Chloroform allowed a selective formazan extraction and removal of potential endogenous, exogenous or procedural artefacts that may interfere with the quantitative determination. This protocol can be used to quantify the superoxide produced in plant tissues using any traditional qualitative NBT histochemical staining method.

Background: Culture filtrates from Acremonium spp. induce resistance against pathogens in strawberry. Results: A 34-kDa extracellular protein from Acremonium strictum exhibiting strawberry defense inducing and in vitro subtilisin-like proteolytic activities was characterized, and its encoding cDNA was cloned. Conclusion: Fungal subtilisin AsES is a novel defense elicitor. Significance: Characterization of elicitor molecules is crucial for understanding the plant-pathogen interaction and improving the plant defense response.

Transgenic expression of the pepper Bs2 gene confers resistance to Xanthomonas campestris pv. vesicatoria (Xcv) pathogenic strains which contain the avrBs2 avirulence gene in susceptible pepper and tomato varieties. The avrBs2 gene is highly conserved among members of the Xanthomonas genus, and the avrBs2 of Xcv shares 96% homology with the avrBs2 of Xanthomonas citri subsp. citri (Xcc), the causal agent of citrus canker disease. A previous study showed that the transient expression of pepper Bs2 in lemon leaves reduced canker formation and induced plant defence mechanisms. In this work, the effect of the stable expression of Bs2 gene on citrus canker resistance was evaluated in transgenic plants of Citrus sinensis cv. Pineapple. Interestingly, Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of epicotyls was unsuccessful when a constitutive promoter (2× CaMV 35S) was used in the plasmid construction, but seven transgenic lines were obtained with a genetic construction harbouring Bs2 under the control of a pathogen-inducible promoter, from glutathione S-transferase gene from potato. A reduction of disease symptoms of up to 70% was observed in transgenic lines expressing Bs2 with respect to non-transformed control plants. This reduction was directly dependent on the Xcc avrBs2 gene since no effect was observed when a mutant strain of Xcc with a disruption in avrBs2 gene was used for inoculations. Additionally, a canker symptom reduction was correlated with levels of the Bs2 expression in transgenic plants, as assessed by real-time qPCR, and accompanied by the production of reactive oxygen species. These results indicate that the pepper Bs2 resistance gene is also functional in a family other than the Solanaceae, and could be considered for canker control.

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Results obtained indicate that the white-fruited character was stable. Mother progenitors exert a strong influence on the expression of the white-fruited character. The white-fruited phenotype is due to the impairment or downregulation of the ANS gene.

An increasing interest in the development of products of natural origin for crop disease and pest control has emerged in the last decade. Here we introduce a new family of strawberry acyl glycosides (SAGs) formed by a trisaccharide (GalNAc-GalNAc-Glc) and a monounsaturated fatty acid of 6 to 12 carbon atoms linked to the glucose unit. Application of SAGs to Arabidopsis thaliana (hereafter Arabidopsis) plants triggered a transient oxidative burst, callose deposition and defense gene expression, accompanied by increased protection against two phytopathogens, Pseudomonas viridiflava and Botrytis cinerea. SAGs-induced disease protection was also demonstrated in soybean infected with the causal agent of target spot, Corynespora cassiicola. SAGs were shown to exhibit important antimicrobial activity against a wide-range of bacterial and fungal phytopathogens, most probably through membrane destabilization, and the potential use of SAGs as a biofungicide for postharvest disease protection was demonstrated on lemon fruits infected with Penicillium digitatum. Plant growth promotion by application of SAGs was shown by augmented primary root elongation, secondary roots development and increased siliques formation in Arabidopsis, whereas a significant increment in number of seed pods was demonstrated in soybean. Stimulation of radicle development and the induction of an auxin-responsive reporter system (DR5::GUS) in transgenic Arabidopsis plants, suggested that SAGs-stimulated growth at least partly acts through the auxin response pathway. These results indicate that strawberry fatty acid glycosides are promising candidates for the development of environmental-friendly products for disease management in soybean and lemon.

No abstract

The identification of a full length cDNA encoding an endo-b-1,3-glucanase (FaOGBG-5) from strawberry (Fragaria  ananassa Duch) is reported. The analysis of the deduced amino acid sequence of FaOGBG-5 showed that it shares typical structural features and a high degree of identity with other plant b-1,3-glucanases of the class I. The expression of FaOGBG-5 in plants infected with a virulent isolate of Colletotrichum acutatum and an avirulent isolate of Colletotrichum fragariae was examined. Induction of expression was observed with both pathogens but exhibited a delayed high expression with the virulent one. Additionally, the accumulation of FaOGBG-5 transcripts was also observed after treatments with the stress related hormones salicylic acid and ethylene. Results obtained suggest that the b-1,3-glucanase encoded by FaOGBG-5 may be implicated in plant defence against biotic and abiotic stress.