New phytoplasma effector: 50 shades of green (2024) Phytoplasmas are bacteria that thrive in both plants and insects, manipulating their hosts to enhance their own survival and spread, while causing severe harm to plants. Despite their small genomes (0.53–1.35 Mb), they induce dramatic plant developmental changes, such as excessive branching ("witches’ brooms") and floral organ transformations (phyllody), by secreting effector proteins: SAP05, SAP11 and SAP54. plants vs phytoplasma finally realized in Cell Press