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  • About
  • The Global ETD Search service is a free service for researchers to find electronic theses and dissertations. This service is provided by the Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations.
    Our metadata is collected from universities around the world. If you manage a university/consortium/country archive and want to be added, details can be found on the NDLTD website.
1

Differentiation and Analysis of Xylella fastidiosa Subspecies fastidiosa Cultures Isolated from a Single Texas Vineyard using Simple Sequence Repeat Markers

Torres, Cruz 1981- 14 March 2013 (has links)
Xylella fastidiosa subspecies fastidiosa is the causative agent of Pierce’s disease of grape and has caused significant crop stress and loss in vineyards throughout Texas. While multiple techniques are available to identify subspecies of X. fastidiosa, only simple sequence repeat markers can be used for the differentiation of isolates within individual subspecies. In this research, SSR markers were utilized to demonstrate the diversity of subsp. fastidiosa isolates from within a single vineyard. The distributions of strains defined within subsp. fastidiosa were also compared to epidemiological data to clarify any relationships. Initial results from isolation attempts indicate disease severity to have the largest impact on the success of isolation attempts with 7% of samples rated as ‘Healthy’ and 83% of samples rated as ‘Advanced’ producing successful isolations. A conventional PCR protocol employing 5 SSR markers was used to generate banding profiles for 97 isolates collected from 7 grape varieties planted in 5 blocks throughout a single Texas vineyard. SPSS statistical program was used to execute a hierarchical cluster analysis to produce a dendrogram which grouped isolates into 3 strain groups with 7% or 15% dissimilarity. Of the 3 epidemiological factors analyzed, the distribution of strains showed significant dependence on grape variety while having no dependence on disease severity or location within the vineyard.
2

The development of new tools for field and laboratory diagnosis of Pierces Disease

Bryan, Kelly Asbill 15 May 2009 (has links)
Pierce’s Disease (PD), caused by Xylella fastidiosa, is a devastating bacterial disease of grapevines. One of the few control options is roguing. Roguing depends on precise diagnosis of PD in vines. These experiments were conducted to improve available diagnostic protocols and enhance levels of disease control. Plots were selected from four different Texas vineyards with a total of four different varieties (Blanc duBois, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, and Merlot). An infrared thermometer was used to take temperature measurements of the vines. Samples were taken of each of these vines at the same time and were tested for X. fastidiosa by culturing, Enzyme-Linked ImmunoSorbent Assay (ELISA), and Quantitative Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (QRT-PCR). ELISA found an increase in plant temperature in samples that tested positive for X. fastidiosa, but QRT-PCR did not. An infrared thermometer could be used to detect asymptomatic vines, but there are several variables to consider such as grape variety and vineyard location. Grape varieties differed significantly in mean temperatures, as did vineyard locations. PD does not seem to have a pattern in which it spreads, although this could be because of the high level of disease incidence in the chosen vineyards. Both the ELISA and QRT-PCR tests have their own pros and cons for X. fastidiosa detection. ELISA takes approximately 6 hours and can be inaccurate in detecting X. fastidiosa. QRT-PCR takes 2-3 hours and is a much more sensitive test. A combination of techniques (PrepMan Ultra® and nucleic acid precipitation) can be used to clean QRTPCR samples when they have degraded and are being affected by inhibitors.
3

Investigations on the diagnosis, colonization, and epidemiology of grapevines with Pierce's disease

