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Identification of Some Oomycetes by Reverse Dot Blot Hybridization

An assay was developed that can identify unknown isolates of Pythium or Phytophthora species in a single hybridization. This reverse dot blot system is based on arrays of species-specific amplified fragments or oligonucleotides derived from the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region, which are blotted as dots on a nylon membrane. By using total DNA from a sample as the template, universal primers, and digoxigenin-dUTP, the ITS was amplified and labeled simultaneously by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). A small aliquot of the resultant labeled and amplified product was used as a probe for hybridization to a dot blot membrane that contained the immobilized species-specific oligonucleotides or amplified PCR fragments. The reverse dot blot system based on arrays of oligonucleotides showed far fewer cross-hybridizations than one based on entire amplified ITS I fragments. Unknown species can be identified simply by visualizing the positive hybridization reaction between the DNA labeled directly from the sample and the immobilized specific oligonucleotide. Currently, the assay can be used to identify Pythium aphanidermatum, P. ultimum, P. acanthicum, and Phytophthora cinnamomi. An oligonucleotide that was originally designed to identify Phytophthora hybridized to 10 of the 14 Phytophthora species tested. Another oligonucleotide designed to identify oomycetes hybridized to the 68 species tested, which represented two of the four orders of this phylum.