Detection and Molecular Characterization of a Stolbur Phytoplasma in Lilium Oriental Hybirds

Chung, Bong Nam; Jeong, Myeong Il

The Plant Pathology Journal 2003;19(2):106-110.
Published online April 30, 2003.

Detection and Molecular Characterization of a Stolbur Phytoplasma in Lilium Oriental Hybirds

Abstract

Stolbur phytoplasma was detected from Lilium Oriental hybrids showing flattened stem and flower clustering. The presence of phytoplasma was demonstrated using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays with phytoplasma-universal (P1/P6) and stolbur phytoplasma-specific 16F1/R1-S primer pairs amplifying phytoplasma 16S rDNA regions. Nucleotide sequences of the phytoplasma 16S rDNA were determined. Nucleic acid extracted from lily amplified 1.5 kb DNA with a phytoplasma universal primer pair. In nested PCR, 1.1 kb PCR product was obtained using specific primer pair, indicating an isolate of stolbur phytoplasma. Nucleotide sequence of phytoplasma 16S rDNA reported in this study showed 99.5% and 99.1% identities with two known stolbur phytoplasmas (16Sr XII-A). Also, it exhibited a sequence homology of 98.0% with phormium yellow leaf (16Sr XII-B), and 97.9% with Australian grapevine yellows (16Sr XII-B). Meanwhile, it showed 98.1% identity with strawberry green petal phytoplasma, (16SrI-C), and 94.7 % with American aster yellows (16SrI-B). Homology percentage of the 16S rDNA nucleotide sequence suggests that this phytoplasma could be classified into the stolbur phytoplasma, subgroup A (16Sr XII-A), as a type strain stolbur.

Key Words: Lilium, phytoplasma, rDNA, stolbur