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Infection Biology of Moniliophthora perniciosa on Theobroma cacao and Alternate Solanaceous Hosts

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Abstract

The C-biotype of Moniliophthora perniciosa is the causal agent of witches’ broom disease of Theobroma cacao L. While this disease is of major economic importance, the pathogenicity mechanisms and plant responses underlying the disease are difficult to study given the cacao tree’s long life cycle and the limited availability of genetic and genomic resources for this system. The S-biotype of M. perniciosa infects solanaceous hosts, particularly pepper (Capsicum annuum) and tomato (Solanum lycopersicum). These species are much more amenable for performing studies of mechanisms underpinning host-pathogen interactions as compared to cacao. A phylogenetic analysis performed in this study demonstrated that S-biotype strains clustered with C-biotype strains, indicating that these biotypes are not genetically distinct. A comparative analysis demonstrated that disease progression in tomato infected with the S- biotype is similar to that described for cacao infected with the C- biotype. The major symptoms observed in both systems are swelling of the infected shoots and activation and proliferation of axillary meristems. Cellular changes observed in infected tissues correspond to an increase in cell size and numbers of xylem vessels and phloem parenchyma along the infected stem. Observations revealed that fungal colonization is biotrophic during the first phase of infection, with appearance of calcium oxalate crystals in close association with hyphal growth. In summary, despite different host specificity, both biotypes of M. perniciosa exhibit similar disease-related characteristics, indicating a degree of conservation of pathogenicity mechanisms between the two biotypes.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Dr. Majid Foolad (The Pennsylvania State University, Department of Horticulture) for providing tomato seeds (NC841.73). Thanks to Dr Paul Backman for useful comments and for providing lab space to work with the pathogen under containment conditions. Thanks also to Ruth Haldeman, Susan Mogargee and Elaine Kunze for technical assistance with microscopy and to Dr. Sook-Young Park for her technical assistance with molecular techniques. This work was supported in part by the American Cocoa Research Institute Endowed Program in the Molecular Biology of Cocoa, by Grants to M.J.G. from the World Cocoa Foundation and the United States Department of Agriculture Office of International Research Programs, and by support from the Departments of Plant Pathology and Horticulture, Agricultural Experiment Station of The Pennsylvania State University (CRIS 3550).

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  1. Jean-Philippe Marelli

    Present address: Mars Center for Cocoa Science, Caixa postal 55 45630-000, Itajuipe, Bahia, Brazil

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Plant Pathology, The Pennsylvania State University, Buckhout Lab, 16802, University Park, PA, USA

    Jean-Philippe Marelli & Seogchan Kang

  2. Department of Horticulture, The Pennsylvania State University, 422 Life Sciences Building, 16802, University Park, PA, USA

    Siela N. Maximova & Mark John Guiltinan

  3. CEPLAC/CEPEC/SEFIT, Caixa postal 07 45600-000, Itabuna, Bahia, Brazil

    Karina P. Gramacho

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  1. Jean-Philippe Marelli
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Correspondence to Mark John Guiltinan.

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Communicated by: Schuyler S. Korban

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Marelli, JP., Maximova, S.N., Gramacho, K.P. et al. Infection Biology of Moniliophthora perniciosa on Theobroma cacao and Alternate Solanaceous Hosts. Tropical Plant Biol. 2, 149–160 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12042-009-9038-1

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