Phytoplasmas: Molecular Characterization and Host–Pathogen Interactions (2nd Edition)

Dear Colleagues,

This collection is the second edition of “Phytoplasmas: Molecular Characterization and Host–Pathogen Interactions”. Phytoplasmas are obligate intracellular bacteria that infect a wide variety of plant species and multiply in phloem-feeding insects in the order Hemiptera. The transkingdom life cycle of phytoplasma determines the complexity of its pathosystem and epidemiology in a broad range of ecological environments. Based on molecular characterization and database-guided identification and classification, significant advances have been achieved in phytoplasma studies in terms of genetic diversity and geographic distribution (in both managed agroecosystems and natural habitats), potential insect vectors, and new host plants, including symptomatic and asymptomatic weed reservoirs. The accumulating data on “phytoplasma–vector–plant” tripartite components provides a solid basis for understanding phytoplasma epidemiology and disease management.

In recent decades, studies on host–phytoplasma interactions have involved not only molecular analysis (“bottom-up approach” of systems biology at a small scale) but also high-throughput omics studies (“top-down approach” of systems biology at a large scale) such as genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics. Combining “top-down” and “bottom-up” research approaches, host–phytoplasma interaction research has made tremendous progress in exploration from disease symptoms to underlying mechanisms, including the identification of virulence factors corresponding to symptoms and changes in the host response induced by phytoplasmas. These new advances contribute to a better understanding of the role of host–phytoplasma interactions in complex pathogenic processes and biological and physiological pathways involved in disease development and transmission.

For this Special Issue of Biology, we invite you to submit original research articles, reviews, opinions, and perspectives on the molecular characterization of phytoplasmas and host–phytoplasma interactions in various aspects.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Wei Wei
Guest Editor

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