Cassava bacterial blight (CBB), caused by Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. manihotis, is considered one of the most important bacterial diseases of cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz). In order to characterize the cassava genes involved in resistance to this disease, a genomic clone of a cationic peroxidase gene, MEPX1, was isolated by PCR from cassava cultivar MCOL 22. The DNA sequence of MEPX1 showed high homology with other plant peroxidase genes and contained a large intron typical of peroxidase genes. The predicted translation product showed a heme-ligand motif, also a characteristic of peroxidases, as well as phosphorylation, myristoylation and glycosylation sites. The amino acid sequence had 75 % homology with two Arabidopsis thaliana peroxidases. A Southern blot of 17 cassava cultivars, probed with MEPX1, showed multiple hybridization bands. Polymorphisms between cultivars generally reflected geographic origin, but there was also an association with resistance to CBB, indicating that MEPX1 could be a potentially useful marker for this trait.
Manihot esculenta; peroxidase; bacterial blight; Xanthomonas axonopodis
