SR9221 - Antibody-based capture, detection and disease control of erwinia, pythium and related plant pathogens in greenhouse flower and vegetable crops

This project was funded by OMAFRA through the 2009 New Directions & Alternative Renewable Fuels Research program.

Lead researcher

Dr. J.Christopher. Hall, Department of Environmental Biology, University of Guelph

Objectives

This research program has two components: one applied and one experimental.

The goals of the applied component are to produce antibody-based immunoassays for greenhouse growers to use on-site for early detection of phytopathogenic organisms or their necrosis-inducing proteins in hydroponic media, and to produce antibody-based filtration devices for the cleansing of the same phytopathogens or their disease proteins from hydroponic media.

The goals for the experimental component are to determine whether the same anti-phytopathogen or anti-necrosis-inducing protein antibodies engineered for expression by a biocontrol agent, namely Pseudomonas chlororaphis, which is already registered as the product AtEze in the U.S. for use against some of these same phytopathogens, will improve this biocontrol agent either by broadening the range of organisms that it can control or by enhancing its ability to control phytopathogens.

A second component of the research in this proposal involves determining whether antibody-based fusion proteins, comprised of (1) an anti-phytopathogen or an anti-necrosis-inducing protein antibody domain and (2) a cellulose-binding domain (CBD), can target and reside on the roots of plants in hydroponic culture by virtue of their CBD and subsequently prevent disease symptoms caused by a phytopathogen or disease-eliciting protein when they are recognized by the respective antibody domain.

Expected benefits

To develop:

1. User-friendly diagnostic kits for greenhouse growers to detect and quantify a broad range of phytopathogens and necrosis-inducing proteins,
2. Prototype cellulose- and/or paper-based purification devices for use in the decontamination of hydroponic media, and
3. Enhanced biocontrol agents for applications by growers using hydroponic systems to treat a broad range of phytopathogens.

These tools will be made available to Ontario and Canadian greenhouse growers for use in combating damage and economic losses caused by greenhouse phytopathogens and their necrosis-inducing proteins. This platform technology could be extended to develop diagnostic and purification filters for detection and purification of pathogens in municipal water and sewage treatment facilities.

Results

Our research produced antibodies that specifically bind to a conserved peptide antigen found in all NLPs (Nep1-like Protein). These antibodies can be used to develop:

1. User-friendly detection assays for diagnostic kits that greenhouse growers could easily use to detect early stages of infection involving any of the broad range of phytopathogens that produce necrosis-inducing proteins
2. Inexpensive cellulose- or paper-based purification devices for decontamination of hydroponic media determined to contain NLPs
3. In future, enhanced biocontrol agents for application by growers using hydroponic systems to treat a broad range of phytopathogens.
   

Related information

• Other projects which were funded through the 2009 New Directions & Alternative Renewable Fuels Research Program
• The Alternative Renewable Fuels Research and Development Fund
• The New Directions Research Program