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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Fort Pierce, Florida » U.S. Horticultural Research Laboratory » Citrus and Other Subtropical Products Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #285050
Title: Secondary metabolite profiles of leaves of healthy and huanglongbing-infected orange (Citrus sinensis L.) seedlings measured by HPLC-fluorescence detection

Author
item Manthey, John
item REYES-DE-CORCUERA, JOSE - University Of Florida
item HIJAZ, FARAJ - University Of Florida
item FOLIMONOVA, SVETLANA - University Of Florida
item JONES, SHELLEY - University Of Florida
item DAVIS, CRAIG - University Of Florida

Submitted to: Florida State Horticultural Society Meeting
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/1/2012
Publication Date: 12/17/2012
Citation: Manthey, J.A., Reyes-De-Corcuera, J.R., Hijaz, F., Folimonova, S.Y., Jones, S., Davis, C. 2012. Secondary metabolite profiles of leaves of healthy and huanglongbing-infected orange (Citrus sinensis L.) seedlings measured by HPLC-fluorescence detection. Florida State Horticultural Society Meeting. 125:229-232.

Interpretive Summary: A search for chemical markers that might appear during early time points after HLB infection in orange leaves was conducted. This search was done by looking for newly formed fluorescent compounds. Unusual changes were observed in the fluorescent compounds of healthy leaves, but not in the HLB-affected leaves. No early occurring biomarker was detected.

Technical Abstract: Leaves of greenhouse-grown ‘Hamlin’ and ‘Valencia’ orange (Citrus sinensis L.) seedlings were analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography in a study of the progression of changes in secondary metabolite profiles resulting from infection by Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (CLas), the Huanglongbing causative pathogenic bacterium. Following graft transmission of Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus into the young trees, infection was monitored in new growth by PCR and visual symptoms. Leaves from healthy non-infected trees and from infected trees were analyzed principally for their profiles of fluorescent secondary metabolites. Two distinct profiles of compounds were observed at later collection dates, one predominantly in leaves of non-infected trees, and the other in visually symptomatic infected leaves. Characterizations of these peaks were made using high performance liquid chromatography coupled with photodiode array, fluorescence, and mass spectrometry. These characterizations showed that fluorescent compounds in the orange leaf extracts included polymethoxylated flavones, coumarins, and conjugated hydroxycinnamates, although other unknowns were also detected. The fluorescence detection of these compounds was optimized by measuring the emission and excitation spectra of purified standards of structurally related citrus leaf compounds.