Unveiling Prophage Diversity and Host Interactions in Liberibacter: Genomic Insights for Phage Therapy Against Citrus Huanglongbing.

ABSTRACT: HLB is a severe and devastating disease affecting citrus plants, for which no cure is currently available. The pathogen CLas is an unculturable, phloem-limited α-proteobacterium associated with HLB. Phages, known for their ability to directly lyse pathogenic bacteria, have been widely recognized as effective control agents in both medical and agricultural fields. In this study, we identified 191 prophages across 48 Liberibacter genomes using comparative genomics and phylogenetic methods. These prophages were classified into 17 distinct types, with 13 novel types, named NF1 to NF13. Diversity analysis revealed that the number of prophages per genome ranged from one to eight, with an average of four. Annotation showed that the genome sizes of NF1-NF13 ranged from 10,160 bp to 72,736 bp, with

SUBMITTER: Yin H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12109144 | biostudies-literature | 2025 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature