Exploring the phytoplasmas, plant pathogenic bacteria

Phytoplasmas are plant pathogenic bacteria associated with devastating damage to over 700 plant species worldwide. It is agriculturally important to identify factors involved in their pathogenicity and to discover effective measures to control phytoplasma diseases. Despite their economic importance,...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of general plant pathology : JGPP 2014-05, Vol.80 (3), p.210-221
Main Authors: Maejima, Kensaku, Oshima, Kenro, Namba, Shigetou
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agriculture
Bacteria
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Economic importance
Life Sciences
Microbiology
Mutagenesis
Pathogens
Plant diseases
Plant Pathology
Plant species
Review for the 100th Anniversary
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Summary:Phytoplasmas are plant pathogenic bacteria associated with devastating damage to over 700 plant species worldwide. It is agriculturally important to identify factors involved in their pathogenicity and to discover effective measures to control phytoplasma diseases. Despite their economic importance, phytoplasmas remain the most poorly characterized plant pathogens, primarily because efforts at in vitro culture, gene delivery, and mutagenesis have been unsuccessful. However, recent molecular studies have revealed unique biological features of phytoplasmas. This review summarizes the history and recent progress in phytoplasma research, focusing on (1) the discovery of phytoplasmas, (2) molecular classification of phytoplasmas, (3) diagnosis of phytoplasma diseases, (4) reductive evolution of the genomes, (5) characteristic features of the plasmids, (6) molecular mechanisms of insect transmissibility, and (7) virulence factors involved in their unique symptoms.
ISSN:1345-2630
1610-739X
DOI:10.1007/s10327-014-0512-8