title: Metabolic Consequences of Infection of Grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) cv. "Modra frankinja" with Flavescence Dorée Phytoplasma.
abstract: Flavescence dorée, caused by the quarantine phytoplasma FDp, represents the most devastating of the grapevine yellows diseases in Europe. In an integrated study we have explored the FDp-grapevine interaction in infected grapevines of cv. "Modra frankinja" under natural conditions in the vineyard. In FDp-infected leaf vein-enriched tissues, the seasonal transcriptional profiles of 14 genes selected from various metabolic pathways showed an FDp-specific plant response compared to other grapevine yellows and uncovered a new association of the SWEET17a vacuolar transporter of fructose with pathogens. Non-targeted metabolome analysis from leaf vein-enriched tissues identified 22 significantly changed compounds with increased levels during infection. Several metabolites corroborated the gene expression study. Detailed investigation of the dynamics of carbohydrate metabolism revealed significant accumulation of sucrose and starch in the mesophyll of FDp-infected leaves, as well as significant up-regulation of genes involved in their biosynthesis. In addition, infected leaves had high activities of ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase and, more significantly, sucrose synthase. The data support the conclusion that FDp infection inhibits phloem transport, resulting in accumulation of carbohydrates and secondary metabolites that provoke a source-sink transition and defense response status.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biotechnology and Systems Biology, National Institute of Biology Ljubljana, Slovenia.
authors.forename: Nina
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Prezelj
authors.affiliation: Department of Biotechnology and Systems Biology, National Institute of Biology Ljubljana, Slovenia.
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Covington
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Copenhagen Plant Science Centre, University of CopenhagenTaastrup, Denmark; Global Change Research Centre, Czech Globe AS CR, v.v.i.Drásov, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Roitsch
authors.affiliation: Department of Biotechnology and Systems Biology, National Institute of Biology Ljubljana, Slovenia.
authors.forename: Kristina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Gruden
authors.affiliation: Department of Ecogenomics and Systems Biology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Lena
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Fragner
authors.affiliation: Department of Ecogenomics and Systems Biology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of ViennaVienna, Austria; Vienna Metabolomics Center (VIME), University of ViennaVienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Wolfram
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Weckwerth
authors.affiliation: Department of Biotechnology and Systems Biology, National Institute of BiologyLjubljana, Slovenia; Jožef Stefan International Postgraduate SchoolLjubljana, Slovenia.
authors.forename: Marko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chersicola
authors.affiliation: Department of Biotechnology and Systems Biology, National Institute of Biology Ljubljana, Slovenia.
authors.forename: Maja
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vodopivec
authors.affiliation: Department of Biotechnology and Systems Biology, National Institute of Biology Ljubljana, Slovenia.
authors.forename: Marina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dermastia
keywords: SWEET17a; fructose; gene expression; metabolome; starch; sucrose synthase