Loop mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay for detection of coconut root wilt disease and arecanut yellow leaf disease phytoplasma

Loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP), a novel gene amplification method, enables the synthesis of larger amounts of both DNA and a visible byproduct--namely, magnesium pyrophosphate--without thermal cycling. A positive reaction is indicated by the turbidity of the reaction solution or the color change after adding an intercalating dye to the reaction solution, but the use of such dyes has certain limitations. Hydroxy naphthol blue (HNB), a metal indicator for calcium and a colorimetric reagent for alkaline earth metal ions, was used for a new colorimetric assay of the LAMP reaction. Preaddition of 120 microM HNB to the LAMP reaction solution did not inhibit amplification efficiency. A positive reaction is indicated by a color change from violet to sky blue. The LAMP reaction with HNB could also be carried out in a 96-well microplate, and the reaction could be measured at 650 nm with a microplate reader. The colorimetric LAMP method using HNB would be helpful for high-throughput DNA and RNA detection.

In Europe the most devastating phytoplasma associated with grapevine yellows (GY) diseases is a quarantine pest, flavescence dorée (FDp), from the 16SrV taxonomic group. The on-site detection of FDp with an affordable device would contribute to faster and more efficient decisions on the control measures for FDp. Therefore, a real-time isothermal LAMP assay for detection of FDp was validated according to the EPPO standards and MIQE guidelines. The LAMP assay was shown to be specific and extremely sensitive, because it detected FDp in all leaf samples that were determined to be FDp infected using quantitative real-time PCR. The whole procedure of sample preparation and testing was designed and optimized for on-site detection and can be completed in one hour. The homogenization procedure of the grapevine samples (leaf vein, flower or berry) was optimized to allow direct testing of crude homogenates with the LAMP assay, without the need for DNA extraction, and was shown to be extremely sensitive.