Genotypic comparison of Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae from different hosts based on rep-PCR in Iran

Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae (Pss) is one of the most important pathogens، which infects over than 180 hosts and annually causes significant loss in various plants throughout the world. To investigate the genetic features of the bacterium، 58 isolates from different hosts including pome fruits، grains، stone fruits، some weeds and ornamental plants in Fars، Kohgiluyeh and Boyer Ahmad، Char Mahal-o-Bakhtiari and Isfahan provinces، were selected and evaluated، by ERIC and REP primers. Using these primers، 250-1500 bp DNA fragments were amplified. Analysis of ERIC-PCR fingerprint showed that five clusters exist within Pss strains، but any host preferences، were not visible. This result showed that using ERIC-PCR، we cannot differentiate various isolates of Pss from different hosts. In REP-PCR analysis Pss strains used in this study were divided into the five clusters. Although these isolates were distributed in several clusters، some host specialization could be seen in this heterogenous pathovar. Thus it seems that REP primer is a suitable molecular tool for discrimination of Pss strains which are isolated from different hosts. Cluster analysis of rep-PCR demonstrated that this method is reliable for showing host preference within Pss strains.