Vest, Mandi Ann 17 February 2005 (has links)
Pierce’s disease (PD) of grapevines, caused by Xylella fastidiosa, is devastating Texas vineyards. Two rapid diagnostic techniques, real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), were compared on the basis of cost, reliability, and their ability to quantify X. fastidiosa in diseased tissues. A high correlation was found between the two techniques for measuring bacterial titer in vitro. A similar relationship was not detected when applying the methods to diseased tissue. There was a 75% similarity between the techniques when used to diagnose PD in artificially infected grapevines. Where the two methods differed, real-time PCR was more successful in identifying plants known to be infected with the bacterium. In uninoculated grapevines, the two techniques were similar, where the positive rates were 7% and 4% for ELISA and real-time PCR respectively. In a second study, 3 grape cultivars, ‘Cynthiana’, ‘Cabernet Sauvignon’, and ‘Chardonnay’, were inoculated with 2 isolates of X. fastidiosa to measure disease development and colonization by the pathogen. The bacteria colonized similar distances from the inoculation point over a 25 week period in all three cultivars. Real-time PCR and ELISA absorbance values suggest that the concentrations of bacteria ranged between 104 and 106 cells/ml in a 1.27 cm section of grapevine cane. Concentrations of bacteria didn’t vary based on distance from the inoculation point. Marginal leaf-scorch symptoms were seen on ‘Cabernet Sauvignon’ and ‘Chardonnay’ grapevines 9 weeks post-inoculation. Leaf-scorch symptoms were not observed on ‘Cynthiana’. The vigor of all inoculated grapevines was reduced compared to negative control grapevines the season after initial infection. In a third study, a Texas vineyard planted in Viognier grapevines was surveyed for PD symptoms on 3 separate dates. In October 2003, 45/50 rows had significant aggregation of symptomatic grapevines according to Ordinary Runs Analysis. Aggregation of symptomatic grapevines was found down the row more often than across the row. The rapid rate of disease progress and mortality rate of vines in this vineyard suggest that vine-to-vine spread is occurring and that Viognier vines are highly susceptibly to PD.
4

Determining the threat of Pierce's disease to Virginia vineyards

Wallingford, Anna Kate 16 December 2008 (has links)
Pierce's disease (PD) is a vascular disease of grapevines caused by <i>Xylella fastidiosa</i> (Wells et al.) (<i>Xf</i>) which is transmitted by xylophagous insect vectors. PD infection in Virginia vineyards was thought to be isolated to southeastern portions of the state as there have been no reports of vine loss in western Virginia and cold winter temperatures experienced there limit the effects of the bacterium from year to year. Upward trends in winter temperatures have raised PD concern in the mid-Atlantic. My risk assessment study found PD symptomatic vines beyond the modeled boundary for infection, confirmed <i>Xf</i>-positive with DAS-ELISA. Yellow sticky traps were used to survey Virginia vineyards throughout the 2006 and 2007 growing seasons to identify sharpshooter (Cicadellinae) species in six growing regions. <i>Graphocephala versuta </i>(Say) and <i>Oncometopia orbona</i> (Fabricius) (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) were trapped in the greatest abundance and were both present in every region surveyed. This study uses geographical representation of climatological data to estimate risk for Pierce's disease. / Master of Science in Life Sciences
5

Regulation of Xylella fastidiosa virulence factors by c-di-GMP phosphodiesterases

Ancona-Contreras, Veronica 2011 August 1900 (has links)
Xylella fastidiosa is an important bacterial plant pathogen that colonizes the xylem of hundreds of plant species. X. fastidiosa cause Pierce's disease in grapevine by occlusion of the xylem by extensive bacterial colonization, extracellular polysaccharides and the formation of a biofilm. These traits are mediated in a cell-density manner by a cell-to-cell signaling system that transduces a diffusible signaling factor (DSF). This dissertation demonstrates that PD1994, PD1617 and RpfG regulate important traits for bacterial virulence such as cell-cell signaling, biofilm formation and cell aggregation. X. fastidiosa strains harboring mutations in pd1994 (which encodes for a defective GGDEF- EAL-domain protein) and in pd1617 (which encodes for a EAL-domain protein) have increased growth rate, increased biofilm formation, increased plant colonization and decreased cell aggregation. Gene expression analysis of the pd1994 mutant strain showed overexpression of rpfF, which is a DSF synthase, suggesting that PD1994 regulates DSF signaling by repressing rpfF expression. Additionally, the pd1994mutant showed overexpression of pd1617 and rpfG (with EAL and HD-GYP domains respectively, that may be responsible for c-di-GMP turnover), which suggested that this mutant may have low c-di-GMP levels and that PD1994 regulates c-di-GMP turnover by repression of RpfG activity and PD1617 gene expression. X. fastidiosa harboring a mutation on rpfG exhibited decreased biofilm formation while it had no effect in growth or cell aggregation. Together, these results suggest that PD1994, PD1617 and RpfG regulate the DSF regulatory network by controlling the turnover of the second messenger c-di-GMP.
6

