Publications by authors named "Mendez-Lozano J"

Article Synopsis
  • Viruses are the most prevalent form of genetic material on Earth, yet their genetic diversity (known as the virome) is underrecognized, particularly in terms of plant pathogens like begomoviruses.
  • High-throughput sequencing (HTS) technologies have enabled scientists to identify known and new viruses from both environmental and isolated samples, focusing on begomoviruses that mostly affect crops but also emerge from wild plant interactions.
  • The provided protocol details a method for detecting begomoviruses using techniques like rolling circle amplification and metagenomic sequencing, followed by bioinformatics analysis to classify, assemble, and verify the viral genomes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The NSm protein of the tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) has been identified as the key factor in the tomato resistance gene Sw-5, though resistance-breaking (RB) isolates with mutations are emerging.
  • Mutations C118Y or T120N in the NSm protein are linked to these RB isolates, evidenced by symptomatic tomato crops in Baja California, Mexico, where TSWV was confirmed.
  • A recent isolate featuring a novel mutation, C118F, indicates viral adaptation, underlining the need for ongoing monitoring of tomato crops to detect new RB isolates.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Huanglongbing (HLB) is one of the most destructive diseases threatening citriculture worldwide. This disease has been associated with α-proteobacteria species, namely Liberibacter. Due to the unculturable nature of the causal agent, it has been difficult to mitigate the disease, and nowadays a cure is not available.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Begomoviruses (Family ) are a major group of emerging plant viruses worldwide. The knowledge of begomoviruses is mostly restricted to crop plant systems. Nevertheless, it has been described that non-cultivated plants are important reservoirs and vessels of viral evolution that leads to the emergence of new diseases.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Geminiviruses have genomes composed of single-stranded DNA molecules and encode a rolling-circle replication (RCR) initiation protein ("Rep"), which has multiple functions. Rep binds to specific repeated DNA motifs ("iterons"), which are major determinants of virus-specific replication. The particular amino acid (aa) residues that determine the preference of a geminivirus Rep for specific iterons (i.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

An annual recurrent disease causing yield reduction in cultivated watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) was documented by the growers in different farms of Campeche state, Mexico. In April 2019 and March 2020 open field grown watermelon plants showed symptoms such as leaf curling, crumpling, and leaf basal or apical necrosis (Figure S1), with an incidence ranging from 30 up to 80%. These plants also presented high populations of whitefly, especially in the most affected fields.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Nowadays, Huanglongbing (HLB) disease, associated with Liberibacter asiaticus (CLas), seriously affects citriculture worldwide, and no cure is currently available. Transcriptomic analysis of host-pathogen interaction is the first step to understand the molecular landscape of a disease. Previous works have reported the transcriptome profiling in response to HLB in different susceptible citrus species; however, similar studies in tolerant citrus species, including Mexican lime, are limited.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Mexican lime () belongs to the Rutaceae family and nowadays is one of the major commercial citrus crops in different countries. In Mexico, Mexican lime production is impaired by Huanglongbing (HLB) disease associated to Liberibacter asiaticus (CLas) bacteria. To date, transcriptomic studies of CLas-Citrus interaction, have been performed mainly in sweet citrus models at symptomatic (early) stage where pleiotropic responses could mask important, pathogen-driven host modulation as well as, host antibacterial responses.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Antiviral compounds targeting viral replicative processes have been studied as an alternative for the control of begomoviruses. Previously, we have reported that the peptide AmPep1 has strong affinity binding to the replication origin sequence of tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV). In this study, we describe the mechanism of action of this peptide as a novel alternative for control of plant-infecting DNA viruses.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Plant DNA viruses of the genus have been documented as the most genetically diverse in the family and present a serious threat for global horticultural production, especially considering climate change. It is important to characterize naturally existing begomoviruses, since viral genetic diversity in non-cultivated plants could lead to future disease epidemics in crops. In this study, high-throughput sequencing (HTS) was employed to determine viral diversity of samples collected in a survey performed during 2012-2016 in seven states of Northern-Pacific Mexico, areas of diverse climatic conditions where different vegetable crops are subject to intensive farming.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV; genus Begomovirus; family Geminiviridae) infects mainly plants of the family Solanaceae, and the infection induces curling and chlorosis of leaves, dwarfing of the whole plant, and reduced fruit production. Alternatives for direct control of TYLCV and other geminiviruses have been reported, for example, the use of esterified whey proteins, peptide aptamer libraries or artificial zinc finger proteins. The two latter alternatives affect directly the replication of TYLCV as well as of other geminiviruses because the replication structures and sequences are highly conserved within this virus family.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

