Temporal and spatial detection of Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus putative effector transcripts during interaction with Huanglongbing-susceptible, −tolerant, and -resistant citrus hosts

Citrus Huanglongbing (HLB) is a bacterial disease with high economic significance. The associated agent Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus is a fastidious, phloem-limited, intracellular bacterium that is transmitted by an insect vector the Asian citrus psyllid (ACP). The genome of Ca. L. asiaticus contains protein secretion machinery that suggests host cell modulation capacity of this bacterium.