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Characterization of the extracellular matrix of biofilms formed by Xanthomonas citri subsp. citri strains with different host ranges

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Abstract

Xanthomonas citri subsp. citri (Xcc) causes citrus bacterial canker (CBC) on several Citrus species. Xcc requires bacterial aggregation and biofilm formation to colonize the host plant. Those biofilms are dependent on the environmental condition and their structures differ according to the host range of the Xcc strain. Herein, we have visualized and evaluated the extracellular structures produced by Xcc strains with different host range at early stages of biofilm formation, in mature biofilms and during planktonic growth. Moreover, the presence of these structures was related to the transcription of quorum sensing, flagellar and fimbrial genes. Our results demonstrate that the variation in biofilm formation between Xcc strains is associated with expression of fimbrial and flagellar genes which in some cases is dependent on a quorum sensing system.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by Citrus Advance Technology Program, project CRDF546 as well as through Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria (INIA) project RTA2008-00048. Marta Sena-Vélez had a PhD fellowship from INIA.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria (INIA), Ctra de La Coruña Km 7,5, Madrid, Spain

    Marta Sena-Vélez, Cristina Redondo & Jaime Cubero

  2. Department of Biological Sciences, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, 32306-4370, USA

    Marta Sena-Vélez

  3. Citrus Research and Education Center (CREC), University of Florida, 700 Experiment Station Road., Lake Alfred, FL, 33850-2299, USA

    James H. Graham

  4. Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of Virginia and University of Virginia Children’s Hospital, Charlottesville, VA, USA

    Jorge A. Girón

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  1. Marta Sena-Vélez
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  2. James H. Graham
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  3. Jorge A. Girón
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  4. Cristina Redondo
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  5. Jaime Cubero
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Contributions

All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection and analysis were performed by Marta Sena-Vélez. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Marta Sena-Vélez and Jaime Cubero and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Jaime Cubero.

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Sena-Vélez, M., Graham, J.H., Girón, J.A. et al. Characterization of the extracellular matrix of biofilms formed by Xanthomonas citri subsp. citri strains with different host ranges. Trop. plant pathol. 45, 306–319 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40858-020-00339-8

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