A novel begomovirus isolated from a Sida rhombifolia plant collected in Sinaloa, Mexico, was characterized. The genomic components of sida mosaic Sinaloa virus (SiMSinV) shared highest sequence identity with DNA-A and DNA-B components of chino del tomate virus (CdTV), suggesting a vertical evolutionary relationship between these viruses. However, recombination analysis indicated that a short segment of SiMSinV DNA-A encompassing the plus-strand replication origin and the 5´-proximal 43 codons of the Rep gene was derived from tomato mottle Taino virus (ToMoTV).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

This study investigated whether white spot syndrome virus and Infectious hypodermal and hematopoietic necrosis virus, can survive in wild invertebrates and vertebrates in the environment surrounding shrimp farms along the Pacific coast of Mexico. The evidences imply that both viruses have a potential of persisting in crabs, blue, white and brown shrimps. The most prevalent virus, IHHNV was present in 19.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) is an important vegetable crop in Mexico. The national production in 2009 was 2,043,814 metric tons with a value of $163,560,636 US.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Potato purple top (PPT) disease has caused severe economic losses in some potato (Solanum tuberosum) growing areas of Mexico. Two distinct phytoplasma strains belonging to the aster yellows and peanut witches'-broom groups (16SrI and 16SrII groups) have been associated with PPT disease in several regions of Mexico. However, there has been no previous large-scale survey in the main potato growing areas in Mexico to analyze the diversity and geographical distribution of phytoplasmas.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Tomatillo, also known as husk or green tomato, is cultivated in 29 of 32 states in Mexico, with the main production areas located in the states of Sinaloa, Michoacán, Puebla, Sonora, Guanajuato, Jalisco, and Hidalgo. The national production of tomatillo in 2006 was 805,721 tons with a value of $259 million. Tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV) is one of the most damaging begomoviruses affecting tomato worldwide.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

ABSTRACT Pepper huasteco virus (PHV) and Pepper golden mosaic virus (PepGMV) are found in mixtures in many horticultural crops in Mexico. This combination constitutes an interesting, naturally occurring model system to study several aspects of virus-virus interactions. Possible interactions between PHV and PepGMV were studied at four levels: symptom expression, gene expression, replication, and movement.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Pepper (Capsicum annuum) and tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) are important vegetable crops in Mexico. Recently, symptoms associated with phytoplasma diseases such as witches'-broom (shoot proliferation) and little leaf were observed in pepper and tomato fields in central and northwestern Mexico. DNA extracted from symptomatic and asymptomatic plants was used in nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays with primers amplifying 16S rDNA sequences for phytoplasmas.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Soybean (Glycine max Merr.) is an alternative crop during the summer in Sinaloa, a northern state of Mexico. During the last 4 years, symptoms of yellowing, curled leaves, and stunting have been observed on soybean plantings, and a scrutiny of field samples collected in 2003 identified a begomovirus related to Pepper golden mosaic virus in symptomatic plants (4).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Since June 2001, symptoms of yellowing, leaf curling, crumpling, and stunted growth were observed on soybean (Glycine max Merr.) plants in Sinaloa, Mexico. These symptoms and the presence of whiteflies (Bemisia tabaci Gennadius) in the affected fields suggested a viral etiology.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Okra is an annual vegetable species native to Africa. In Mexico, the states of Tamaulipas, Guerrero, and Morelos contain the most important okra-producing areas. Viral-like diseases have recently affected the fruit production.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

After a tobacco virus outbreak associated with whiteflies in Chiapas, Mexico, we conducted a survey to detect the presence of begomoviruses. Previously, two tobacco-infecting geminiviruses were reported in the same geographical area: Texas pepper virus-Chiapas and Tobacco apical stunt virus (TPV-CPS and TbASV, respectively) (2). DNA extracts from symptomatic tobacco plants (yellow mosaic, severe foliar distortion, and dwarfing) were used to biolistically inoculate tobacco plants (1).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Whitefly-transmitted geminivirus diseases cause important losses in several horticultural crops in all areas in Mexico (1). Tomatillo is important in the Mexican diet since it is widely used to prepare many types of salsas and other dishes. As a result, tomatillo, also known as tomate verde (green tomato), is cultivated in 29 of 32 states in Mexico, with the main production areas located in the states of Morelos, Puebla, and Michoacán.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Geminiviruses are probably the most important viral pathogen affecting tomatoes and other crops in the Caribbean region. In addition to losses previously caused by native virus populations, the introduction of tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV) into the area has become a major concern for tomato growers (1). Since the detection of TYLCV in Cuba, and later in Florida (2,3), we have been monitoring the tomato- and pepper-growing areas of the Yucatán Peninsula, México, for TYLCV.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF