Using Genomes and Evolutionary Analyses to Screen for Host-Specificity and Positive Selection in the Plant Pathogen Xylella fastidiosa.

ABSTRACT: Xylella fastidiosa infects several economically important crops in the Americas, and it also recently emerged in Europe. Here, using a set of Xylella genomes reflective of the genus-wide diversity, we performed a pan-genome analysis based on both core and accessory genes for two purposes: (i) to test associations between genetic divergence and plant host species and (ii) to identify positively selected genes that are potentially involved in arms-race dynamics. For the former, tests yielded significant evidence for the specialization of X. fastidiosa to plant host species. This observation contributes to a growing literature suggesting that the phylogenetic history of X. fastidiosa lineages affects the host range. For the latter, our analyses uncovered evidence of positive selection

SUBMITTER: Batarseh TN 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9499020 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature