ARS | Publication request: Psyllid cell culture: A system to study Candidatus Liberibacter species replication

Submitted to: Entomological Society of America Annual Meeting
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: December 6, 2010
Publication Date: December 12, 2010
Citation: Arras, J., Hunter, W.B., Swatsell, C., Bextine, B.R. 2010. Psyllid cell culture: A system to study Candidatus Liberibacter species replication [abstract]. Entomological Society of America Annual Meeting. Paper No. 52181.

Technical Abstract: Primary cell cultures were made from the Potato Psyllid, Bactericera cockerelli (Hemiptera: Psyllidae). The potato psyllid is an important agricultural pest insect due to its ability to transmit the bacterial pathogen Candidatus Liberibacter psyllaurous, CLp. The pathogen is a phloem limited bacterium that is introduced into the plant during feeding. The resulting disease is referred to as Zebra Chip of potato, and causes chip-burn during processing. Efforts to isolate CLp on bacterial media have been unsuccessful. This prevented further studies on the relationship between bacteria, CLp, and the causes of Zebra Chip. Psyllids retain CLp for several weeks. Thus we developed psyllid cell cultures using medium originally developed for the Asian citrus psyllid. Various cell lines were made using various life stages, the first was labeled BcBA-1, for Bactericera cockerelli Bextine-Arras-1. While the preliminary results show presence of CLp in culture after several weeks further analysis of CLp are being conducted to determine if there is an increase of CLp and whether the bacterium is intracellular or located on the exterior of the cells. If replicating this would be the first system for mass propagation of these important bacterial species.