eCommons

 

Quantification of bacteriain Xanthomonas citripv.malvacearuminfection and identification of virulence factors in the emergent strain Xcm4

Other Titles

Abstract

The pathogen Xanthomonas citripv. Malvacearum (Xcm) is widely known as the causal agent of Cotton Bacterial Blight (CBB), which causes millions of dollars of crop loss in the United States annually. Understanding the molecular mechanism underlying this disease is vital for engineering resistant cotton varieties and preventing crop failures worldwide. In 2011, novel virulent strains of Xcm appeared in the southwestern United States which lacked previously identified key virulence factors but could infect varieties of cotton which were resistant to historical strains of Xcm, suggesting that the pathogen had evolved a new mechanism for effecting virulence. This thesis describes an efficient method of quantifying this bacteria’s proliferation in planta in a laboratory setting and utilizes this method to test this pathogen for a primary mode of virulence through systematic gene knockouts. The data from this study suggests that light emission can be used to efficiently track bacterial populations in planta, and that novel strains of Xcm may be using a new type III effector named Tal7b as a primary virulence factor. Development of a method to track bacterial infections enables a more precise understanding of how bacteria proliferate during the infection process, which can be used to understand with more depth how this pathogen causes disease. Additionally, laboratory studies of Tal7b may yield potential routes for future crop editing and resistance to these emergent strains.

Journal / Series

Volume & Issue

Description

Sponsorship

Date Issued

2022-05

Publisher

Keywords

Biological sciences honors program; Xanthomonas; CBB; Cotton; TAL; Transcription-Activator Like Effector; LUX; Luciferase

Location

Effective Date

Expiration Date

Sector

Employer

Union

Union Local

NAICS

Number of Workers

Committee Chair

Committee Co-Chair

Committee Member

Degree Discipline

Biological Sciences

Degree Name

B.S., Biological Sciences

Degree Level

Bachelor of Science

Related Version

Related DOI

Related To

Related Part

Based on Related Item

Has Other Format(s)

Part of Related Item

Related To

Related Publication(s)

Link(s) to Related Publication(s)

References

Link(s) to Reference(s)

Previously Published As

Government Document

ISBN

ISMN

ISSN

Other Identifiers

Rights

Rights URI

Types

dissertation or thesis

Accessibility Feature

Accessibility Hazard

Accessibility Summary

Link(s) to Catalog Record