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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Kearneysville, West Virginia » Appalachian Fruit Research Laboratory » Innovative Fruit Production, Improvement, and Protection » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #312918

Title: Characterizing the proteome and oxi-proteome of apple in response to a compatible (P. expansum) and a non-host (P. digitatum) pathogen

Author
item BURON-MOLES, GEMMA - Universitat De Lleida
item Wisniewski, Michael
item VINAS, INMACULADA - Universitat De Lleida
item TEIXIDO, NEUS - Institute De Recerca I Tecnologia Agroalimentaries (IRTA)
item USALL, JOSEP - Institute De Recerca I Tecnologia Agroalimentaries (IRTA)
item DROBY, SAMIR - Volcani Center (ARO)
item TORRES, ROSARIO - Institute De Recerca I Tecnologia Agroalimentaries (IRTA)

Submitted to: Journal of Proteomics
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/1/2015
Publication Date: 2/2/2015
Publication URL: http://handle.nal.usda.gov/10113/60409
Citation: Buron-Moles, G., Wisniewski, M.E., Vinas, I., Teixido, N., Usall, J., Droby, S., Torres, R. 2015. Characterizing the proteome and oxi-proteome of apple in response to a compatible (P. expansum) and a non-host (P. digitatum) pathogen. Journal of Proteomics. 114:136-151.

Interpretive Summary: Blue mold on apple fruit, caused by Penicillium expansum, is the primary postharvest disease that results in major economic losses worldwide when apples are stored or shipped to market. Understanding the nature of host defense mechanisms and how the pathogen is able to overcome those defenses will lead to new, environmentally and consumer friendly methods of postharvest disease control. The current study researched how the proteins in apple fruit change in response to inoculation with the blue mold pathogen, P. expansum, or a closely related non-pathogen, P. digitatum. Results of the study identified several proteins that were unique to inoculation by the pathogen vs. inoculation of fruit with a non-pathogen. The differences in protein abundance were also consistent with changes in gene expression. These findings will help to identify the nature of a resistance response in apple fruit, which can lead to new control measures, and the development of genetic markers for selecting for postharvest disease resistance in apple breeding programs.

Technical Abstract: Apples are subjected to both abiotic and biotic stresses during the postharvest period, which lead to large economic losses worldwide. To obtain biochemical insights into apple defense response, Researchers monitored the protein abundance changes (proteome), as well as the protein carbonyls (oxi-proteome) formed by reactive oxygen species (ROS) in ‘Golden Smoothee’ apple in response to wounding, Penicillium expansum (host) and Penicillium digitatum (non-host) pathogens with select transcriptional studies. To examine the biological relevance of the results, we described quantitative and oxidative protein changes into the gene ontology functional categories, as well as into de KEGG pathways. We identified 26 proteins that differentially changed in abundance in response to wounding, P. expansum or P. digitatum infection. While these changes showed some similarities between the apple responses and abiotic and biotic stresses, Mal d 1.03A case, other proteins as Mal d 1.03E and EF-Tu were specifically induced in response to P. digitatum infection. Using a protein carbonyl detection method based on a fluorescent stain, Bodipy, Researchers detected and identified 27 oxidized proteins as sensitive ROS targets. These ROS target proteins were related to metabolism processes, suggesting that this process plays a leading role in apple fruit defense response against abiotic and biotic stresses. ACC oxidase and two glutamine synthetases showed the highest protein oxidation level in response to P. digitatum infection. Documenting changes in the proteome and specifically in oxi-proteome of apple can provide information that can be used to better understand how impaired protein functions may affect apple defense mechanisms. Possible mechanisms by which these modified proteins are involved in fruit defense response are discussed.