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Title: CHARACTERIZATION, PHYLOGENY AND IN PLANTA EXPRESSION OF A PUTATIVE LIPASE GENE FROM MALAYSIAN PERIWINKLE YELLOWS (MPY) PHYTOPLASMA, A MEMBER OF SUBGROUP 16SRI-B

Author
item JOMANTIENE, R - VILNIUS LITHUANIA
item NATILLA, A - POTENZA ITALY
item Hammond, Rosemarie
item Davis, Robert

Submitted to: American Phytopathology Society
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/31/2006
Publication Date: 4/12/2006
Citation: Jomantiene, R., Natilla, A., Hammond, R., Davis, R.E. 2006. Characterization, phylogeny and in planta expression of a putative lipase gene from malaysian periwinkle yellows (mpy) phytoplasma, a member of subgroup 16sri-b. American Phytopathology Society.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Recent work revealed gene clusters occurring as multiple, sequence-variable mosaics in the genomes of several phytoplasmas (Jomantiene and Davis. 2006. FEMS Microbiol Letters 255:59-65.) Analysis of such a region, termed genomic sequence-variable mosaic (GSVM), in the genome of MPY phytoplasma revealed a putative lipase gene. BLASTP searches against the NCBI database indicated presence of a gene encoding a partially similar protein in Western X (WX) disease phytoplasma (member of subgroup16SrIII-A) but not in the two completely sequenced genomes of onion yellows and aster yellows witches broom phytoplasmas (members of subgroups16SrI-B and 16SrI-A, respectively). The MPY gene encoded a putative protein of 304 amino acids having a signal peptide of 32 amino acids and domains found in lipases of numerous walled bacteria. To learn whether or not the putative MPY lipase may play a role in phytoplasma disease symptom development, we applied a virus-vector based gene expression system to test its biological activity in Nicotiana benthamiana plants.