PHYLOGENETIC ANALYSIS OF KENTUCKY STRAINS OF XYLELLA FASTIDIOSA

MUNDELL, J. NICOLE 01 January 2005 (has links)
Phytopathogenic bacterium, Xylella fastidiosa, causes a number of economically important diseases, including Pierces disease (PD) of grape and bacterial leaf scorch (BLS) of a number of landscape trees. In Kentucky (KY), BLS affects a number of shade trees including many oak and maple species. In 2001, PD was diagnosed in grapevines in western KY. Xylella fastidiosa is also detected in many asymptomatic landscape plants and grasses. It was the goal of this research to identify hosts of X. fastidiosa around KY and use phylogenetic analysis to compare sequences of the 16S rDNA and gyrase B (gyrB) genes between samples. This research tests the hypothesis that sequence comparison can identify asymptomatic hosts and vectors that serve as a source of inoculum for pathogenic strains of X. fastidiosa. Plant collections were done in urban areas of KY between 2002 and 2004 and samples were tested for the presence of X. fastidiosa by ELISA and PCR. A number of symptomatic and asymptomatic plants were found to be hosts. Primer sets specifically developed for X. fastidiosa were used to amplify part of the 16S rDNA and the gyrB gene from DNA extracted directly from plant tissue. Sequence data from these specifically amplified products were assembled using Phrap, aligned with ClustalW, then phylogenetic analysis was done with Paup 4.0b10 beta. Comparisons with strains outside of Kentucky were also done using X. fastidiosa sequence obtained from NCBI. Maximum parsimony (MP) trees from the 16S rDNA showed a clade of sequence from oak and grass samples that is an outgroup to sequence from NCBI and other samples in this study. According to BLAST, sequences in this outgroup clade seem to be more closely related to the genera Xanthomonas or Stenotrophomonas than Xylella. However, the gyrB gene MP tree showed sequence from three of the samples that were part of this outgroup clade as being closely related to those X. fastidiosa sequences that are part of the ingroup of both 16S rDNA and gyrB trees. The topology difference between the 16S rDNA and gyrB trees suggest there may have been recombination in the genomic region containing one of these genes.
7

Predição in silico e caracterização parcial das bacteriocinas de Xylella fastidiosa / In silico prediction and partial characterization of the bacteriocins produced by Xylella fastidiosa

