The growing impact of phloem-limited pathogens on high-value crops has led to a renewed interest in understanding how they cause disease. Although these pathogens cause substantial crop losses, many are poorly characterized. In this review, we present examples of phloem-limited pathogens that include intracellular bacteria with and without cell walls, and viruses. Phloem-limited pathogens have small genomes and lack many genes required for core metabolic processes, which is, in part, an adaptation to the unique phloem environment. For each pathogen class, we present multiple case studies to highlight aspects of disease caused by phloem-limited pathogens. The pathogens presented include Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (citrus greening), Arsenophonus bacteria, Serratia marcescens (cucurbit yellow vine disease), Candidatus Phytoplasma asteris (Aster Yellows Witches' Broom), Spiroplasma kunkelii, Potato leafroll virus and Citrus tristeza virus. We focus on commonalities in the virulence strategies of these pathogens, and aim to stimulate new discussions in the hope that widely applicable disease management strategies can be found.

Keywords: bacteria; insect vector; pathogen; phloem limited; phytoplasma; spiroplasma; virus.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Normal phloem transport (a) and disruption of transport during infection or defence (b). Green cells are mesophyll, teal cells are companion cells, purple cells are phloem cells and all gaps between cells are plasmodesmata, except for sieve plate pores between phloem cells. Numbered generalized processes are shown in the figure and described in the processes section for representative pathogens. The temporal order of infection and defence processes in the phloem remain unclear (see text for details).
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