High diversity in Curtobacterium flaccumfaciens pv. flaccumfaciens characterized by serology and rep-PCR genomic fingerprinting

Abstract

The diversity found in culture collection strains of Curtobacterium flaccumfaciens pv. flaccumfaciens was characterized by serology and repetitive-sequence-based polymerase chain reaction (rep-PCR). Using strain NCPPB 559 as the reference antigen, immunofluorescence tests with polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies confirmed that no epitope appeared to be common to all strains of this pathovar. Screening of hybridoma cell lines againsl strains of this pathovar, as well as against other members of this genus and species, identified two distinct epitopes. Phylogenetic analysis of the rep-PCR genomic fingerprints of Curtobacter, Clavibacter, and Rathayibacter species, grouped all the C. flaccumfaciens strains and pathovars together, but the C. flaccumfaciens pv. flaccumfaciens strains did not form a single cluster. Rather, they dispersed into two clusters, along with strains of other pathovars of this species. Members of one cluster reacted with one of the monoclonal antibodies, while members of the other did not.