What is meant by Mollicutes?
What is meant by Mollicutes?
Mollicutes is a class of bacteria distinguished by the absence of a cell wall. The word “Mollicutes” is derived from the Latin mollis (meaning “soft” or “pliable”), and cutis (meaning “skin”). Mollicutes are parasites of various animals and plants, living on or in the host’s cells.
What is the scientific name of Phytoplasma?
Candidatus Phytoplasma
Phytoplasma/Scientific names
Symptoms. Candidatus Phytoplasma asteris (yellow disease phytoplasmas); healthy plant (left) and AY- infected plant of Primula, showing yellowing, virescence and dwarfed flowers. ©C. Marcone. Title.
How are Mollicutes different from bacteria?
Mycoplasmataceae
PhytoplasmaAcholeplasma
Mollicutes/Lower classifications
Are Mollicutes Gram positive or negative?
Mollicutes — Spiroplasma, Mycoplasma and Acholeplasma — are the smallest and simplest known free-living and self-replicating forms of life. They are bacteria of Gram-positive origin, as indicated by their 16S rRNA.
Where does phytoplasma come from?
Phytoplasmas are spread principally by insects of the families Cicadellidae (leafhoppers), Fulgoridae (planthoppers), and Psyllidae (jumping plant lice), which feed on the phloem of infected plants, ingesting phytoplasmas and transmitting them to the next plant on which they feed.
Who discovered phytoplasma name?
Phytoplasmas, a large group of plant-pathogenic, phloem-inhabiting bacteria were discovered by Japanese scientists in 1967. They are transmitted from plant to plant by phloem-feeding insect hosts and cause a variety of symptoms and considerable damage in more than 1,000 plant species.
Are Mollicutes fastidious?
Pathogens such as mollicutes, fastidious bacteria, protozoa, and most viruses are placed directly into cells of plants by their vectors and, in most cases, they are probably immediately surrounded by cytoplasm, cytoplasmic membranes, and cell walls.
Who was the founder of phytoplasma?
Phytoplasmas are obligate intracellular parasites of plant phloem tissue and of the insect vectors that are involved in their plant-to-plant transmission. Phytoplasmas were discovered in 1967 by Japanese scientists who termed them mycoplasma-like organisms.
What are phytoplasmas and what are their symptoms?
Phytoplasmas are pathogens of agriculturally important plants, including coconut, sugarcane, and sandalwood, in which they cause a wide variety of symptoms ranging from mild yellowing to death.
Can phytoplasmas be cultured in in vitro culture?
Since their discovery, phytoplasmas have resisted all attempts at in vitro culture in any cell-free medium; routine cultivation in an artificial medium thus remains a major challenge. Phytoplasmas are characterized by the lack of a cell wall, a pleiomorphic or filamentous shape, a diameter normally less than 1 μm, and a very small genome .
What is the role of jasmonate in phytoplasma infection?
Jasmonate levels are decreased in phytoplasma-infected Arabidopsis plants and plants that transgenically express the AY-WB SAP11 effector. The downregulation of jasmonate production is beneficial to phytoplasmas because jasmonate is involved in plant defenses against herbivorous insects such as leafhoppers.
What’s new in phytoplasma research?
While these advances continue, research has recently begun on the phytoplasma genome, how phytoplasmas cause disease, the role of mixed phytoplasmal infections in plant diseases, and molecular/genetic phenomena that underlie symptom development in plants.