Rodrigo Roberto Rafagnin Duarte 16 January 2013 (has links)
Xylella fastidiosa é o agente causal de uma série de doenças que ocorrem em plantas economicamente importantes como laranjeiras, videiras e cafeeiros, causando no Estado de São Paulo prejuízos relevantes à indústria citrícola. Esta bactéria Gram-negativa é restrita ao xilema das plantas e à porção anterior do trato digestório dos insetos vetores das famílias Cicadellidae e Cercopidae, conhecidos como cigarrinhas. Tentativas de elucidar os mecanismos de virulência e patogenicidade adotados por esta bactéria apontam a formação do biofilme como etapa fundamental para o estabelecimento da infecção e o consequente desenvolvimento da doença na planta, mas fatores adicionais parecem contribuir, tais como a produção de toxinas. As bacteriocinas são proteínas com atividade antibiótica contra cepas próximas à espécie produtora e que já foram associadas à virulência e patogenicidade de outras bactérias. Uma varredura in silico no genoma de X. fastidiosa 9a5c revelou 13 sequências codificadoras de microcinas putativas no cromossomo. Transcritos de todos esses genes foram detectados por RT-qPCR em culturas de X. fastidiosa 9a5c, e análises comparativas com genomas públicos (cepas Temecula1, Dixon, Ann-1, M23, M12, EB92-1 e GB514) e recém sequenciados por nosso grupo de pesquisa (cepas U24d, J1a12, 3124, Hib4, Pr8x e Fb7) revelaram que cada cepa possui seu próprio arsenal de bacteriocinas. Diferenças encontradas in silico entre os loci de bacteriocinas nas cepas foram demonstradas experimentalmente. Nossos resultados comprovam a variabilidade predita nos quatro clusters de bacteriocinas que identificamos, o que é esperado para genes relacionados à adaptação e patogenicidade. Destes loci, três foram detectados por RT-PCR como transcritos policistrônicos. Nossa tentativa de detectar essas proteínas em culturas de X. fastidiosa (através de sequenciamento de polipeptídeos por HPLC-MS/MS) foi capaz de identificar uma das bacteriocinas putativas e, portanto, o conjunto de nossas observações apóia a continuidade dos estudos para elucidar o papel das bacteriocinas na fisiopatologia de X. fastidiosa. / Xylella fastidiosa is the causal agent of diseases that affect several economically important crops such as sweet orange trees, grapevines and coffee trees, causing in the State of São Paulo considerable losses mainly to the citrus industry. This Gram-negative bacterium is restricted to the plant xylem and to the upper gastrointestinal tract of its insect vectors, the sharpshooters from the Cicadellidae and Cercopidae families. Attempts to elucidate the virulence and pathogenicity pathways employed by this bacterium point the biofilm formation as a fundamental step for the establishment of the infection and the consequent development of the plant disease, but additional factors seem to contribute to these processes, such as the production of toxins. Bacteriocins are proteinaceous antibiotics that act against closely-related species and have been previously associated with virulence and pathogenicity in other bacteria. An in silico screening of the X. fastidiosa 9a5c genome revealed 13 coding sequences as putative microcins in the chromosome. Transcripts from all those genes were detected through RT-qPCR in X. fastidiosa 9a5c cultures, and comparative analyses on the public genomes (Temecula1, Dixon, Ann-1, M23, M12, EB92-1 and GB514) plus the ones recently sequenced by our group (U24d, J1a12, 3124, Hib4, Pr8x and Fb7) revealed that each strain possesses its own arsenal of bacteriocins. Differences found in silico among the loci in all strains were experimentally confirmed. Our results demonstrated the predicted variability in the four bacteriocins clusters as expected for adaptation and pathogenicity-related genes. Three out of the four bacteriocins loci were detected by RT-PCR as polycistronic transcripts. Our attempt to detect these proteins in X. fastidiosa cultures (using HPLC-MS/MS polypeptide sequencing) identified one of the putative bacteriocins, and therefore our observations warrant further efforts to elucidate the role of bacteriocins in the X. fastidiosa physiopathology.
8

Predição in silico e caracterização parcial das bacteriocinas de Xylella fastidiosa / In silico prediction and partial characterization of the bacteriocins produced by Xylella fastidiosa

