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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Frederick, Maryland » Foreign Disease-Weed Science Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #151799

Title: SPECIFIC DETECTION AND QUANTIFICATION OF PLUM POX POTYVIRUS BY REAL-TIME FLUORESCENT REVERSE TRANSCRIPTION-PCR

Author
item Schneider, William
item Sherman, Diana
item Stone, Andrew
item Damsteegt, Vernon
item Frederick, Reid

Submitted to: Journal of Virological Methods
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/16/2004
Publication Date: 9/20/2004
Citation: Schneider, W.L., Sherman, D.J., Stone, A.L., Damsteegt, V.D., Frederick, R.D. 2004. Specific detection and quantification of plum pox potyvirus by real-time fluorescent reverse transcription-PCR. Journal of Virological Methods.120:97-105.

Interpretive Summary: Plum pox potyvirus (PPV), a destructive and economically devastating disease of peaches and plums, was recently discovered in Pennsylvania. The efforts to eradicate this disease rely on efficient and sensitive detection of the virus. Current detection surveys use antibody-based methods, which are laborious and less sensitive than molecular techniques. A real-time molecular assay was developed for the detection of PPV. The methods developed are reproducible, specific to PPV, and sensitive enough to detect trace amounts of the virus. The assay is faster and more sensitive than traditional assays currently in use for surveys. PPV was effectively detected from leaves, stems, buds flowers and roots of multiple hosts. In addition, the assay can be used to quantify the amount of virus in a given sample, which is important to future research.

Technical Abstract: Plum pox potyvirus (PPV), a destructive and economically devastating pathogen of Prunus species, was recently discovered in Pennsylvania and Canada. Current containment efforts involve eradication of infected trees based on ELISA surveys, which are laborious and less sensitive than PCR-based techniques. A real-time, fluorescent, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay was developed for the detection of PPV in the Smart Cycler (Cepheid). The methods developed are reproducible, specific to PPV, and sensitive enough to consistently detect PPV transcripts at the 10-20 fg level. The assay is more sensitive than either ELISA or traditional PCR followed by visualization with ethidium-bromide. PPV was detected from multiple hosts and from multiple Prunus tissues (leaf, stem, bud, and root). A dilution series using an in vitro synthesized transcript containing the target sequence as a standard demonstrated that the assay was effective for quantification of viral template. The real-time PCR assay is a valuable tool for PPV detection and titer quantification in field or laboratory settings.