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Stuehler et al. Microbiome Res Rep. 2025;4:19 Microbiome Research
DOI: 10.20517/mrr.2024.84
Reports

Original Article Open Access

Transcriptomic characterization of Wolbachia
endosymbiont from Leuronota fagarae (Hemiptera:

Psylloidae)

Douglas S. Stuehler Jr. 1,2 , Wayne B. Hunter 2 , Jawwad A. Qureshi 3 , Liliana M. Cano 4
1
Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education ORISE, Department of Energy and the United States Department of Agriculture
DOE/USDA, Agricultural Research Station ARS, Fort Pierce, FL 34945, USA.
2
United States Department of Agriculture USDA, Agricultural Research Station ARS, U.S. Horticultural Research Laboratory, Fort
Pierce, FL 34945, USA.
3
Department of Entomology and Nematology, Southwest Florida Research and Education Center SWFREC, Institute of Food and
Agricultural Sciences IFAS, University of Florida, Immokalee, FL 34142, USA.
4
Department of Plant Pathology, Indian River Research and Education Center IRREC, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences
IFAS, University of Florida, Fort Pierce, FL 34945, USA.
Correspondence to: Dr. Liliana M. Cano, Department of Plant Pathology, Indian River Research and Education Center IRREC,
Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences IFAS, University of Florida, 2199 South Rock Road, Fort Pierce, FL 34945, USA. E-mail:
Lmcano@ufl.edu

How to cite this article: Stuehler DS Jr., Hunter WB, Qureshi JA, Cano LM. Transcriptomic characterization of Wolbachia
endosymbiont from Leuronota fagarae (Hemiptera: Psylloidae). Microbiome Res Rep. 2025;4:19. https://dx.doi.org/10.20517/mrr.
2024.84

Received: 25 Nov 2024 First Decision: 14 Jan 2025 Revised: 11 Mar 2025 Accepted: 27 Mar 2025 Published: 3 Apr 2025

Academic Editors: Douwe van Sinderen, Emma Allen-Vercoe Copy Editor: Pei-Yun Wang Production Editor: Pei-Yun Wang

Abstract
Aim: Wolbachia species are among the most abundant intracellular endosymbionts of insects worldwide. The
extensive distribution of Gram-negative Wolbachia among insects highlights their evolutionary success and close
relationship with many insect host species. This study aimed to characterize a novel Wolbachia strain from the
Wild Lime Psyllid, Leuronota fagarae (L. fagarae), to understand its evolutionary relationship with Wolbachia from
psyllid pests like Diaphorina citri, the vector of Huanglongbing (HLB).

Methods: Wild-caught L. fagarae colonies from Florida, USA, were maintained on Zanthoxylum fagara. RNA was
extracted from the salivary glands, heads, and whole bodies of male and female adult L. fagarae. Four cDNA
libraries were sequenced using short read technology and de novo transcriptome assembly was performed.
Multilocus sequence typing (MLST) of nine conserved loci and wsp gene analysis classified the strain’s phylogeny,
while sequence mapping and functional annotation provided insight into host-microbe interactions.

© The Author(s) 2025. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
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