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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Beltsville, Maryland (BARC) » Beltsville Agricultural Research Center » Molecular Plant Pathology Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #423071
Research Project: Omics-Based Approach to Detection, Identification, and Systematics of Plant Pathogenic Phytoplasmas and Spiroplasmas

Location: Molecular Plant Pathology Laboratory

Title: Unraveling plant responses to Jujube Witches'-Broom phytoplasma infection through Omics analysis

Author
item ZHENG, XIANBO - Henan Agricultural University
item Wei, Wei
item LI, JIDONG - Henan Agricultural University
item FENG, JIANCAN - Henan Agricultural University

Submitted to: Book Chapter
Publication Type: Book / Chapter
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/21/2025
Publication Date: 10/13/2025
Citation: Zheng, X., Wei, W., Li, J., Feng, J. 2025. Unraveling plant responses to Jujube Witches'-Broom phytoplasma infection through Omics analysis. Book Chapter. 15:237-247. https://doi.org/10.1079/9781800627031.0015.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1079/9781800627031.0015

Interpretive Summary: Phytoplasmas are plant-pathogenic bacteria that can significantly disrupt plant functions by affecting gene activity, protein production, and metabolism. Although advanced research tools have improved our understanding of how plants respond to these infections, there is still much to learn, particularly regarding important fruit crops. In this book chapter, an ARS scientist based in Beltsville, Maryland, in collaboration with Chinese researchers to focus on jujube trees threatened by jujube witches’-broom (JWB) disease, caused by JWB phytoplasma. The chapter explores the responses of jujube trees to this disease by examining their genetic expression, protein profiles, and metabolic changes. By understanding these responses, scientists, farmers, and plant breeders can develop strategies that enhance the disease resistance of jujube trees.

Technical Abstract: Phytoplasma infection disrupts plant gene expression at different levels, including transcription, translation, and metabolite production. Advances in high-throughput analytical technologies have facilitated comprehensive studies of plant responses to phytoplasma infection from a multi-omics perspective. Jujube, a fruit tree in the Rhamnaceae family, is threatened by jujube witches’-broom (JWB) disease, caused by ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma ziziphi’, a strain belonging to the 16SrV-B subgroup. This chapter investigated jujube’s responses to JWB phytoplasma infection through genomic, transcriptomic, proteomic, and metabolomic analyses. These approaches provide insights into the molecular mechanisms of disease progression and jujube’s defense responses, deepening our understanding of plant-pathogen interactions and uncovering potential pathways to enhance disease resistance.