Analysis of Differential Metabolites in Citrus Leaves Infected with Huanglongbing and Screening of Biomarkers for Early Detection

Chen, Lu; Meng, Jiayu; Shi, Zilan; He, Xinhua; Zhao, Yang; Zhang, Guiying

doi:10.3390/molecules31111873

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Analysis of Differential Metabolites in Citrus Leaves Infected with Huanglongbing and Screening of Biomarkers for Early Detection

by

Lu Chen

^1,2,

Jiayu Meng

^1,2,

Zilan Shi

^1,2,

Xinhua He

^1,2

,

Yang Zhao

^1,2,*

and

Guiying Zhang

^1,2,*

¹

State Key Laboratory of Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-Bioresources, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China

²

Guangxi Key Laboratory of Sugarcane Biology, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China

^*

Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Molecules 2026, 31(11), 1873; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules31111873

Submission received: 19 April 2026 / Revised: 21 May 2026 / Accepted: 26 May 2026 / Published: 29 May 2026

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Abstract

Huanglongbing (HLB), a destructive citrus disease caused by Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (CLas), cannot be efficiently diagnosed at the early stage via conventional detection methods. Most current metabolomic studies on citrus HLB rely solely on the LC-MS platform and mainly focus on sweet orange, while integrated dual-platform metabolomic research targeting Orah mandarin, the dominant cultivated citrus variety, remains limited. In the present study, GC-MS and LC-MS were combined for the first time, alongside multivariate statistical analysis and pathway enrichment analysis, to systematically characterize metabolomic differences between healthy and HLB-infected Orah mandarin leaves. Suspected citrus leaf samples were collected from two major citrus-producing regions in Guangxi and further confirmed by qPCR detection. A large number of differentially accumulated metabolites were identified, which were primarily enriched in carbohydrate metabolism and amino acid metabolism pathways. Several candidate biomarkers applicable for early HLB diagnosis were also screened out. This study provides reliable scientific evidence and a theoretical foundation for elucidating the pathogenic mechanism of HLB and establishing field-based early diagnosis techniques.

Keywords: Huanglongbing; Orah mandarin; metabolomics; dual-platform (GC-MS/LC-MS); biomarkers; metabolic pathways

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MDPI and ACS Style

Chen, L.; Meng, J.; Shi, Z.; He, X.; Zhao, Y.; Zhang, G. Analysis of Differential Metabolites in Citrus Leaves Infected with Huanglongbing and Screening of Biomarkers for Early Detection. Molecules 2026, 31, 1873. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules31111873

AMA Style

Chen L, Meng J, Shi Z, He X, Zhao Y, Zhang G. Analysis of Differential Metabolites in Citrus Leaves Infected with Huanglongbing and Screening of Biomarkers for Early Detection. Molecules. 2026; 31(11):1873. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules31111873

Chicago/Turabian Style

Chen, Lu, Jiayu Meng, Zilan Shi, Xinhua He, Yang Zhao, and Guiying Zhang. 2026. "Analysis of Differential Metabolites in Citrus Leaves Infected with Huanglongbing and Screening of Biomarkers for Early Detection" Molecules 31, no. 11: 1873. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules31111873

APA Style

Chen, L., Meng, J., Shi, Z., He, X., Zhao, Y., & Zhang, G. (2026). Analysis of Differential Metabolites in Citrus Leaves Infected with Huanglongbing and Screening of Biomarkers for Early Detection. Molecules, 31(11), 1873. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules31111873

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Analysis of Differential Metabolites in Citrus Leaves Infected with Huanglongbing and Screening of Biomarkers for Early Detection

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