Project description:Citrus variegated chlorosis (CVC), caused by Xylella fastidiosa, is an important citrus disease that produces chlorotic injuries on leaves and reduced fruit size. This bacterium colonizes plant xylem, thereby interrupting sap flow. Other disease symptoms depend on environmental factors, since asymptomatic and symptomatic CVC plants may be genetically similar. The endophytic microbiome comprises many microbial species that may interact with pathogens, reducing disease symptoms and improving plant growth. However, the genetic and physiological mechanisms that underlie this interaction are largely unknown. In this study, the citrus endophytic bacterium Methylobacterium mesophilicum SR1.6/6 was isolated from healthy plants. This bacterium was able to colonize citrus xylem and could be transferred from plant to plant by Bucephalogonia xanthopis (Insecta), suggesting that this endophytic bacterium may interact with X. fastidiosa in planta, as a result of co-transmission by the same insect vector. To better understand how X. fastidiosa genetic responds to the presence of M. mesophilicum in the same environment, we used microarrays to evaluate the transcriptional profile of X. fastidiosa, after in vitro co-cultivation with M. mesophilicum SR1.6/6. The results showed that during co-cultivation with M. mesophilicum, X. fastidiosa downregulated genes related to growth, while genes related to energy production (cellular respiration) and transport were upregulated. Moreover, X. fastidiosa modulates genes associated with molecular recognition, nutrient competition and the stress response, suggesting the existence of a specific adaptive response to the presence of M. mesophilicum in the culture medium
Project description:Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a major causative agent for common infectious diseases in the world. With the emergence of antibiotic resistance in clinical therapy, there is an urgent need to develop novel antimicrobial drugs that will overcome these shortfalls. Secondary metabolites of endophytic fungi are important sources of antimicrobial drug mining as they serve as alternative synthetic antibiotics due to their safety and multi-target efficiency. Suberanilic acid, an amide alkaloid from the endophytic fungus Pestalotiopsis trachycarpicola DCL44, has been identified as an important antimicrobial agent, however, the antibiotic properties of suberanilic acid on multi-drug resistant bacterial such as MRSA has not been fully investigated. Therefore, to investigate the potential antimicrobial mechanism of suberanilic acid against MRSA, a quantitative proteomics approach using tandem mass tagging (TMT) was used. The results demonstrated that suberanilic acid had multiple targets of action against MRSA, which included affecting ribosome synthesis, inhibition of membrane translocation of nutrient uptake (ABC transporter system), and energy metabolism of carbohydrates, and amino acid metabolism dysregulation. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that suberanilic acid has the potential to be used as an antimicrobial agent for the control of MRSA infections and provides a reference for the development of antimicrobial agents of endophytic fungal origin.