ABSTRACT
We report the isolation and analysis of the gene encoding ftf1 (Fusarium transcription factor 1), a previously undescribed putative transcription factor from highly virulent strains of Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. phaseoli that is transcribed specifically during early stages of infection of its host common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.). The predicted 1080 amino acid ftf1 protein contains a Zn(II)2-Cys6 binuclear cluster DNA-binding motif. ftf1 expression during axenic growth in culture was not detected by either Northern or RT-PCR. On the contrary, in planta transcription of ftf1 is increased about 24h after plant inoculation, as detected by real-time RT-PCR. This result suggests that ftf1 has a role in the establishment of the fungus within the plant and/or the progress of the disease. Multiple copies of ftf1 are present in highly virulent strains of F. oxysporum f.sp. phaseoli.
Subject(s)
Fusarium/metabolism , Transcription Factors/metabolism , Amino Acid Sequence , Fabaceae/microbiology , Fusarium/genetics , Gene Expression Regulation, Fungal , Genes, Fungal/genetics , Molecular Sequence Data , Plant Diseases/microbiology , Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain ReactionABSTRACT
ABSTRACT We have characterized strains of Fusarium oxysporum from common bean fields in Spain that were nonpathogenic on common bean, as well as F. oxysporum strains (F. oxysporum f. sp. phaseoli) pathogenic to common bean by random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis. We identified a RAPD marker (RAPD 4.12) specific for the highly virulent pathogenic strains of the seven races of F. oxysporum f. sp. phaseoli. Sequence analysis of RAPD 4.12 allowed the design of oligonucleotides that amplify a 609-bp sequence characterized amplified region (SCAR) marker (SCAR-B310A280). Under controlled environmental and greenhouse conditions, detection of the pathogen by polymerase chain reaction was 100% successful in root samples of infected but still symptomless plants and in stem samples of plants with disease severity of >/=4 in the Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical (CIAT; Cali, Colombia) scale. The diagnostic procedure can be completed in 5 h and allows the detection of all known races of the pathogen in plant samples at early stages of the disease with no visible symptoms.
