Antibacterial Activity of Allicin-Inspired Disulfide Derivatives against Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. citri

Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. citri (Xac) belongs to the Gram-negative species, causing citrus canker that seriously affects the fruit yield and quality of many rutaceae plants. Herein, we found that compound 2-(butyldisulfanyl) quinazolin-4(3H)-one exhibited remarkable anti-Xac activity in vitro with a half effective concentration (EC50) of 2.6 μg/mL, while the positive controls thiodiazole-copper with 57 μg/mL and bismerthiazol with 68 μg/mL and this compound showed great anti-citrus canker activity in vivo. This active compound also was confirmed to reduce biofilm formation, increase the level of reactive oxygen species, damage the morphological structure of the bacteria, and cause bacterial death. Proteomics and RT-qPCR analysis results indicated that this compound down-regulated the expression of enzymes in the MEP (2-methyl-D-erythritol 4-phosphate) pathway and might achieve destructive ability of Xac. Overall, this study indicates that such derivatives could be a promising scaffold to develop novel bactericides to control citrus canker.