Duarte, Rodrigo Roberto Rafagnin 16 January 2013 (has links)
Xylella fastidiosa é o agente causal de uma série de doenças que ocorrem em plantas economicamente importantes como laranjeiras, videiras e cafeeiros, causando no Estado de São Paulo prejuízos relevantes à indústria citrícola. Esta bactéria Gram-negativa é restrita ao xilema das plantas e à porção anterior do trato digestório dos insetos vetores das famílias Cicadellidae e Cercopidae, conhecidos como cigarrinhas. Tentativas de elucidar os mecanismos de virulência e patogenicidade adotados por esta bactéria apontam a formação do biofilme como etapa fundamental para o estabelecimento da infecção e o consequente desenvolvimento da doença na planta, mas fatores adicionais parecem contribuir, tais como a produção de toxinas. As bacteriocinas são proteínas com atividade antibiótica contra cepas próximas à espécie produtora e que já foram associadas à virulência e patogenicidade de outras bactérias. Uma varredura in silico no genoma de X. fastidiosa 9a5c revelou 13 sequências codificadoras de microcinas putativas no cromossomo. Transcritos de todos esses genes foram detectados por RT-qPCR em culturas de X. fastidiosa 9a5c, e análises comparativas com genomas públicos (cepas Temecula1, Dixon, Ann-1, M23, M12, EB92-1 e GB514) e recém sequenciados por nosso grupo de pesquisa (cepas U24d, J1a12, 3124, Hib4, Pr8x e Fb7) revelaram que cada cepa possui seu próprio arsenal de bacteriocinas. Diferenças encontradas in silico entre os loci de bacteriocinas nas cepas foram demonstradas experimentalmente. Nossos resultados comprovam a variabilidade predita nos quatro clusters de bacteriocinas que identificamos, o que é esperado para genes relacionados à adaptação e patogenicidade. Destes loci, três foram detectados por RT-PCR como transcritos policistrônicos. Nossa tentativa de detectar essas proteínas em culturas de X. fastidiosa (através de sequenciamento de polipeptídeos por HPLC-MS/MS) foi capaz de identificar uma das bacteriocinas putativas e, portanto, o conjunto de nossas observações apóia a continuidade dos estudos para elucidar o papel das bacteriocinas na fisiopatologia de X. fastidiosa. / Xylella fastidiosa is the causal agent of diseases that affect several economically important crops such as sweet orange trees, grapevines and coffee trees, causing in the State of São Paulo considerable losses mainly to the citrus industry. This Gram-negative bacterium is restricted to the plant xylem and to the upper gastrointestinal tract of its insect vectors, the sharpshooters from the Cicadellidae and Cercopidae families. Attempts to elucidate the virulence and pathogenicity pathways employed by this bacterium point the biofilm formation as a fundamental step for the establishment of the infection and the consequent development of the plant disease, but additional factors seem to contribute to these processes, such as the production of toxins. Bacteriocins are proteinaceous antibiotics that act against closely-related species and have been previously associated with virulence and pathogenicity in other bacteria. An in silico screening of the X. fastidiosa 9a5c genome revealed 13 coding sequences as putative microcins in the chromosome. Transcripts from all those genes were detected through RT-qPCR in X. fastidiosa 9a5c cultures, and comparative analyses on the public genomes (Temecula1, Dixon, Ann-1, M23, M12, EB92-1 and GB514) plus the ones recently sequenced by our group (U24d, J1a12, 3124, Hib4, Pr8x and Fb7) revealed that each strain possesses its own arsenal of bacteriocins. Differences found in silico among the loci in all strains were experimentally confirmed. Our results demonstrated the predicted variability in the four bacteriocins clusters as expected for adaptation and pathogenicity-related genes. Three out of the four bacteriocins loci were detected by RT-PCR as polycistronic transcripts. Our attempt to detect these proteins in X. fastidiosa cultures (using HPLC-MS/MS polypeptide sequencing) identified one of the putative bacteriocins, and therefore our observations warrant further efforts to elucidate the role of bacteriocins in the X. fastidiosa physiopathology.
9

Análise in silico de regiões promotoras de genes de Xylella fastidiosa / In silico analysis on promoter sequences of protein-coding genes from Xylella fastidiosa

