1Illinois Natural History Survey, Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois, Champaign, United States of America
2Council for Agricultural Research and Economics (CREA), Research Centre for Viticulture and Enology, Conegliano, Treviso, Italy
3Institute for Sustainable Plant Protection, National Research Council, Turin, Italy
*Corresponding author e-mail: Valeria Trivellone (valeria.trivellone@gmail.com)
Online published on 25 July, 2019.
The involvement of the immunodominant membrane protein Imp of 16SrV-D phytoplasma in the interaction with insect proteins was investigated. The His-tagged partial Imp protein and a rabbit polyclonal antibody were produced and used in Far-Western dot Blot (FWdB) assays. Total native proteins were extracted from batches of six insect species (Scaphoideus titanus, Euscelidius variegatus, Macrosteles quadripunctulatus, Ricania speculum, Metcalfa pruinosa and Zyginidia pullula). FWdB showed interaction of Imp fusion protein with total proteins of S. titanus, E. variegatus (known as efficient vectors) and M. quadripuncltulatus (potential vector), while no interaction signal was detected with the other three species that are reported as non-phytoplasma vectors.
Imp, leafhoppers, grapevine yellows, planthoppers
