Analysis of host-induced response in the rice blast fungus Magnaporthe grisea using two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis

Abstract

Two-dimensional (2-D) polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of proteins was used to study the response of the rice blast fungus to extracts prepared from resistant and susceptible rice cultivars. A protein of molecular mass 31 kDa was induced by a susceptible host extract, while the fungus exposed to extract from the resistant cultivar and the untreated samples did not show the presence of this protein. Levels of this 31 kDa protein increased 30-fold, 72h after treatment with plant extracts, with the concomitant appearance of at least sixteen other novel proteins. Fungus treated with extracts of resistant host or the untreated samples did not show any of these proteins while the proteins specific to different growth stages appeared as expected. Analysis of the extracellular samples showed induction of a 17 kDa protein after 72h in the culture treated with susceptible host extract. Since the resistant host extract does not cause induction of any protein it is likely that the proteins induced in response to the susceptible host are expressed during the disease process and/or its establishment. Our study demonstrates usefulness of 2-D analysis in understanding host-pathogen interactions.