Minimal Set of Metabolic Pathways Suggested from the Genome of Onion Yellows Phytoplasma (original) (raw)

The phytoplasmas are a group of plant pathogenic bacteria that cause devastating damage to over 700 plant species worldwide. They can propagate intracellularly in both insect and plant hosts. Despite their economic importance and unique biological features, phytoplasmas remain the most poorly characterized plant pathogens, primarily because efforts at in vitro culture, gene delivery, and mutagenesis have been unsuccessful. To shed light on these microorganisms, we constructed a DNA library for the onion yellows (OY) phytoplasma, Candidatus Phytoplasma sp. 16S-group I, AY-subgroup (onion), and obtained a draft sequence of phage clones that cover the whole chromosome, which is estimated to be 1 Mbp at most, and completely sequenced and annotated a significant portion of the chromosome (750 kbp). We also cloned and sequenced all three of its extrachromosomal (EC) DNAs (7, 5 and 4 kbp). The EC DNAs are thought to replicate via a rolling-circle replication mechanism with their own unique replicases. The chromosome encodes genes for basic housekeeping functions, such as DNA replication, transcription and translation, but none for amino acid or fatty acid biosynthesis, the TCA cycle, or oxidative phosphorylation. These genes seem to have been replaced by homolog in the host nuclear genome, since phytoplasmas can import many biological substances from host cells, as is the case with parasitic mycoplasmas. Surprisingly, the phytoplasma genome encodes even fewer genes for metabolic functions than that of mycoplasmas, which are known to possess minimal gene sets; genes for the pentose phosphate cycle, conserved in the genomes of all other reported bacteria, were not found in the OY phytoplasma genome. Phytoplasmas appear to possess the most minimal set of metabolic pathways identified in an organism to date; this minimalism may be related to the fact that phytoplasmas inhabit the nutrient-rich environment of the phloem. More than half of the unknown proteins are predicted to localize in the cell membrane, suggesting that they participate in interactions between the intracellular phytoplasma and the host cell surface or cytoplasm. Although the OY phytoplasma does not possess the typical genes related to pathogenicity found in other phytopathogenic bacteria, some of these unknown genes may be related to pathogenicity via their unique metabolic profile, such as actively importing host metabolites and affecting normal cellular functions. This work is the first genome analysis of a plant pathogen that inhabits plant phloem cells.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Subscribe and save

Buy Now

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Integrated Biosciences, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 202 Bioscience Bldg., 5–1–5 Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa 277-8562, Japan, , , , ,
    Kenro OSHIMA, Shin-ichi MIYATA, Toshimi SAWAYANAGI, Shigeyuki KAKIZAWA, Ken-ichiro FURUKI, Masaki YANAZAKI, Shiho SUZUKI, Masashi UGAKI & Shigetou NAMBA
  2. Department of Agricultural and Environmental Biology, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 1–1–1, Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113–8657, Japan, , , , ,
    Hisashi NISHIGAWA, Hee-Young JUNG & Wei WEI
  3. Department of Agricultural Sciences, School of Agriculture, Ibaraki University, 3–21–1, Chuo, Ami-machi, Inashiki-gun, Ibaraki 300–0393, Japan, , , , ,
    Tsutomu KUBOYAMA

Authors

  1. Kenro OSHIMA
  2. Shin-ichi MIYATA
  3. Toshimi SAWAYANAGI
  4. Shigeyuki KAKIZAWA
  5. Hisashi NISHIGAWA
  6. Hee-Young JUNG
  7. Ken-ichiro FURUKI
  8. Masaki YANAZAKI
  9. Shiho SUZUKI
  10. Wei WEI
  11. Tsutomu KUBOYAMA
  12. Masashi UGAKI
  13. Shigetou NAMBA

Additional information

Received 3 June 2002/ Accepted in revised form 27 June 2002

Rights and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

OSHIMA, K., MIYATA, Si., SAWAYANAGI, T. et al. Minimal Set of Metabolic Pathways Suggested from the Genome of Onion Yellows Phytoplasma.J Gen Plant Pathol 68, 225–236 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1007/PL00013081

Download citation