Journal of Plant Pathology (2003) 85, 314-315

I. Pentimone, L. Schena, A. Ippolito and F. Nigro (2003)
Partial characterization of an ABC-transporter encoding gene in Aureobasidium pullulans, strain l47, and development of a quantification method of the relative transcript level
Journal of Plant Pathology 85 (4), 314-315
X Meeting, Italian Society for Plant Pathology (poster)
Abstract: Aureobasidium pullulans, strain L47, is an effective biocontrol agent of postharvest diseases of several fruits and vegetables. Moreover, preharvest application in combination with low doses of fungicides further enhances the protection level during storage. Usually, ABC-transporter encoding genes (ABC-teg) play an important role in the resistance of microorganisms towards toxic compounds. Studies were conducted to characterize an ABC-teg from A. pullulans, strain L47, and to develop a molecular method for monitoring its expression in response to fungicides. Specific primers were designed, on the basis of a known ABC-teg region of A. pullulans (accession number: APU62928), enabling the amplification of a 701 bp DNA fragments from strain L47. This fragment was cloned, sequenced, and analysed by means of basic local alignment search tool to evaluate the homology with similar sequences reported in the GenBank. Two specific primers, amplifying a 173 bp amplicon suitable for the development of real time PCR detection, were designed to quantify the relative transcript level of the ABC-teg by quantitative RT-PCR. Since relative quantification requires a nonregulated housekeeping gene to normalise results, a portion of L47 b-tubulin gene was amplified with universal primer, cloned, sequenced, and utilised to design two primers amplifying a 175 bp amplicon. Preliminary results indicated a good correlation between fluorescence intensity and the relative transcript level in A. pullulans cells growing in fungicides-amended media. The study of ABC-teg expression may provide useful information on the use of biocontrol agents in combination with low doses of fungicides.
(The abstract is excluded from the Creative Commons licence and has been copied with permission by the publisher.)
Database assignments for author(s): Leonardo Schena, Antonio Ippolito

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
biocontrol - natural enemies
Research topic(s) for beneficials or antagonists:
molecular biology - genes
resistance to pesticides

---

Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
Aureobasidium pullulans (antagonist)