Proteomic Analysis of Ripening Tomato Fruit Infected by Botrytis cinerea

Abstract

Botrytis cinerea, a model necrotrophic fungal pathogen that causes gray mold as it infects different organs on more than 200 plant species, is a significant contributor to postharvest rot in fresh fruit and vegetables, including tomatoes. By describing host and pathogen proteomes simultaneously in infected tissues, the plant proteins that provide resistance and allow susceptibility and the pathogen proteins that promote colonization and facilitate quiescence can be identified. This study characterizes fruit and fungal proteins solubilized in the B. cinerea−tomato interaction using shotgun proteomics. Mature green, red ripe wild type and ripening inhibited (rin) mutant tomato fruit were infected with B. cinerea B05.10, and the fruit and fungal proteomes were identified concurrently 3 days postinfection. One hundred eighty-six tomato proteins were identified in common among red ripe and red ripe-equivalent ripening inhibited (rin) mutant tomato fruit infected by B. cinerea. However, the limited infections by B. cinerea of mature green wild type fruit resulted in 25 and 33% fewer defense-related tomato proteins than in red and rin fruit, respectively. In contrast, the ripening stage of genotype of the fruit infected did not affect the secreted proteomes of B. cinerea. The composition of the collected proteins populations and the putative functions of the identified proteins argue for their role in plant−pathogen interactions.

‘Omics’ and Plant Responses to Botrytis cinerea

“…Proteomics of tomato fruits infected by B. cinerea revealed changes in 186 proteins in mature green wild-type fruit, which were unaltered in red ripe (RR) wild-type and ripening inhibited ( rin ) mutant. However, fewer defense-related proteins were changed in mature green wild-type fruit than in RR and rin fruits (Shah et al, 2012). …”

Proteomic responses of fruits to environmental stresses

“…Proteomic analysis of three types of tomato fruit infected by B. cinerea revealed that 186 tomato proteins were identified in common among red ripe and red ripe-equivalent ripening inhibited (rin) mutant tomato fruit infected by B. cinerea . However, the limited infections by B. cinerea of mature green wild type fruit resulted in 25 and 33% fewer defense-related tomato proteins than in red and rin fruit, respectively (Shah et al, 2012). …”

Ripening of Tomato Fruit and Susceptibility to Botrytis cinerea

“…A β-1,3-glucanase gene (e.g., TomQ ' a ) is induced 1 day post-inoculation when unripe fruit is infected but no induction occurs in infections of ripe fruit, or as consequence of ripening (Cantu et al 2009 ). Later in infections (3 days post-inoculation), enhanced expression and accumulation of PR-proteins, such as the putative thaumatin-like protein SlPRP -23 , the possible chitinase, SlChi -like1 , and the β-1,3-glucanases, TomQ ' b and TomB13GLUB , was detected in both unripe and ripe fruit (Cantu et al 2009 ;Shah et al 2012 ). PR-proteins in fruit may not be effective in controlling B. cinerea infections since the Cnr mutation induces PR gene expression in fruit but the fruit are hyper-susceptible to B. cinerea .…”