Overexpressing a molecular target of SAP11_CaPM in apple

The bacterial effector SAP11_CaPM can bind several members of the TCP transcription factor gene family. To investigate the role of the interaction in the infection process, apple plants stably overexpressing the MdTCP4a gene were generated and infected with a ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma mali’ strain. Preliminary results show a statistically significant lower concentration of the phytoplasma in the aerial parts of the in vitro transgenic lines than in the non-transformed “Gala” plants, suggesting that the overexpression of MdTCP4a gene could limit phytoplasma multiplication. Interestingly, soil-acclimatized transgenic plants displayed phenotypic characteristics similar to the symptoms of apple proliferation.