title: A Rapid Protocol of Crude RNA/DNA Extraction for RT-qPCR Detection and Quantification of 'Candidatus Phytoplasma prunorum'.
abstract: Many efforts have been made to develop a rapid and sensitive method for phytoplasma and virus detection. Taking our cue from previous works, different rapid sample preparation methods have been tested and applied to Candidatus Phytoplasma prunorum ('Ca. P. prunorum') detection by RT-qPCR. A duplex RT-qPCR has been optimized using the crude sap as a template to simultaneously amplify a fragment of 16S rRNA of the pathogen and 18S rRNA of the host plant. The specific plant 18S rRNA internal control allows comparison and relative quantification of samples. A comparison between DNA and RNA contribution to qPCR detection is provided, showing higher contribution of the latter. The method presented here has been validated on more than a hundred samples of apricot, plum and peach trees. Since 2013, this method has been successfully applied to monitor 'Ca. P. prunorum' infections in field and nursery. A triplex RT-qPCR assay has also been optimized to simultaneously detect 'Ca. P. prunorum' and Plum pox virus (PPV) in Prunus.
authors.affiliation: DipSA - Patologia Vegetale, Università di Bologna, Viale G. Fanin, 40-40127, Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Stefano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Minguzzi
authors.affiliation: DipSA - Patologia Vegetale, Università di Bologna, Viale G. Fanin, 40-40127, Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Federica
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Terlizzi
authors.affiliation: DipSA - Patologia Vegetale, Università di Bologna, Viale G. Fanin, 40-40127, Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Chiara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lanzoni
authors.affiliation: DipSA - Patologia Vegetale, Università di Bologna, Viale G. Fanin, 40-40127, Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Carlo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Poggi Pollini
authors.affiliation: DipSA - Patologia Vegetale, Università di Bologna, Viale G. Fanin, 40-40127, Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Claudio
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ratti
mesh_terms: D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D045582:Phytoplasma / Q000235:genetics*; D010935:Plant Diseases / Q000382:microbiology*; D027861:Prunus / Q000382:microbiology; D012329:RNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D012329:RNA, Bacterial