Proteomic analysis of a compatible interaction between sugarcane and Sporisorium scitamineum

Smut caused by Sporisorium scitamineum is one of the important diseases of sugarcane with global significance. Despite the intriguing nature of sugarcane - S. scitamineum interaction, several pertinent aspects remain unexplored. This study investigates the proteome level alterations occurring in the meristem of a S. scitamineum infected susceptible sugarcane cultivar at whip emergence stage. Differentially abundant proteins were identified by 2-DE coupled with MALDI-TOF/TOF-MS. Comprehensively, 53 sugarcane proteins identified were related to defense, stress, metabolism, protein folding, energy and cell division; in addition, a putative effector of S. scitamineum - chorismate mutase was identified. Transcript expression vis-à-vis the activity of phenylalanine ammonia lyase were relatively higher in the infected meristem. Abundance of seven candidate proteins in 2D gel profiles was in correlation with its corresponding transcript expression levels as validated by qRT-PCR. Furthermore, this study has opened up new perspectives on the interaction between sugarcane and S. scitamineum. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.