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de Lima LFF, Carvalho IGB, de Souza-Neto RR, Dos Santos LDS, Nascimento CA, Takita MA, Távora FTPK, Mehta A, de Souza AA. Antisense Oligonucleotide as a New Technology Application for CsLOB1 Gene Silencing Aiming at Citrus Canker Resistance. PHYTOPATHOLOGY 2024; 114:1802-1809. [PMID: 38748545 DOI: 10.1094/phyto-02-24-0058-kc] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/15/2024]
Abstract
Citrus canker disease, caused by Xanthomonas citri subsp. citri, poses a significant threat to global citrus production. The control of the disease in the field relies mainly on the use of conventional tools such as copper compounds, which are harmful to the environment and could lead to bacterial resistance. This scenario stresses the need for new and sustainable technologies to control phytopathogens, representing a key challenge in developing studies that translate basic into applied knowledge. During infection, X. citri subsp. citri secretes a transcriptional activator-like effector that enters the nucleus of plant cells, activating the expression of the canker susceptibility gene LATERAL ORGAN BOUNDARIES 1 (LOB1). In this study, we explored the use of antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) with phosphorothioate modifications to transiently inhibit the gene expression of CsLOB1 in Citrus sinensis. We designed and validated three potential ASO sequences, which led to a significant reduction in disease symptoms compared with the control. The selected ASO3-CsLOB1 significantly decreased the expression level of CsLOB1 when delivered through two distinct delivery methods, and the reduction of the symptoms ranged from approximately 15 to 83%. Notably, plants treated with ASO3 did not exhibit an increase in symptom development over the evaluation period. This study highlights the efficacy of ASO technology, based on short oligonucleotide chemically modified sequences, as a promising tool for controlling phytopathogens without the need for genetic transformation or plant regeneration. Our results demonstrate the potential of ASOs as a biotechnological tool for the management of citrus canker disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luiz Felipe Franco de Lima
- Citrus Research Center "Sylvio Moreira," Agronomic Institute-IAC, Cordeirópolis, Brazil
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Bioagents, Institute of Biology, University of Campinas-UNICAMP, Campinas, Brazil
| | | | - Reinaldo Rodrigues de Souza-Neto
- Citrus Research Center "Sylvio Moreira," Agronomic Institute-IAC, Cordeirópolis, Brazil
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Bioagents, Institute of Biology, University of Campinas-UNICAMP, Campinas, Brazil
| | | | | | - Marco Aurélio Takita
- Citrus Research Center "Sylvio Moreira," Agronomic Institute-IAC, Cordeirópolis, Brazil
| | | | - Angela Mehta
- Embrapa Recursos Genéticos e Biotecnologia, PBI, Av. W/5 Norte Final, CEP 70770917, Brasília, Brazil
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Ferreira MM, Farias KS, Zugaib M, Alves AMM, Amaral GV, Santos MLDC, Freitas ADS, Santana BCG, dos Santos Júnior SL, Mora-Ocampo IY, Santos AS, da Silva MF, Andrade BS, Pirovani CP. TcSERPIN, an inhibitor that interacts with cocoa defense proteins and has biotechnological potential against human pathogens. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2024; 15:1337750. [PMID: 38348273 PMCID: PMC10859438 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2024.1337750] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2023] [Accepted: 01/09/2024] [Indexed: 02/15/2024]
Abstract
In plants, serpins are a superfamily of serine and cysteine protease inhibitors involved in stress and defense mechanisms, with potential for controlling agricultural pests, making them important biotechnological tools. The objective of this study was to characterize a serpin from Theobroma cacao, called TcSERPIN, to identify its endogenous targets and determine its function and biotechnological potential. TcSERPIN has 390 amino acid residues and shows conservation of the main active site, RCL. Cis-elements related to light, stress, hormones, anaerobic induction, cell cycle regulation and defense have been identified in the gene's regulatory region. TcSERPIN transcripts are accumulated in different tissues of Theobroma cacao. Furthermore, in plants infected with Moniliophtora perniciosa and Phytophthora palmivora, the expression of TcSERPIN was positively regulated. The protein spectrum, rTcSERPIN, reveals a typical β-sheet pattern and is thermostable at pH 8, but loses its structure with temperature increases above 66°C at pH 7. At the molar ratios of 0.65 and 0.49, rTcSERPIN inhibited 55 and 28% of the activity of papain from Carica papaya and trypsin from Sus scrofa, respectively. The protease trap containing immobilized rTcSERPIN captured endogenous defense proteins from cocoa extracts that are related to metabolic pathways, stress and defense. The evaluation of the biotechnological potential against geohelminth larvae showed that rTcSERPIN and rTcCYS4 (Theobroma cacao cystatin 4) reduced the movement of larvae after 24 hours. The results of this work show that TcSERPIN has ideal biochemical characteristics for biotechnological applications, as well as potential for studies of resistance to phytopathogens of agricultural crops.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monaliza Macêdo Ferreira
- Centro de Biotecnologia e Genética (CBG), Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz (UESC), Ilhéus, Bahia, Brazil
| | - Keilane Silva Farias
- Centro de Biotecnologia e Genética (CBG), Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz (UESC), Ilhéus, Bahia, Brazil
| | - Maria Zugaib
- Centro de Biotecnologia e Genética (CBG), Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz (UESC), Ilhéus, Bahia, Brazil
| | - Akyla Maria Martins Alves
- Centro de Biotecnologia e Genética (CBG), Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz (UESC), Ilhéus, Bahia, Brazil
| | - Geiseane Velozo Amaral
- Centro de Biotecnologia e Genética (CBG), Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz (UESC), Ilhéus, Bahia, Brazil
| | - Maria Luíza do Carmo Santos
- Centro de Biotecnologia e Genética (CBG), Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz (UESC), Ilhéus, Bahia, Brazil
| | - Andria dos Santos Freitas
