A secreted citrus protease cleaves an outer membrane protein of the Huanglongbing pathogen - PubMed
5 hours ago
- #citrus protease
- #HLB pathogen
- #plant defense
- A secreted citrus protease, CsRD21a, cleaves the outer membrane protein LasOMP1 of the Huanglongbing pathogen 'Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus'.
- Cleaved peptide products from LasOMP1 are detectable in vitro and in HLB-diseased citrus plants, indicating this interaction occurs in vivo.
- Transgenic sweet orange overexpressing CsRD21a shows reduced Las bacterial populations and improved plant growth, suggesting a strategy for enhancing HLB resistance.
- The study reveals a pathogen-derived substrate for plant PLCPs, highlighting bacterial outer membrane proteins as direct targets in plant defense.