Field-Deployable Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus Detection Using Recombinase Polymerase Amplification Combined with CRISPR-Cas12a

Summary

In this work, a rapid, sensitive, and portable detection method for Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus based on recombinase polymerase amplification combined with CRISPR-Cas12a was developed.

Abstract

The early detection of Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (CLas) by citrus growers facilitates early intervention and prevents the spread of disease. A simple method for rapid and portable Huanglongbing (HLB) diagnosis is presented here that combines recombinase polymerase amplification and a fluorescent reporter utilizing the nuclease activity of the clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats/CRISPR-associated 12a (CRISPR-Cas12a) system. The sensitivity of this technique is much higher than PCR. Furthermore, this method showed similar results to qPCR when leaf samples were used. Compared with conventional CLas detection methods, the detection method presented here can be completed in 90 min and works in an isothermal condition that does not require the use of PCR machines. In addition, the results can be visualized through a handheld fluorescent detection device in the field.

Introduction

Huanglongbing (HLB) is one of the most problematic citrus diseases worldwide¹. HLB is caused by the phloem-colonizing and fastidious bacteria Candidatus Liberibacter spp., including Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (CLas), Ca. L. africanus, and Ca. L. americanus². The most prevalent HLB-associated species in China and the USA is CLas, which is transmitted by Asian citrus psyllids (Diaphorina citri) or through grafting³. After being infected by CLas, citrus trees demonstrate growth decline until death². The common symptoms of cit....

Protocol

1. Construction of the CLas-DETECTR

NOTE: The construction of CLas-DETECTR is a four-step process: solution preparation, citrus total DNA isolation, isothermal DNA amplification, and result visualization. The schematic of the CLas-DETECTR assay is illustrated in Figure 1A.

1. Solution preparation
   1. Prepare buffer A: 20 mM NaOH in 6% PEG 200. For 100 mL, add 113 mg of NaOH and 6 g of PEG 200 into 80 mL of H₂O in a bottle. Incubate the bottle in a water bath at 60 °C until all the PEG 200 is dissolved. Then, add H₂O to a volume of 100 mL.
   2. Prepare solution B....

Results

Here, we have described a portable platform, CLas-DETECTR, combing the RPA and CRISPR-Cas12a systems to diagnose HLB in the field. The schema of CLas-DETECTR is illustrated in Figure 1A.

When leaf samples from the HLB-infected and HLB-uninfected Newhall trees (Figure 1B), for which the presence of CLas was confirmed by PCR (Figure 1C), were subjected to the CLas-DETECTR test, a green fluorescence signal w.......

Discussion

This study presents a rapid and portable method to detect CLas named CLas-DETECTR, which combines the RPA and CRISPR-Cas12a systems. The workflow is illustrated in Figure 1. CLas-DETECTR detects CLas with specificity and sensitivity (Figure 2 and Figure 3). Furthermore, using Newhall leaf samples, CLas-DETECTR detects CLas with the same sensitivity as qPCR (Figure 4). Notably, the detec.......

Materials

List of materials used in this article

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
AxyPrep DNA Gel Extraction Kit	Corning	09319KE1	China
Bacterial Genomic DNA Extraction Kit	Solarbio	D1600	China
EnGen LbCas12a	TOLOBIO	32104-01	China
Ex Taq Version 2.0 plus dye	TaKaRa	RR902A	China
Handheld fluorescent detection device	LUYOR	3415RG	China
Hole puncher	Deli	114	China
Magnesium acetate, MgOAc	TwistDx	TABAS03KIT	UK
NaOH	SCR	10019718	China
NEB buffer 3.1	NEB	B7203	USA
PCR strip tubes	LABSELECT	PST-0208-FT-C	China
PEG 200	Sigma	P3015	USA
PrimeSTAR Max DNA Polymeras	TaKaRa	R045A	China
Quick-Load Purple 1 kb Plus DNA Ladder	New England Biolabs	N0550S	USA
TB Green Premix Ex Taq II (Tli RNaseH Plus)	TaKaRa	RR820B	China
TwistAmp Basic	TwistDx	TABAS03KIT	UK