First Report of a Psyllid Vector of ‘<i>Candidatus</i> Phytoplasma pruni’ (Strain 16SrIII-J)

In Graneros, O’Higgins Region, Chile, the mallow psyllid (<i>Russelliana solanicola</i> Tuthill, 1959) from <i>Malva nicaeensis</i> L. was identified as a potential vector of ‘<i>Candidatus</i> Phytoplasma pruni’. Over an 8-month period, 2089 specimens of a specie...

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Main Authors: Tomás Llantén, Sebastián Cabrera, Javiera Fuentes, Camila Gamboa, Constanza González, Alan Zamorano, Tomislav Curkovic, Daniel Burckhardt, Nicola Fiore
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-04-01
Series:Plants
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/14/9/1279
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author Tomás Llantén
Sebastián Cabrera
Javiera Fuentes
Camila Gamboa
Constanza González
Alan Zamorano
Tomislav Curkovic
Daniel Burckhardt
Nicola Fiore
author_facet Tomás Llantén
Sebastián Cabrera
Javiera Fuentes
Camila Gamboa
Constanza González
Alan Zamorano
Tomislav Curkovic
Daniel Burckhardt
Nicola Fiore
author_sort Tomás Llantén
collection DOAJ
description In Graneros, O’Higgins Region, Chile, the mallow psyllid (<i>Russelliana solanicola</i> Tuthill, 1959) from <i>Malva nicaeensis</i> L. was identified as a potential vector of ‘<i>Candidatus</i> Phytoplasma pruni’. Over an 8-month period, 2089 specimens of a species of Psylloidea, including immatures and adults, were captured. We only selected the adults used for transmission trials in <i>Catharanthus roseus</i> (L.) G. Don (periwinkle) plants. By nested PCR, using primer pairs for phytoplasma detection in <i>16S rRNA</i> and <i>IdpA</i> genes, 7 out of 113 (6.2%) periwinkle plants used in transmission trials were found to be infected by phytoplasmas. Insects that fed on these plants also tested positive for the same phytoplasmas. Periwinkle plants never showed virescence and phyllody, as commonly occurs with phytoplasma 16SrIII-J infection due to the effector SAP54. In this case, using primer pairs for the <i>SAP54</i> gene, an amplification product was never obtained. Virtual restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis of F2nR2 fragments indicated that the phytoplasma, found in both periwinkle plants and insects used in transmission trials, belongs to the 16SrIII-J ribosomal subgroup. The <i>COI</i> gene of the psyllids samples was amplified and sequenced, showing a similarity ranging from 84.84% to 85.02% with <i>R. solanicola</i> from <i>Solanum tuberosum</i> L. The mitochondrial genome of the psyllid was also sequenced, revealing a 14,835 bp circular DNA molecule with 37 genes. The mallow psyllid transmitted the phytoplasma 16SrIII-J to periwinkle plants. The molecular identification of the insect does not match the morphological one, indicating that the mallow psyllid may constitute a cryptic species within the polyphagous <i>R. solanicola</i> species. This is the first report of a psyllid as a vector of the phytoplasma 16SrIII-J.
