Annotation of RNA Helicase Genes in Diaphorina citri.

Cirrus greening disease, 01· Huanglongbing (HLB), is caused by the bacterium Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (CLas). it is vectored by the Asian citrus psyllid (ACP), Diaphorina citri Kuwayaina, When infected with HLB, the leaves of the infected plants will develop a blotchy mottle appearance. Any fruits present will become small, lopsided, poorly colored. and contain aborted seeds. 11LB is reported to be the most devastating citrus disease worldwide, Citrus production in Florida has drastically decreased throughout the years. As of right now. there is no current method to cure plants infected with HLB. This project looks at the genome of the vector to identify and characterize genes that could help researchers develop strategies to mitigate the spread of citrus greening. Here. we focus on the RNA helicase superfamily 2 (SF2). which are characterized by the presence of the DEAD motif. RNA helicases are highly conserved enzyines that play a role in RNA metabolism by using adenosine triphosphate to bind to RNA structures and ribonucleoprotein complexes. A total of 18 putative helicases were identified in the D. Cit'·i genome. Phylogenetic analysis was performed to confirm the classification as RNA helicases in the SF2 superfamily. Additional analysis of domains indicated the presence of the characteristic N and C helicase superfamily domains in 15 of the amino acid sequences, aiding the classification of these as dead-box ATP dependent RNA helicases. These characterized RNA helicases may help with the develop therapeutic treatments to help fight citrus greening. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]