Electrophoretic Analysis of Total and Membrane Proteins of Xanthomonas campestris Pathovars, the Causal Agents of the Leaf Streak of Cereals and Grasses in Iran

Forty-five Iranian isolates of Xanthomonas campestris obtained from wheat, barley and grasses were compared with reference strains using polyacrylamide ge! electrophoresis (PAGE) ofthe who!e-ce!! and membrane proteins. The P.AGE pro(i!es of ihe wbo!e-ceil and membrane proteins of the Iranian iso!ates obtained from barley, w ith the exception of IBLS ! 1 and IBLS 12. were identical and clearly distinguishable from those of the other isolates. The bariey group isolates, which were pathogenic only to bar!ey. were similar to UPB 458 (NCPPB 23S9). the reference strain of pathovar hordei. The isolates obtained from wheat and grasses, as well as IBLS 1! and IBLS 12. which can infect wheat, barley and some wild grasses, had similar banding patterns; only IBLS 40 isolated IVom Hordeum sp. displayed the same profile as the barley group. Reference strains UPB 443 (NCPPB 2821) and UPB 513. which correspond to patbovars undulo.sa and iranslucens, respectively, were related to the wheat group. IBLS45. isolated from Bromus sp.. had a banding pattern that differed from those observed for strains of the barley and wheat groups. The results suggest that this method can be useful for discriminating different pathovars of X. campestris attacking cereals and grasses, and sodium dodecyi sulphate (SDSJ-PAGE of membrane proteins was not more sensitive than SDS-PAGE of total proteins for differentiating the isolates.