Molekularna tipizacija tuniskih klonova vrste Myzus persicae (Hemiptera: Aphididae) pomoću mikrosatelitskih biljega

In order to assess the genetic differentiation among Tunisian clones belonging to the Myzus persicae complex (M. persicae (Sulzer), M. antirrhinii (Macchiati) and M. nicotianea Blackman), the molecular technique of microsatellites was used in this study. These markers offer sensitivity and are useful in population genetic studies of parthenogenetic organisms. Here, nine polymorphic microsatellite loci were amplified to distinguish between six parthenogenetic clones belonging to M. persicae complex collected from two different Tunisian areas. Interestingly, this technique allowed discrimination between five different genotypic classes among the six clones. Furthermore, analysis of genetic relatedness between the genotypic classes revealed that two Tunisian clones did not cluster either in M. persicae or in M. antirrhinii taxa, whereas, the four other Tunisian clones clustered into the M. persicae Sulzer taxa.U cilju utvrđivanja genetičkih razlika između tuniskih klonova kompleksa Myzus persicae (Sulzer), M. antirrhinii (Macchiati) i M. nicotianea (Blackman) upotrijebljena je molekularna mikrosatelitska tehnika. Ovi su biljezi vrlo osjetljivi i korisni u takvim istraživanjima partenogenetskih organizama. Umnoženo je devet polimorfnih lokusa mikrosatelita kako bi se razlikovalo šest partenogenetskih klonova kompleksa M. persicae sabranih u dva različita područja u Tunisu. Zanimljivo je da je ova tehnika omogućila razlikovanje između pet različitih genotipskih razreda tih šest klonova. Nadalje, analize genetičke srodnosti između genotipskih razreda pokazale su da dva tuniska klona nisu u istoj grupi niti s M. persicae, niti s M. antirrhinii, dok se četiri tuniska klona nalaze unutar vrste M. persicae Sulzer

Incidence of potato viruses and characterisation of Potato virus Y variability in late season planted potato crops in Northern Tunisia

International audienceSurveys were conducted of symptomatic potato plants in late season crops, from the major potato production regions in Northern Tunisia, for infection with six common potato viruses. The presence of Potato leafroll virus (PLRV), Potato virus Y (PVY), Potato virus X (PVX), Potato virus A (PVA), Potato virus S (PVS) and Potato virus M (PVM) was confirmed serologically with virus infection levels up to 5.4, 90.2, 4.3, 3.8, 7.1 and 4.8%, respectively. As PVY was prevalent in all seven surveyed regions, further biological, serological and molecular typing of 32 PVY isolates was undertaken. Only one isolate was shown to induce PVYO-type symptoms following transmission to tobacco and to react only against anti-PVYO-C antibodies. Typical vein necrosis symptoms were obtained from 31 samples, six of which reacted against both anti-PVYN and anti-PVYO-C antibodies showing they contained mixed isolates, while 25 of them reacted only with anti-PVYN antibodies. An immunocapture RT-PCR molecular test using a PVYNTN specific primer pair set in the 5’NTR/P1 genomic region and examination of recombinant points in three genomic regions (HC-Pro/P3, CI/NIa and CP/3’NTR) showed that all 25 serotype-N PVY isolates were PVYNTN variants with similar recombinations to the standard PVYNTN-H isolate. This is the first report of the occurrence of the PVYNTN variant and its high incidence in late season potatoes in Tunisia

Topical application of Escherichia coli-encapsulated dsRNA induces resistance in Nicotiana benthamiana to potato viruses and involves RDR6 and combined activities of DCL2 and DCL4

16 p.-7 fig.Exogenous application of double-stranded RNAs (dsRNAs) for inducing virus resistance in plants represents an attractive alternative to transgene-based silencing approaches. However, improvement of dsRNA stability in natural conditions is required in order to provide long-term protection against the targeted virus. Here, we tested the protective effect of topical application of Escherichia coli-encapsulated dsRNA compared to naked dsRNA against single and dual infection by Potato virus X expressing the green fluorescent protein (PVX-GFP) and Potato virus Y (PVY) in Nicotiana benthamiana. We found that, in our conditions, the effectiveness of E. coli-encapsulated dsRNA in providing RNAi-mediated protection did not differ from that of naked dsRNA. dsRNA vaccination was partly effective against a dual infection by PVX-GFP and PVY, manifested by a delay in the expression of the synergistic symptoms at early times after inoculation. Using PVX-GFP as a reporter virus together with a suite of RNAi knockdown transgenic lines, we have also shown that RNA-directed RNA polymerase 6 and the combined activities of DICER-like 2 (DCL2) and DCL4 act to promote efficient resistance to virus infection conferred by topical application of dsRNA in N. benthamiana. Our results provide evidence that exogenous dsRNA molecules are processed by the RNA silencing pathways commonly used by the host in response to virus infection.This research was funded by the Ministry of Science and Innovation of Spain, grant number PID2019-109304RB-I00, and Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), grant number COOPA20465 (AEI/FEDER, UE) (T.C. and F.T.). K.N., M.M. and E.S.-G. were supported by funding of the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research of Tunisia, grant numbers 2019-BALT-1077 and 2019-BALT-1079, and Introduction to Research from the State Agency CSIC, grant number JAEINT_20_02094, respectively.Peer reviewe

Differences in virulence among PVY isolates of different geographical origins when infecting an experimental host under two growing environments are not determined by HCPro

16 p.-6 fig.-1 tab.The contribution of the HCPro factors expressed by several PVY isolates of different geographical origins (one from Scotland, one from Spain, and several from Tunisia) to differences in their virulence in Nicotiana benthamiana plants was investigated under two growing conditions: standard (st; 26 °C and current ambient levels of CO2), and climate change-associated (cc; 31 °C and elevated levels of CO2). In all cases, relative infection symptoms and viral titers were determined. The viral HCPro cistrons were also sequenced and amino-acid features of the encoded proteins were established, as well as phylogenetic distances. Additionally, the abilities of the HCPros of several isolates to suppress silencing were assessed under either growing condition. Overall, viral titers and infection symptoms decreased under cc vs. st conditions. However, within each growing condition, relative titers and symptoms were found to be isolate-specific, with titers and symptom severities not always correlating. Crucially, isolates expressing identical HCPros displayed different symptoms. In addition, all HCPro variants tested displayed comparable silencing suppression strengths. Therefore, HCPro alone could not be the main determinant of the relative differences in pathogenicity observed among the PVY isolates tested in this host, under the environments considered.This work was funded by a Research Grant from the Spanish Ministry of Innovation and Science (PID2019-109304RB-I00). MM and KN were both recipients of short-stay Fellowships at a Foreign Research Institution from the University of Tunis, El Manar.Peer reviewe

Sequence analysis of three citrus viroids infecting a single Tunisian citrus tree (Citrus, reticulata, Clementine)

We report the nucleotide sequences of three citrus viroids belonging to three different genera: Citrus exocortis viroid (CEVd), Hop stunt viroid (HSVd) and Citrus viroid-III (CVd-III) isolated from a single natural infected Citrus reticulata var. Clementine tree growing in a tree nursery in Manouba (near Tunis Capital). We describe the sequence variability of these viroids from their natural host without using an alternative passage by an indicator host or an artificial inoculation. This work confirms that naturally occurring viroid infections contain a mixture of sequence variants. These are the first sequences of citrus viroids from Africa

Incidence and Characterization of Potato Virus Y in Seed Potatoes in Tunisia (vol 53, pg 151, 2010)

International audienceIncidence and Characterization of Potato Virus Y in Seed Potatoes in Tunisia (vol 53, pg 151, 2010

Gp63PCR-RFLP patterns of <i>Leishmania</i> parasites obtained from dog biopsies.

<p>A: digestion with <i>Msc</i>I restriction enzyme; B: digestion with <i>Sal</i>I restriction enzyme. 1: <i>L. donovani</i>, 2: <i>L. infantum</i>, 3: LN112, 4: LN129, 5: LN26, 6: LN11, 7: LN80, 8: LN2, 9: LN39, 10: LN77, 11: LN102, 12: LN110, 13: J1, 14: J3, 15: J5, 16: J6, 17: J7. All sizes are indicated in bp.</p

Results of parasitology, serology and PCR investigations on Tunisian and control dogs.

<p>Results of parasitology, serology and PCR investigations on Tunisian and control dogs.</p

Evaluation of a gp63–PCR Based Assay as a Molecular Diagnosis Tool in Canine Leishmaniasis in Tunisia

<div><p>A gp63PCR method was evaluated for the detection and characterization of <i>Leishmania (Leishmania)</i> (<i>L.</i>) parasites in canine lymph node aspirates. This tool was tested and compared to other PCRs based on the amplification of 18S ribosomal genes, a <i>L. infantum</i> specific repetitive sequence and kinetoplastic DNA minicircles, and to classical parasitological (smear examination and/or culture) or serological (IFAT) techniques on a sample of 40 dogs, originating from different <i>L. infantum</i> endemic regions in Tunisia. Sensitivity and specificity of all the PCR assays were evaluated on parasitologically confirmed dogs within this sample (N = 18) and control dogs (N = 45) originating from non–endemic countries in northern Europe and Australia. The gp63 PCR had 83.5% sensitivity and 100% specificity, a performance comparable to the kinetoplast PCR assay and better than the other assays. These assays had comparable results when the gels were southern transferred and hybridized with a radioactive probe. As different infection rates were found according to the technique, concordance of the results was estimated by (κ) test. Best concordance values were between the gp63PCR and parasitological methods (74.6%, 95% confidence intervals CI: 58.8–95.4%) or serology IFAT technique (47.4%, 95% CI: 23.5–71.3%). However, taken together Gp63 and Rib assays covered most of the samples found positive making of them a good alternative for determination of infection rates. Potential of the gp63PCR-RFLP assay for analysis of parasite genetic diversity within samples was also evaluated using 5 restriction enzymes. RFLP analysis confirmed assignment of the parasites infecting the dogs to <i>L. infantum</i> species and illustrated occurrence of multiple variants in the different endemic foci. Gp63 PCR assay thus constitutes a useful tool in molecular diagnosis of <i>L. infantum</i> infections in dogs in Tunisia.</p></div