Abstract
The causal agents of Citrus leprosis are viruses; however, extant diagnostic methods to identify them have failed to detect known viruses in orange, mandarin, lime and bitter orange trees with severe leprosis symptoms in Mexico, an important citrus producer. Using high throughput sequencing, a virus associated with citrus leprosis was identified, belonging to the proposed Dichorhavirus genus. The virus was termed Citrus Necrotic Spot Virus (CNSV) and contains two negative-strand RNA components; virions accumulate in the cytoplasm and are associated with plasmodesmata—channels interconnecting neighboring cells—suggesting a mode of spread within the plant. The present study provides insights into the nature of this pathogen and the corresponding plant response, which is likely similar to other pathogens that do not spread systemically in plants.
Highlights
Citrus leprosis is a viral disease with important economic implications that is rapidly spreading in the New World
We describe the characterization of a novel virus, termed Citrus necrotic spot virus (CNSV) belonging to a proposed new group, Dichorhavirus, associated with citrus leprosis in bitter oranges in Mexico
Two downregulated genes encoding for the proline-rich protein 4-like and aquaporin tip-2-like identified in the RNA seq analyses were confirmed to reduce their expression in infected tissue
Summary
It has been reported throughout America, not observed in the last four decades in the U.S, causing severe damage in different citrus cultivars [1,2,3,4]. Besides the appearance of symptoms, which result in lower fruit quality, leprosis negatively impacts productivity, which is affected by a decrease in foliar area, premature leaf abscission and branch death. This disease is widespread from Argentina to Costa Rica; recently, it has been detected in Chiapas, Southern Mexico, and different viruses appear to be associated with it [5]. The complete characterization of this pathogen is necessary to design plausible control strategies
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