Skip to main content
ARS Home » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #132458
Title: Genotypic typing of Serratia marcescens strains associated with cucurbit yellow vine disease by repetitive elements-based polymerase chain reaction and DNA-DNA hybridization

Author
item ZHANG, Q. - OKLAHOMA STATE UNIV.
item WEYANT, R. - CDC, ATLANTA, GA
item STEIGERWALT, A
item WHITE, L
item MELCHER, U. - OKLAHOMA STATE UNIV.
item Bruton, Benny
item PAIR, S
item MITCHELL, F
item FLETCHER, J. - OKLAHOMA STATE UNIV.

Submitted to: Phytopathology
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/21/2002
Publication Date: 4/23/2003
Citation: Zhang, Q., Weyant, R., Steigerwalt, A.G., White, L.A., Melcher, U., Bruton, B.D., Pair, S.D., Mitchell, F.L., Fletcher, J. 2003. Genotypic typing of Serratia marcescens strains associated with cucurbit yellow vine disease by repetitive elements-based polymerase chain reaction and DNA-DNA hybridization. Phytopathology. Available: http://www.apsnet.org/phyto/search/2003/0725-02r.asp.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: The bacterium that causes cucurbit yellow vine disease (CYVD) has been placed in the species Serratia marcescens based on 16S rDNA and GroE sequence analysis. However, phenotypic comparison of the organism with S. marcescens strains isolated from a variety of ecological niches, using fatty acid analysis and automated substrate utilization tests, showed disparity. In this study we compared the whole genomes of S. marcescens strains from different niches through DNA-DNA hybridization and rep-PCR. With the former, relative binding ratio (RBR) >75% between the type strain of S. marcescens and YV strain C01, which was randomly chosen as a probe for hybridization, confirmed the placement of YV strains in species Serratia marcescens. YV associated strains appeared as a closely related group in that they showed RBR ³95% with C01. This conclusion was further supported by rep-PCR, which demonstrated the homogeneity among patterns of YV isolates from different cucurbit hosts, geographic locations, and years of isolation. These data suggested that this pathogen might have a single common ancestor and underwent extremely limited genome variation during evolution. However, since the rep-PCR patterns of YV isolates of S. marcescens differ substantially from those of S. marcescens from other niches, the origin of the plant pathogenic YV strains remains unclear.