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spelling doaj-art-16bd6f597f7a4cb2876e146d803cba902025-08-20T01:49:18ZengMDPI AGPlants2223-77472025-04-01149127910.3390/plants14091279First Report of a Psyllid Vector of ‘<i>Candidatus</i> Phytoplasma pruni’ (Strain 16SrIII-J)Tomás Llantén0Sebastián Cabrera1Javiera Fuentes2Camila Gamboa3Constanza González4Alan Zamorano5Tomislav Curkovic6Daniel Burckhardt7Nicola Fiore8Departamento de Sanidad Vegetal, Facultad de Ciencias Agronómicas, Universidad de Chile, La Pintana 8820808, ChileDepartamento de Sanidad Vegetal, Facultad de Ciencias Agronómicas, Universidad de Chile, La Pintana 8820808, ChileDepartamento de Sanidad Vegetal, Facultad de Ciencias Agronómicas, Universidad de Chile, La Pintana 8820808, ChileDepartamento de Sanidad Vegetal, Facultad de Ciencias Agronómicas, Universidad de Chile, La Pintana 8820808, ChileDepartamento de Sanidad Vegetal, Facultad de Ciencias Agronómicas, Universidad de Chile, La Pintana 8820808, ChileDepartamento de Sanidad Vegetal, Facultad de Ciencias Agronómicas, Universidad de Chile, La Pintana 8820808, ChileDepartamento de Sanidad Vegetal, Facultad de Ciencias Agronómicas, Universidad de Chile, La Pintana 8820808, ChileNaturhistorisches Museum, 4001 Basel, SwitzerlandDepartamento de Sanidad Vegetal, Facultad de Ciencias Agronómicas, Universidad de Chile, La Pintana 8820808, ChileIn Graneros, O’Higgins Region, Chile, the mallow psyllid (<i>Russelliana solanicola</i> Tuthill, 1959) from <i>Malva nicaeensis</i> L. was identified as a potential vector of ‘<i>Candidatus</i> Phytoplasma pruni’. Over an 8-month period, 2089 specimens of a species of Psylloidea, including immatures and adults, were captured. We only selected the adults used for transmission trials in <i>Catharanthus roseus</i> (L.) G. Don (periwinkle) plants. By nested PCR, using primer pairs for phytoplasma detection in <i>16S rRNA</i> and <i>IdpA</i> genes, 7 out of 113 (6.2%) periwinkle plants used in transmission trials were found to be infected by phytoplasmas. Insects that fed on these plants also tested positive for the same phytoplasmas. Periwinkle plants never showed virescence and phyllody, as commonly occurs with phytoplasma 16SrIII-J infection due to the effector SAP54. In this case, using primer pairs for the <i>SAP54</i> gene, an amplification product was never obtained. Virtual restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis of F2nR2 fragments indicated that the phytoplasma, found in both periwinkle plants and insects used in transmission trials, belongs to the 16SrIII-J ribosomal subgroup. The <i>COI</i> gene of the psyllids samples was amplified and sequenced, showing a similarity ranging from 84.84% to 85.02% with <i>R. solanicola</i> from <i>Solanum tuberosum</i> L. The mitochondrial genome of the psyllid was also sequenced, revealing a 14,835 bp circular DNA molecule with 37 genes. The mallow psyllid transmitted the phytoplasma 16SrIII-J to periwinkle plants. The molecular identification of the insect does not match the morphological one, indicating that the mallow psyllid may constitute a cryptic species within the polyphagous <i>R. solanicola</i> species. This is the first report of a psyllid as a vector of the phytoplasma 16SrIII-J.https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/14/9/1279<i>Russelliana solanicola</i><i>COI</i> geneChilemallow psyllid
spellingShingle Tomás Llantén
Sebastián Cabrera
Javiera Fuentes
Camila Gamboa
Constanza González
Alan Zamorano
Tomislav Curkovic
Daniel Burckhardt
Nicola Fiore
First Report of a Psyllid Vector of ‘<i>Candidatus</i> Phytoplasma pruni’ (Strain 16SrIII-J)
Plants
<i>Russelliana solanicola</i>
<i>COI</i> gene
Chile
mallow psyllid
title First Report of a Psyllid Vector of ‘<i>Candidatus</i> Phytoplasma pruni’ (Strain 16SrIII-J)
title_full First Report of a Psyllid Vector of ‘<i>Candidatus</i> Phytoplasma pruni’ (Strain 16SrIII-J)
title_fullStr First Report of a Psyllid Vector of ‘<i>Candidatus</i> Phytoplasma pruni’ (Strain 16SrIII-J)
title_full_unstemmed First Report of a Psyllid Vector of ‘<i>Candidatus</i> Phytoplasma pruni’ (Strain 16SrIII-J)
title_short First Report of a Psyllid Vector of ‘<i>Candidatus</i> Phytoplasma pruni’ (Strain 16SrIII-J)
title_sort first report of a psyllid vector of i candidatus i phytoplasma pruni strain 16sriii j
topic <i>Russelliana solanicola</i>
<i>COI</i> gene
Chile
mallow psyllid
url https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/14/9/1279
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