Genetic Diversity Among Pseudomonas syringae pv. morsprunorum Isolates from Prunus mume in Korea and Japan by Comparative Sequence Analysis of 16S rRNA Gene

Abstract

Genetic diversity among Pseudomonas syringae pv. morsprunorum isolates from Prunus mume in Korea and Japan was investigated by comparative sequence analysis of the 16S rRNA gene. The strains included 24 field isolates recovered from P. mume in Korea along with seven Japanese strains. Two strains isolated from P. salicina in Japan, one strain from P. avium in the United Kingdom, and the pathotype strain were also used for comparison with their 16S rRNA gene sequences. Nearly complete 16S rRNA gene sequences were sequenced in all 35 strains, and three sequence types, designated types I, II and III, were identified. Eleven strains consisting of five Korean isolates, five Japanese strains, and one strain from the United Kingdom belonged to type I, whereas the pathotype strain and another 19 Korean isolates belonged to type III. Another four Japanese strains belonged to type II. Type I showed 98.9% sequence homology with type III. Type I and II had only two heterogeneous bases. The 16S rRNA sequence types were correlated with the races of P. syringae pv. morsprunorum. Type I and II strains belonged to race 1, whereas type III isolates were included in race 2. Sequence analyses of the 16S rRNA gene from P. syringae pv. morsprunorum were useful in identifying the races and can further be used for epidemiological surveillance of this pathogen.