New subgroup 16SrXI-F phytoplasma strain associated with sugarcane grassy shoot (SCGS) disease in India.

A novel phytoplasma subgroup strain SC-Phy385 (GenBank accession number HF586648) was found associated with Sugarcane Grassy Shoot (SCGS) disease in India. Sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.) leaf samples with 'grassy shoot' symptoms were collected from the western region of Maharashtra state. The analysis based on restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) profiles and 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that most of the phytoplasma strains belong to the 16SrXI-B group. However, SCGS phytoplasma strain SC-Phy385 showed unique RFLP profiles with a similarity coefficient of 0.87 using online interactive phytoplasma classification tool, iPhyClassifier. The actual and virtual RFLP profiles of SC-Phy385 using amplified products of the 16S rRNA partial gene and its multiple sequence alignment with other RYD group phytoplasma sequences revealed that this strain was different from phytoplasma groups described earlier, representing new subgroup 16SrXI-F. The 16S rRNA gene-based phylogenetic analysis of reported RYD and BGWL group phytoplasmas showed that they are a genetically diverse group of phytoplasmas.

Identification of molecular markers associated with mite resistance in coconut (Cocos nucifera L.).

Coconut mite (Aceria guerreronis 'Keifer') has become a major threat to Indian coconut (Coçcos nucifera L.) cultivators and the processing industry. Chemical and biological control measures have proved to be costly, ineffective, and ecologically undesirable. Planting mite-resistant coconut cultivars is the most effective method of preventing yield loss and should form a major component of any integrated pest management stratagem. Coconut genotypes, and mite-resistant and -susceptible accessions were collected from different parts of South India. Thirty-two simple sequence repeat (SSR) and 7 RAPD primers were used for molecular analyses. In single-marker analysis, 9 SSR and 4 RAPD markers associated with mite resistance were identified. In stepwise multiple regression analysis of SSRs, a combination of 6 markers showed 100% association with mite infestation. Stepwise multiple regression analysis for RAPD data revealed that a combination of 3 markers accounted for 83.86% of mite resistance in the selected materials. Combined stepwise multiple regression analysis of RAPD and SSR data showed that a combination of 5 markers explained 100% of the association with mite resistance in coconut. Markers associated with mite resistance are important in coconut breeding programs and will facilitate the selection of mite-resistant plants at an early stage as well as mother plants for breeding programs.

Pn-AMPs, the hevein-like proteins from Pharbitis nil confers disease resistance against phytopathogenic fungi in tomato, Lycopersicum esculentum.

The antifungal activity of hevein-like proteins has been associated with their chitin-binding activities. Pn-AMP1 and Pn-AMP2, two hevein homologues from Pharbitis nil, show in vitro antifungal activities against both chitin and non-chitin containing fungi. Purified Pn-AMPs retained antifungal activities only under non-reducing conditions. When Pn-AMP2 cDNA was constitutively expressed in tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) plants under the control of CaMV35S promoter, the transgenic plants showed enhanced resistance against both the non-chitinous fungus Phytophthora capsici, and the chitin-containing fungus Fusarium oxysporum. Thus, the chitin component in the fungal cell wall is not an absolute requirement for Pn-AMP's antifungal activities. These results when considered together suggest that Pn-AMPs have the potential for developing transgenic plants resistant to a wide range of phytopathogenic fungi.

NDP kinase 2 interacts with two oxidative stress-activated MAPKs to regulate cellular redox state and enhances multiple stress tolerance in transgenic plants.

NDP kinases (NDPKs) are multifunctional proteins that regulate a variety of eukaryotic cellular activities, including cell proliferation, development, and differentiation. However, much less is known about the functional significance of NDPKs in plants. We show here that NDPK is associated with H(2)O(2)-mediated mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling in plants. H(2)O(2) stress strongly induces the expression of the NDPK2 gene in Arabidopsis thaliana (AtNDPK2). Proteins from transgenic plants overexpressing AtNDPK2 showed high levels of autophosphorylation and NDPK activity, and they have lower levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) than wild-type plants. Mutants lacking AtNDPK2 had higher levels of ROS than wild type. H(2)O(2) treatment induced the phosphorylation of two endogenous proteins whose molecular weights suggested they are AtMPK3 and AtMPK6, two H(2)O(2)-activated A. thaliana mitogen-activated protein kinases. In the absence of H(2)O(2) treatment, phosphorylation of these proteins was slightly elevated in plants overexpressing AtNDPK2 but markedly decreased in the AtNDPK2 deletion mutant. Yeast two-hybrid and in vitro protein pull-down assays revealed that AtNDPK2 specifically interacts with AtMPK3 and AtMPK6. Furthermore, AtNDPK2 also enhances the myelin basic protein phosphorylation activity of AtMPK3 in vitro. Finally, constitutive overexpression of AtNDPK2 in Arabidopsis plants conferred an enhanced tolerance to multiple environmental stresses that elicit ROS accumulation in situ. Thus, AtNDPK2 appears to play a previously uncharacterized regulatory role in H(2)O(2)-mediated MAPK signaling in plants.

Soybean ascorbate peroxidase suppresses Bax-induced apoptosis in yeast by inhibiting oxygen radical generation.

Bax, a mammalian proapoptotic member of the Bcl-2 family, can induce cell death when expressed in yeast or plant cells. To identify plant Bax inhibitors, we cotransformed a soybean cDNA library and the Bax gene into yeast cells and screened for expressed genes that prevented Bax-induced apoptosis. From the Bax-inhibiting genes isolated, ascorbate peroxidase (sAPX) was selected for characterization. The transcription of sAPX in plants was specifically induced by oxidative stress. Moreover, overexpression of sAPX partially suppressed the H(2)O(2)-sensitive phenotype of yeast cytosolic catalase T (Deltactt)- and thermosensitive phenotype of cytochrome c peroxidase (Deltaccp)-deleted mutant cells. Examination of reactive oxygen species (ROS) production using the fluorescence method of dihydrorhodamine 123 oxidation revealed that expression of Bax in yeast cells generated ROS, which was greatly reduced by coexpression with sAPX. Our results collectively suggest that sAPX inhibits the generation of ROS by Bax, which in turn suppresses Bax-induced cell death in yeast.