- Centro de Biotecnologia e Genética (CBG), Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz (UESC), Ilhéus, Bahia, Brazil
| | - Brenda Conceição Guimarães Santana
- Centro de Biotecnologia e Genética (CBG), Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz (UESC), Ilhéus, Bahia, Brazil
| | - Sérgio Liberato dos Santos Júnior
- Centro de Biotecnologia e Genética (CBG), Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz (UESC), Ilhéus, Bahia, Brazil
| | - Irma Yuliana Mora-Ocampo
- Centro de Biotecnologia e Genética (CBG), Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz (UESC), Ilhéus, Bahia, Brazil
| | - Ariana Silva Santos
- Centro de Biotecnologia e Genética (CBG), Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz (UESC), Ilhéus, Bahia, Brazil
| | - Marcelo Fernandes da Silva
- Centro de Biotecnologia e Genética (CBG), Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz (UESC), Ilhéus, Bahia, Brazil
| | - Bruno Silva Andrade
- Laboratório de Bioinformática e Química Computacional (LBQC), Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Estadual do Sudoeste da Bahia (UESB), Jequié, Bahia, Brazil
| | - Carlos Priminho Pirovani
- Centro de Biotecnologia e Genética (CBG), Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz (UESC), Ilhéus, Bahia, Brazil
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Ferreira MM, Santos AS, Santos AS, Zugaib M, Pirovani CP. Plant Serpins: Potential Inhibitors of Serine and Cysteine Proteases with Multiple Functions. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 12:3619. [PMID: 37896082 PMCID: PMC10609998 DOI: 10.3390/plants12203619] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2023] [Revised: 06/23/2023] [Accepted: 06/26/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023]
Abstract
Plant serpins are a superfamily of protein inhibitors that have been continuously studied in different species and have great biotechnological potential. However, despite ongoing studies with these inhibitors, the biological role of this family in the plant kingdom has not yet been fully clarified. In order to obtain new insights into the potential of plant serpins, this study presents the first systematic review of the topic, whose main objective was to scrutinize the published literature to increase knowledge about this superfamily. Using keywords and the eligibility criteria defined in the protocol, we selected studies from the Scopus, PubMed, and Web of Science databases. According to the eligible studies, serpins inhibit different serine and non-serine proteases from plants, animals, and pathogens, and their expression is affected by biotic and abiotic stresses. Moreover, serpins like AtSerpin1, OSP-LRS, MtSer6, AtSRP4, AtSRP5, and MtPiI4, act in resistance and are involved in stress-induced cell death in the plant. Also, the system biology analysis demonstrates that serpins are related to proteolysis control, cell regulation, pollen development, catabolism, and protein dephosphorylation. The information systematized here contributes to the design of new studies of plant serpins, especially those aimed at exploring their biotechnological potential.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monaliza Macêdo Ferreira
- Center for Biotechnology and Genetics, Department of Biological Sciences, Santa Cruz State University, Ilhéus 45662-900, BA, Brazil; (A.S.S.); (M.Z.); (C.P.P.)
| | - Ariana Silva Santos
- Center for Biotechnology and Genetics, Department of Biological Sciences, Santa Cruz State University, Ilhéus 45662-900, BA, Brazil; (A.S.S.); (M.Z.); (C.P.P.)
| | | | - Maria Zugaib
- Center for Biotechnology and Genetics, Department of Biological Sciences, Santa Cruz State University, Ilhéus 45662-900, BA, Brazil; (A.S.S.); (M.Z.); (C.P.P.)
| | - Carlos Priminho Pirovani
- Center for Biotechnology and Genetics, Department of Biological Sciences, Santa Cruz State University, Ilhéus 45662-900, BA, Brazil; (A.S.S.); (M.Z.); (C.P.P.)
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Liu B, Stevens-Green R, Johal D, Buchanan R, Geddes-McAlister J. Fungal pathogens of cereal crops: Proteomic insights into fungal pathogenesis, host defense, and resistance. JOURNAL OF PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2022; 269:153593. [PMID: 34915227 DOI: 10.1016/j.jplph.2021.153593] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2021] [Revised: 11/28/2021] [Accepted: 12/10/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Fungal infections of cereal crops pose a significant risk to global food security through reduced grain production and quality, as well as contamination of animal feed and human products for consumption. To combat fungal disease, we need to understand how the pathogen adapts and survives within the hostile environment of the host and how the host's defense response can be modulated for protection from disease. Such investigations offer insight into fungal pathogenesis, host immunity, the development of resistance, and mechanisms of action for currently-used control strategies. Mass spectrometry-based proteomics provides a technologically-advanced platform to define differences among fungal pathogens and their hosts at the protein level, supporting the discovery of proteins critical for disease, and uncovering novel host responses driving susceptibly or resistance of the host. In this Review, we explore the role of mass spectrometry-based proteomics in defining the intricate relationship between a pathogen and host during fungal disease of cereal crops with a focus on recent discoveries derived from the globally-devastating diseases of Fusarium head blight, Rice blast, and Powdery mildew. We highlight advances made for each of these diseases and discuss opportunities to extrapolate findings to further our fight against fungal pathogens on a global scale.
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Affiliation(s)
- B Liu
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, N1G 2W1, Canada
| | - R Stevens-Green
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, N1G 2W1, Canada
| | - D Johal
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, N1G 2W1, Canada
| | - R Buchanan
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, N1G 2W1, Canada
| | - J Geddes-McAlister
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, N1G 2W1, Canada; Canadian Proteomics and Artificial Intelligence Research and Training Consortium, Canada.
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