MANAGEMENT OF PIERCE’S DISEASE OF GRAPE BY INTERFERING WITH CELL-CELL COMMUNICATION IN XYLELLA FASTIDIOSA Project Leader:

INTRODUCTION Endophytic bacteria such as Xylella fastidiosa (Xf) colonize the internal tissues of the host, forming a structure very similar to a fixed biofilm inside the plant. A key determinant of success for an endophyte is the ability to move within the plant, sending out “scouts” to colonize new areas within the host. We expect activities required for movement to be most successful when carried out by a community of cells since individual cells may be incapable of completing the feat on their own and may be detected and easily eliminated by the host. Cells assess the size of their local population via cell-cell communication and coordinately regulate the expression of genes required for such processes. Our study aims to investigate cell-cell communication in Xf to determine its role in colonization and pathogenicity in grapevines.