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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Parlier, California » San Joaquin Valley Agricultural Sciences Center » Crop Diseases, Pests and Genetics Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #221081

Title: Morphological evidence for phages of Xylella fastidiosa

Author
item Chen, Jianchi
item Civerolo, Edwin

Submitted to: Virology Journal
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/3/2008
Publication Date: 6/3/2008
Citation: Chen, J., Civerolo, E.L. 2008. Morphological evidence for phages of Xylella fastidiosa. Virology Journal. 5:75.

Interpretive Summary: The genomes of Xylella fastidiosa, the causal agent of many important diseases such as Pierce’s disease of grapevines, contain numerous DNA sequences related to phages of other bacteria. Phages are viruses that infect bacteria and could affect their biological behaviors. However, the role of phages in the biology and ecology of X. fastidiosa is largely unknown. In this paper, we describe for the first time icosahedral and filamentous phage-like particles in cultures of X. fastidiosa. Knowledge about these bacterial phages will help us to understand the biology of X. fastidiosa that could provide additional insights in how to control diseases caused by this pathogen.

Technical Abstract: Through transmission electron microscopy (TEM), phage particles of Xylella fastidiosa strain Temecula-1 grown in PW broth were observed in ultrathin sections of bacterial cell-containing low speed centrifugation pellets and in partially purified preparations from CsCl equilibrium centrifugation density gradients. Both icosahedral and filamentous phage-like particles were observed. The icosahedral particles had no obvious tail structures and resembled phages in the family Microviridae. The diameter range of these particles was 20-60 nm, with 71% of the particles ranging from 25-39 nm. The filamentous particles resembled phages in the family Inoviridae and had a width of 20 nm and were highly variable in length, ranging from 120 to 6,300 nm.