Fused genes tackle deadly Pierce’s disease in grapevines - A
gene fusion research project led by a UC Davis plant scientist
delivers a one-two punch to Pierce's disease, a deadly threat to
California’s world-renowned wine industry. A gene fusion
research project led by a UC Davis plant scientist delivers a
one-two punch to Pierce's disease, a deadly threat to
California’s world-renowned wine industry. The study was
published in the early edition of the Proceedings of the
National Academy of Sciences. “Many disease-causing microbes can
evade one defensive action by a host plant, but we believe that
most microbes would have difficulty overcoming a combination of
two immune-system defenses,” said UC Davis plant sciences
professor Abhaya Dandekar, the lead researcher. He and his
colleagues tested this hypothesis on Xylella fastidiosa, the
bacteria responsible for Pierce's disease in grapevines. Strains
of the bacteria also attack and damage other host plants,
including citrus, stone fruits, almonds, oleander, and