Author
 |
PADLIYA, NEERAV |
|
Cooper, Bret |
|
Submitted to: Proteomics
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal Publication Acceptance Date: 3/31/2006 Publication Date: 3/31/2006 Citation: Padliya, N.D., Cooper, B. 2006. Mass spectrometry for the detection of plant pathogens. Proteomics.6:4069-4075. Interpretive Summary: The accidental or deliberate release of a plant pathogen could result in a major devastation to both the economy and food supply of a nation. The unresolved release of anthrax that followed the events of 9/11 served as a stark reminder that the unlawful dissemination of a biological agent is a real threat and heightened biosecurity measures are greatly needed. With international travel on the rise and changes to global weather patterns, the possibility of exotic pests and pathogens entering the country is greater now than ever before. Rapid identification is perhaps the best defense against the introduction of new diseases into the country. We show that mass spectrometry, with its ability to discriminate protein and peptide masses, can successfully be used to identify proteins from viral, fungal and bacterial pathogens. By comparing our mass spectrometry methods, data and results to those from other laboratories, we have identified the limits of the technology for identifying viruses such as tobacco mosaic virus and fungi such as Uromyces appendiculatus, the causal agent of rust on beans. We conclude that it is easier to identify proteins from pathogens that are well characterized. However, to make mass spectrometry a true universal pathogen detection device, it also has to be able to detect pathogens that are not well characterized. We show that mass spectra can be used as unique finger prints to identify any organism, well characterized or not. As a result, we show that the development of spectral fingerprint databases will be required to enable scientists at universities, government agencies and companies to use mass spectrometry to quickly detect a wide-range of pathogens. Technical Abstract: Plant diseases caused by fungi, oomycetes, viruses and bacteria are devastating both to the economy and to the food supply of a nation. Therefore, the development of new, rapid methods to identify these pathogens is a highly important area of research that is of international concern. Mass spectrometry-based proteomics has become a powerful and increasingly popular approach to not only identify these pathogens, but to better understand their biology. However, there is a distinction between identifying a pathogen protein and identifying a pathogen based upon the detection of one of its proteins and we show that this must be considered before the general application of using mass spectrometry for plant pathogen detection and identification. There has been a recent push in the proteomics community to make data from large-scale proteomics experiments publicly available in the form of a centralized repository. We are developing such a resource that could enable the use of mass spectrometry as a universal plant pathogen detection technology. |