Tria, Fernando Domingues Kümmel 24 June 2013 (has links)
Xylella fastidiosa é uma bactéria gram-negativa, não flagelada, agente causal de doenças de importância econômica como a doença de Pierce nas videiras e a clorose variegada dos citros (CVC) nas laranjeiras. O objetivo do presente trabalho foi realizar análises in silico das sequências promotoras dos genes deste fitopatógeno em uma tentativa de arrecadar novas evidências para o melhor entendimento da dinâmica de regulação transcricional de seus genes, incluindo aqueles envolvidos em mecanismos de patogenicidade e virulência. Para tanto, duas estratégias foram utilizadas para predição de elementos cis-regulatórios em regiões promotoras do genoma da cepa referência 9a5c, comprovadamente associada à CVC. A primeira, conhecida como phylogenetic footprinting, foi empregada para identificação de elementos regulatórios conservados em promotores de unidades transcricionais ortólogas, levando em consideração o conjunto de genes de X. fastidiosa e 7 espécies comparativas. O critério para identificação de unidades transcricionais ortólogas, isto é, unidades trancricionais oriundas de espécies distintas e cujos promotores compartilham elementos cis-regulatórios, foi paralelamente estudado utilizando-se informações regulatórias das bactérias modelos: Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Bacillus subtilis e Escherichia coli. Os resultados obtidos com análise de phylogenetic footprinting nos permitiu acessar a rede regulatória transcricional da espécie de forma compreensiva (global). Foram estabelecidas 2990 interações regulatórias, compreendendo 80 motivos distribuídos nos promotores de 56.8% das unidades transcricionais do genoma de X. fastidiosa. Na segunda estratégia recuperamos informações regulatórias experimentalmente validadas em E. coli e complementamos o conhecimento de dez regulons de X. fastidiosa, através de uma metodologia de scanning (varredura), dos quais algumas interações regulatórias já haviam sido previamente descritas por outros trabalhos. Destacamos os regulons de Fur e CRP, reguladores transcricionais globais, que se mostraram responsáveis pela modulação de genes relacionados a mecanismos de invasão e colonização do hospedeiro vegetal entre outros. Por fim, análises comparativas em regiões regulatórias correspondentes entre cepas foram realizadas e diferenças possivelmente associadas a particularidades fenotípicas foram identificadas entre 9a5c e J1a12, um isolado de citros não virulento, e 9a5c e Temecula1, um isolado de videira causador da doença de Pierce. / Xylella fastidiosa is a gram-negative, non-flagellated bacterium responsible for causing economically important diseases such as Pierce\'s disease in grapevines and Citrus Variegated Clorosis (CVC) in sweet orange trees. In the present work we performed in silico analysis on promoter sequences of protein-coding genes from this phytopathogen, including those involved in virulence and pathogenic mechanisms, in an attempt to better understand the underlying transcriptional regulatory dynamics. Two strategies for cis-regulatory elements prediction were applied on promoter sequences from 9a5c strain genome, a proven causal agent of CVC. The first one, known as phylogenetic footprinting, involved the prediction of regulatory motifs conserved on promoter sequences of orthologous transcription units from X. fastidiosa and a set of 7 comparatives species. The criteria to identify orthologous transcription units, i. e., those from different species and whose promoter sequences share at least one common regulatory motif, was studied based on regulatory information available for model organisms: Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Bacillus subtilis and Escherichia coli. The results obtained with the phylogenetic footprinting analysis permitted us to access the underlying transcriptional regulatory network from the species in a comprehensive manner (genome-wide), with a total of 2990 regulatory interactions corresponding to 80 predicted motifs distributed on promoter sequences of 56.8% of all transcription units. In the second strategy regulatory information from E. coli was recovered and used to expand the knowledge of ten regulons in X. fastidiosa, through a scanning process, of which some regulatory interactions were previously described by independent studies. We emphasize some genes related to host invasion and colonization present in the Fur and CRP regulons, two global transcription regulators. Lastly, comparative analysis on corresponding regulatory regions among strains were performed and differences possibly associated to phenotypic variation were identified between 9a5c and J1a12, a non-virulent strain isolated from orange trees, and between 9a5c and Temecula1, a strain associated to Pierce\'s disease on grapevines.
10

Análise in silico de regiões promotoras de genes de Xylella fastidiosa / In silico analysis on promoter sequences of protein-coding genes from Xylella fastidiosa

