title: Correspondence between flowers and leaves in terpenoid indole alkaloid metabolism of the phytoplasma-infected Catharanthus roseus plants.
abstract: Several plants of Catharanthus roseus cv 'leafless inflorescence (lli)' showing phenotype of phytoplasma infection were observed for symptoms of early flowering, virescence, phyllody, and apical clustering of branches. Symptomatic plants were studied for the presence/absence and identity of phytoplasma in flowers. Transcription levels of several genes involved in plants' metabolism and development, accumulation of pharmaceutically important terpenoid indole alkaloids in flowers and leaves and variation in the root-associated microbial flora were examined. The expression profile of 12 genes studied was semi-quantitatively similar in control leaves and phytoplasma-infected leaves and flowers, in agreement with the symptoms of virescence and phyllody in phytoplasma-infected plants. The flowers of phytoplasma-infected plants possessed the TIA profile of leaves and accumulated catharanthine, vindoline, and vincristine and vinblastine in higher concentrations than leaves. The roots of the infected plants displayed lower microbial diversity than those of normal plants. In conclusion, phytoplasma affected the biology of C. roseus lli plants multifariously, it reduced the differences between the metabolite accumulates of the leaves and flowers and restrict the microbial diversity of rhizosphere.
authors.forename: Suchi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Srivastava
authors.forename: Richa
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pandey
authors.forename: Sushil
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kumar
authors.forename: Chandra Shekhar
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Nautiyal
mesh_terms: D002244:Carbon / Q000494:pharmacology; D030008:Catharanthus / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000382:microbiology*; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal / Q000235:genetics; D035264:Flowers / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant / Q000187:drug effects; D017343:Genes, Plant; D009154:Mutation / Q000235:genetics; D010802:Phylogeny; D045582:Phytoplasma / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D010935:Plant Diseases / Q000235:genetics / Q000382:microbiology; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D025341:Principal Component Analysis; D046948:Secologanin Tryptamine Alkaloids / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D004275:DNA, Ribosomal; D046948:Secologanin Tryptamine Alkaloids; D002244:Carbon