ARS | Publication request: COMPARATIVE PROTEOMIC ANALYSIS OF MAIZE SILKS IN ASPERGILLUS FLAVUS RESISTANT AND SUSCEPTIBLE INBREDS

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: October 13, 2003
Publication Date: October 13, 2003
Citation: Peethambaran, B., Williams, W.P., Luthe, D.S. 2003. Comparative proteomic analysis of maize silks in Aspergillus flavus resistant and susceptible inbreds [abstract]. 16th Annual Aflatoxin Elimination Workshop Proceedings. p. 104.

Technical Abstract: Research in our laboratory is focused on eliminating aflatoxin contamination in maize (Zea mays L.) by increasing resistance to Aspergillus flavus infection during ear development. Because it has been postulated that the fungus enters the ear via the silks, we are investigating the proteome of silk proteins in maize inbreds that are resistant or susceptible to aflatoxin contamination and/or A. flavus infection. We hope to identify proteins that directly contribute to the resistance phenotype or proteins/genes that can be used for marker-assisted selection in breeding programs. Control silks were collected from Mp313E, Mp420 (resistant), Tx601 (intermediate resistance) and SC212M, Mp339 (susceptible) 21 days after silk emergence (DAS). Infested ears were inoculated with A. flavus at 15 (DAS) and were collected 21 DAS. Silk proteins were extracted and analyzed by 2-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE). Gel images were analyzed by PDQuest software (BioRad) and comparisons were made among inbreds and between inoculated and uninoculated samples. MALDI-TOF mass spectroscopy and LC/MS/MS were used to identify common silk proteins and those that consistently differed among resistant and susceptible lines, or inoculated and uninoculated ears. Agar plate assays using GFP-tagged A. flavus were used to study the resistance potential of proteins extracted from the resistant and susceptible genotype.