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Cytological responses in the hypersensitive reaction in cotyledon and stem tissues of Brassica napus after infection by Leptosphaeria maculans

  • Fungal Diseases
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Abstract

A hypersensitive response (HR) occurs after infection of cotyledon, leaf and stem of Brassica napus cv. Surpass 400 by an avirulent strain of Leptosphaeria maculans. The cotyledon or the sixth true-leaf stages of plants were inoculated with pycnidiospores of L. maculans (strain UWA P11). For the first time in this specific pathosystem and its HR, we report condensation of cytoplasm, shrinkage in cell size and nuclear DNA fragmentation in cotyledon tissues, and in stem tissues, shrinkage and condensation of the cytoplasm, chromatin fragmentation and lobing of the nucleus.

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Acknowledgments

This research was funded by the School of Earth and Geographical Sciences and the School of Plant Biology at the University of Western Australia. We thank Mr John Murphy for his support with microscopy.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Earth and Geographical Sciences, Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Nedlands, WA, 6009, Australia

    Hua Li & Krishnapillai Sivasithamparam

  2. School of Plant Biology, Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Nedlands, WA, 6009, Australia

    Martin J. Barbetti

  3. Western Australian State Agricultural Biotechnology Centre, Murdoch University, Murdoch, WA, 6150, Australia

    Stephen J. Wylie

  4. The Centre for Microscopy and Microanalysis, The University of Western Australia, Nedlands, WA, 6009, Australia

    John Kuo

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  1. Hua Li
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  2. Krishnapillai Sivasithamparam
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Correspondence to Hua Li.

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Hua Li, Sivasithamparam, K., Barbetti, M.J. et al. Cytological responses in the hypersensitive reaction in cotyledon and stem tissues of Brassica napus after infection by Leptosphaeria maculans . J Gen Plant Pathol 74, 120–124 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10327-007-0067-z

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