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ARS Home » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #95770
Title: PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATION OF THE ROLE OF PROTEIN KINASE GENE EXPRESSION IN THE INDUCTION OF PHYLLODY SYMPTOMS ON PLANTS INFECTED WITH PHYTOPLASMAS

Author
item HE, FANG-TING - 1275-25-00
item Lee, Ing Ming
item Hammond, Rosemarie
item Zhao, Yan

Submitted to: International Organization for Mycoplasmology
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/20/1998
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Virescence and phyllody are characteristic symptoms induced by infection of many phytoplasma strains in the aster yellows phytoplasma group (16SrI). Little is known about the physiological aspects which trigger the transformation of normal flowers into virescent or leaf-like flowers on plants infected with phytoplasma. This study was undertaken to investigate the role of protein phosphorylation in the induction of phyllody symptoms on periwinkle plants during early stages of phytoplasmal infection. Nearly isogenic periwinkle plants (propagated by cutting) were graft-inoculated with various strains of phytoplasmas (e.g 16SrI-A, B, and C) belonging to aster yellows phytoplasma group. Total mRNAs were prepared from young leaves and from flower buds and fully opened flowers collected from infected plants and healthy controls. Two generic primers designed previously and based on the conserved domains of protein kinases were used in reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reactions (RT-PCRs) for detection of specific protein kinases in infected periwinkles that might be directly correlated with the formation of virescence and phyllody. Preliminary results indicated that at least three putative protein kinase sequences may be involved in the induction of virescence and phyllody.