DNA microarray-based detection and identification of bacterial and viral pathogens of maize

Abstract

We describe the construction and evaluation of DNA microarray for simultaneous detection and identification of five microbial pathogens of maize: Pantoea ananatis, P. agglomerans, Enterobacter cloaceae subsp. dissolvens, Maize dwarf mosaic virus (MDMV) and Sugarcane mosaic virus (SCMV). Unlike other DNA microarrays described, our microarray comprises probes targeting the whole genomes of the tested pathogens. Control probes are complementary to genomes of closely related microorganisms that are nonpathogenic to maize and against maize and human genome sequences in order to avoid the potential false-positive results. Obtained results indicate that the fluorescence signals from pathogen and control probes are well distinguished in all performed experiments. The microarray’s performance was compared with classical PCR-based pathogen detection method, and the versatility of the assay was tested in silico.