Abstract
Citrus canker, induced by bacterial infection, seriously affects the growth and productivity of citrus around the world and has attracted strong research interest. The current treatment for this disease uses copper salts to inactivate the pathogenic bacteria: Xanthomonas citri subsp. citri (Xcc) strain. However, copper salts may have a negative impact on the environment or plant. In this work, we identify a chemical compound, 2,6-diiodo-1,3,5,7-tetramethyl-8-(P-benzoic acid)-4,4′-difluoroboradiazaindacene (DIBDP), to inactivate the pathogenic Xcc strain (29-1). DIBDP is activated by sunlight and generates reactive oxygen species to kill the bacteria. In order to overcome the degradation of DIBDP under sunlight, an adjuvant agent was identified to limit the photodegradation of DIBDP by forming a photosensitizer complex (PSC). This complex demonstrated significant antimicrobial activity to Xcc 29-1, which was 64-fold more potent than the copper biocides. The antimicrobial efficacy of PSC on citrus leaves infected by Xcc 29-1 also was much stronger than copper agent and, at the same time, the PSC was safe to the host exposed to sunlight. Thus, this PSC is a promising antibacterial agent to control citrus canker disease.
Highlights
Citrus canker is one of the most serious quarantine diseases worldwide (Gottwald et al, 2002; Brunings and Gabriel, 2003)
The canker is caused by the bacterial pathogen Xanthomonas citri subsp. citri (Xcc), which enters the plant through the stomata or wounds, and invades into the intercellular space in the apoplast (Brunings and Gabriel, 2003; Ryan et al, 2011)
We develop a Boron Dipyrromethene (BODIPY)-based antibacterial agent that is quite stable under sunlight and highly effective toward Xanthomonas citri subsp. citri
Summary
Citrus canker is one of the most serious quarantine diseases worldwide (Gottwald et al, 2002; Brunings and Gabriel, 2003). The canker is caused by the bacterial pathogen Xanthomonas citri subsp. Millions of dollars are spent annually on prevention, quarantines, eradication programs, and disease control, citrus canker remains a serious challenge (Graham et al, 2004; Behlau et al, 2016). Photodynamic therapy is a clinically used method for tumor eradication (Agostinis et al, 2011; Shi et al, 2019). This method has been used as a new and promising strategy to eradicate a wide
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