Whole genome sequence of five strains of Spiroplasma citri isolated from different host plants and its leafhopper...

Spiroplasma citri is a bacterium with a wide host range and is the causal agent of citrus stubborn and brittle root diseases of citrus and horseradish, respectively. S. citri is transmitted in a circulative, persistent manner by the beet leafhopper, Neoaliturus (Circulifer) tenellus (Baker), in North America. Five strains of S. citri were cultured from citrus, horseradish, and N. tenellus from different habitats and times. DNA from cultures were sequenced and genome assembled to expand the database to improve detection assays and better understand its genetics and evolution.

The whole genome sequence of five strains of S. citri are described herein. The S. citri chromosome was circularized for all five strains and ranged from 1,576,550 to 1,742,208 bp with a G + C content of 25.4-25.6%. Characterization of extrachromosomal DNAs resulted in identification of one or two plasmids, with a G + C content of 23.3 to 27.6%, from plant hosts; and eight or nine plasmids, with a G + C content of 21.65 to 29.19%, from N. tenellus. Total genome size ranged from 1,611,714 to 1,832,173 bp from plants and 1,968,976 to 2,155,613 bp from the leafhopper. All sequence data has been deposited in DDBJ/ENA/GenBank under the accession numbers CP046368-CP046373 and CP047426-CP047446.