Proteome responses of Vitis vinifera L. to ‘flavescence dorée’ phytoplasma infection

‘Flavescence dorée’ is a serious phytoplasma disease affecting grapevine in several European countries. We are currently studying the interaction of ‘flavescence dorée’ phytoplasma with its natural plant host, by monitoring the effects of infection on the protein expression profile. The red-berried V. vinifera cv. Nebbiolo and Barbera were the source of plant material, as they are widely grown in Piedmont and produce wines of high quality. Moreover, the two varieties show a different sensitivity to the disease: ‘Nebbiolo’ is generally considered more tolerant to ‘flavescence dorée’ infection and shows milder symptoms than ‘Barbera’. Total proteins from midrib tissues were separated by two dimensional gel electrophoresis, and differentially expressed spots (p ≤ 0.05, | ratio | > 2) were identified by mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-TOF) analysis. The proteins were further analyzed by Blat2GO software, in order to study their function and involvement in biological processes. By this way, we could develop interaction maps, showing the possible involvement of the proteins in several biological pathways.