Genomic footprint of a shared Type 5 prophage in <i>"Candidatus</i> Liberibacter asiaticus" and "<i>Candidatus</i> Liberibacter africanus," two destructive bacterial pathogens of citrus Huanglongbing.

ABSTRACT: Huanglongbing (HLB) is a bacterial disease that affects citrus trees and is considered the most severe citrus disease in the world. The three HLB-associated "Ca. Liberibacter" species harbor prophage regions which have been described to play critical roles in their evolution and biology. In this study, using infected insect vectors, we assembled and characterized the accessory genome of the first circular de novo "Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus" (CLas) assembly (V1R1) from Réunion, one of the sparse areas worldwide hosting CLas and "Ca. Liberibacter africanus" (CLaf). This 1.272 Mb-long whole-genome harbored 1,129 coding sequences and two complete prophages, including a 37,934 bp-long Type 1 prophage, frequently present in CLas genomes, and a 40,501 bp-long u

SUBMITTER: Labbe F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12628843 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature