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Production ofErwinia chrysanthemi pectinases in potato tubers showing high or low level of resistance to soft-rot

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Abstract

Erwinia chrysanthemi was used for inoculation of two lines of potato tubers with different degrees of resistance to soft-rot: cultivar Katahdin, a very sensitive material, and the somatic hybrid ofSolanum brevidens andSolanum tuberosum as a resistant plant. Infection was performed with theE. chrysanthemi wild-type strain 3937 and various mutants containing a transcriptional fusion of one pectinase gene (pem, pelA orpelE), together with the reporter genegus. Compared with the susceptible tubers, the accumulation of pectate lyase in the resistant tubers is limited. This limitation of the pectate lyase production seems to take place at the transcriptional level, with a striking decrease of the expression of thepelA::gus fusion and a decrease in the first steps of infection of thepelE::gus fusion expression. The pectinase genes appeared to be differentially regulated in the two potato lines. This study also revealed the major role of pectin methyl esterase in the infection process which occurs in potato tubers resistant to soft-rot. Indeed, the maceration of somatic hybrid tubers by thepem mutant was strongly reduced in comparison with the wild-type. We suggest that the resistant tubers have the advantage of a high methylated pectin which is difficult to degrade by theE. chrysanthemi pectinases.

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Dorel, C., Hugouvieux-Cotte-Pattat, N., Robert-Baudouy, J. et al. Production ofErwinia chrysanthemi pectinases in potato tubers showing high or low level of resistance to soft-rot. Eur J Plant Pathol 102, 511–517 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01877017

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