Pangenomic Approach for the Identification and Functional Characterization of Active GASA Antimicrobial Genes in Citrus Rootstocks for Resistance Breeding Against Bacterial Pathogens.

ABSTRACT: The SNAKIN/GASA family comprises antimicrobial peptides with proven activity against bacteria and fungi, making them promising candidates for improving disease resistance in citrus rootstocks. In sixty-seven new GASA variants from a citrus germplasm collection, the presence of the characteristic 12-cysteine domain was confirmed and were classified into three subfamilies. The absolute expression levels of ten representative genes were analyzed in floral tissues, young leaves, and mature leaves from five citrus accessions with contrasting susceptibility to Xanthomonas citri. Expression profiling revealed tissue-specific patterns, with higher transcript abundance in juvenile and floral tissues of tolerant accessions. Meta-analysis of HLB-related RNA-seq datasets revealed the upregulati

SUBMITTER: Bekier FN 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12899242 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature