Comparative proteomics analyses of mycelial, conidial, and Secreted Proteins of high-pathogenic and weak-pathogenic Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cucumerinum isolates

Abstract

Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cucumerinum (FOC) is one of the important fungi that infect cucumber plants, causing significant yield losses. Plant pathogenic fungi differ in their disease severity and aggressiveness degree with diverse infection modes governed by specialized proteins involved in signaling pathways leading to pathogenicity, the area which is less explored. To understand the pathogenicity and virulence variation of FOC isolates, a comprehensive proteomic study was done to compare the polypeptide patterns of mycelial, conidial, and secreted proteins of the highly pathogenic (hp-FOC) and weakly pathogenic (wp-FOC) isolates. Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE) coupled with LC-MS/MS analysis led to the identification of shared and unique proteins involved in metabolism and pathogenicity in both fungal isolates. This study may outline the biological and molecular basis of the different fungal structures to understand the mechanism of their action inside the host tissues. The determination of proteins that express the ability of the pathogen to induce pathogenesis may aid in detecting specialized inhibitors that suppress pathogenic protein activities to control the disease, this in turn may contribute to reduce the excessive use of fungicides, which further enhance the productivity, crop quality, and environmental safety.