Vol. 64 No. 2 (2025)
Articles

Discovery of signature peptides through proteomic approach as potential biomarkers for root wilt infection in coconut trees

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  • Perumalla Aman JAYAKER,
  • Sundararajan VINO,
  • Subramanian BABU
Perumalla Aman JAYAKER
School of Bio Sciences and Technology, Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore 632014, India
Sundararajan VINO
School of Bio Sciences and Technology, Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore 632014, India
Subramanian BABU
VIT School of Agricultural Innovations and Advanced Learning (VAIAL), Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore 632014, India
DOI: https://doi.org/10.36253/phyto-15977
Categories

Published 2025-09-12

Keywords

  • Disease detection,
  • Phytoplasma,
  • Proteome biomarkers,
  • Root wilt,
  • Signature peptides

How to Cite

[1]
P. A. JAYAKER, S. VINO, and S. BABU, “Discovery of signature peptides through proteomic approach as potential biomarkers for root wilt infection in coconut trees”, Phytopathol. Mediterr., vol. 64, no. 2, pp. 161–182, Sep. 2025.

Copyright (c) 2025 Perumalla Aman Jayaker, Sundararajan Vino, Subramanian Babu

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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Abstract

Root wilt disease of coconut associated with phytoplasma presence is characterized by late symptoms in the field and hence disease detection has been challenging. Several attempts have been made in the past for detecting the infection, which included microscopic, histochemical, immuno assays and DNA based methods. However, the successful detection with precision and by a cost-effective simple assay is still not available. The current study used two-dimensional electrophoresis followed by mass spectrometric identification of the differentially or uniquely expressed proteins in the infected palms compared to healthy ones. Among the different proteins identified in the study, mannan endo-1,4-beta mannosidase and BTB/POZ domain and ankyrin repeat containing NPR2 proteins were selected. Bioinformatic analyses were carried out to characterize these proteins and the signature peptides with antigenic properties were determined. Biomarker protein structure prediction, homology modelling indicated the structure and function as well as uniqueness of these proteins. The sequences of these signature peptides are unique to these proteins and were found to be part of salicylic acid binding amino acid residues, thus involved in systemic acquired resistance against pathogens of plants. It is reported the procedure for obtaining signature peptides of potential biomarker proteins for detection of root wilt infection in coconut. The antibodies developed against these peptides would have more specificity for a precise detection of root wilt infection in coconut farms.

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