Fernando Domingues Kümmel Tria 24 June 2013 (has links)
Xylella fastidiosa é uma bactéria gram-negativa, não flagelada, agente causal de doenças de importância econômica como a doença de Pierce nas videiras e a clorose variegada dos citros (CVC) nas laranjeiras. O objetivo do presente trabalho foi realizar análises in silico das sequências promotoras dos genes deste fitopatógeno em uma tentativa de arrecadar novas evidências para o melhor entendimento da dinâmica de regulação transcricional de seus genes, incluindo aqueles envolvidos em mecanismos de patogenicidade e virulência. Para tanto, duas estratégias foram utilizadas para predição de elementos cis-regulatórios em regiões promotoras do genoma da cepa referência 9a5c, comprovadamente associada à CVC. A primeira, conhecida como phylogenetic footprinting, foi empregada para identificação de elementos regulatórios conservados em promotores de unidades transcricionais ortólogas, levando em consideração o conjunto de genes de X. fastidiosa e 7 espécies comparativas. O critério para identificação de unidades transcricionais ortólogas, isto é, unidades trancricionais oriundas de espécies distintas e cujos promotores compartilham elementos cis-regulatórios, foi paralelamente estudado utilizando-se informações regulatórias das bactérias modelos: Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Bacillus subtilis e Escherichia coli. Os resultados obtidos com análise de phylogenetic footprinting nos permitiu acessar a rede regulatória transcricional da espécie de forma compreensiva (global). Foram estabelecidas 2990 interações regulatórias, compreendendo 80 motivos distribuídos nos promotores de 56.8% das unidades transcricionais do genoma de X. fastidiosa. Na segunda estratégia recuperamos informações regulatórias experimentalmente validadas em E. coli e complementamos o conhecimento de dez regulons de X. fastidiosa, através de uma metodologia de scanning (varredura), dos quais algumas interações regulatórias já haviam sido previamente descritas por outros trabalhos. Destacamos os regulons de Fur e CRP, reguladores transcricionais globais, que se mostraram responsáveis pela modulação de genes relacionados a mecanismos de invasão e colonização do hospedeiro vegetal entre outros. Por fim, análises comparativas em regiões regulatórias correspondentes entre cepas foram realizadas e diferenças possivelmente associadas a particularidades fenotípicas foram identificadas entre 9a5c e J1a12, um isolado de citros não virulento, e 9a5c e Temecula1, um isolado de videira causador da doença de Pierce. / Xylella fastidiosa is a gram-negative, non-flagellated bacterium responsible for causing economically important diseases such as Pierce\'s disease in grapevines and Citrus Variegated Clorosis (CVC) in sweet orange trees. In the present work we performed in silico analysis on promoter sequences of protein-coding genes from this phytopathogen, including those involved in virulence and pathogenic mechanisms, in an attempt to better understand the underlying transcriptional regulatory dynamics. Two strategies for cis-regulatory elements prediction were applied on promoter sequences from 9a5c strain genome, a proven causal agent of CVC. The first one, known as phylogenetic footprinting, involved the prediction of regulatory motifs conserved on promoter sequences of orthologous transcription units from X. fastidiosa and a set of 7 comparatives species. The criteria to identify orthologous transcription units, i. e., those from different species and whose promoter sequences share at least one common regulatory motif, was studied based on regulatory information available for model organisms: Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Bacillus subtilis and Escherichia coli. The results obtained with the phylogenetic footprinting analysis permitted us to access the underlying transcriptional regulatory network from the species in a comprehensive manner (genome-wide), with a total of 2990 regulatory interactions corresponding to 80 predicted motifs distributed on promoter sequences of 56.8% of all transcription units. In the second strategy regulatory information from E. coli was recovered and used to expand the knowledge of ten regulons in X. fastidiosa, through a scanning process, of which some regulatory interactions were previously described by independent studies. We emphasize some genes related to host invasion and colonization present in the Fur and CRP regulons, two global transcription regulators. Lastly, comparative analysis on corresponding regulatory regions among strains were performed and differences possibly associated to phenotypic variation were identified between 9a5c and J1a12, a non-virulent strain isolated from orange trees, and between 9a5c and Temecula1, a strain associated to Pierce\'s disease on grapevines.

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