Molecular markers reflect differentiation of Fusarium oxysporum forma speciales on tomato and forma on eggplant

PR-1-Like Protein as a Potential Target for the Identification of Fusarium oxysporum: An In Silico Approach

Fusarium oxysporum remains one of the leading causes of economic losses and poor crop yields; its detection is strained due to its presentation in various morphological and physiological forms. This research work sought to identify novel biomarkers for the detection of Fusarium oxysporum using in silico approaches. Experimentally validated anti-Fusarium oxysporum antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) were used to construct a profile against Fusarium oxysporum. The performance and physicochemical parameters of these peptides were predicted. The gene for the Fusarium oxysporum receptor protein PR-1-like Protein, Fpr1, was identified and translated. The resulting protein model from the translation was then validated. The anti-Fusarium oxysporum AMPs and Fusarium oxysporum receptor protein 3-D structures were characterized, and their docking interaction analyses were carried out. The HMMER in silico tool identified novel anti-Fusarium oxysporum antimicrobial peptides with good performance in terms of accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity. These AMPs also displayed good physicochemical properties and bound with greater affinity to Fusarium oxysporum protein receptor PR-1-like Protein. The tendency of these AMPs to precisely detect Fusarium oxysporum PR-1-like Protein, Fpr1, would justify their use for the identification of the fungus. This study would enhance and facilitate the identification of Fusarium oxysporum to reduce problems associated with poor crop yield, economic losses, and decreased nutritional values of plants to keep up with the growing population.

Characterization of Botrytis cinerea isolates collected on pepper in Southern Turkey by using molecular markers, fungicide resistance genes and virulence assay

Botrytis cinerea is a polyphagous fungal pathogen causing gray mold disease. Moreover, it is one of the most destructive infections of small fruit crops such as pepper (Capsicum annnum L.). C. sativum is a species belonging to the Solanaceae family and Turkey is one of the main producers in the World. In the present work, aiming to obtain information useful for pest management, fifty B. cinerea isolates collected from Turkey and a reference isolate (B05.10) were characterized using molecular markers and fungicide resistance genes. Morphological and molecular (ITS1-ITS4) identification of B. cinerea isolates, the degree of virulence and mating types were determined. Since one or several allelic mutations in the histidine kinase (Bos1) and β-tubulin genes generally confer the resistance to fungicides, the sequences of these target genes were investigated in the selected isolates, which allowed the identification of two different haplotypes. Mating types were also determined by PCR assays using primer specific for MAT1-1 alpha gene (MAT1-1-1) and MAT1-2 HMG (MAT1-2-1) of B. cinerea. Twenty-two out of 50 isolates (44%) were MAT1-2, while 38% were MAT1-1. Interestingly, out of whole studied samples, 9 isolates (18%) were heterokaryotic or mixed colonies. In addition, cluster and population structure analyses identified five main groups and two genetic pools, respectively, underlining a good level of variability in the analysed panel. The results highlighted the presence of remarkable genetic diversity in B. cinerea isolates collected in a crucial economical area for pepper cultivation in Turkey and the data will be beneficial in view of future gray mold disease management.

Antifungal activity of Microgramma vacciniifolia rhizome lectin on genetically distinct Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici races

Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici races 1, 2, and 3 deteriorate tomato crops since they cause a vascular wilt. Lectins are carbohydrate-binding proteins with hemagglutinating and antifungal activities. This work reports that Microgramma vacciniifolia rhizome lectin (MvRL) inhibits F. oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici race 3 growth (61 %) more intensely than of races 1 (55 %) and 2 (45 %). The hemagglutinating activity of MvRL was inhibited by glycoprotein preparations from mycelia of races 1, 2, and 3, and these data indicate that lectin carbohydrate-binding sites recognized glycosylated molecules from races. Inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) marker system showed that race 3 is genetically distinct from races 1 and 2, and thus the highest sensitiveness of F. oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici race 3 to MvRL may be due to molecular characteristics of this race.