Cerato-platanin, an early-produced protein by Ceratocystis fimbriata f. sp. platani, elicits phytoalexin synthesis in host and non-host plants

Cerato-platanin (CP), a protein of about 12.4 kDa from Ceratocystis fimbriata f. sp. platani (Cfp), accumulated in the mycelium and was located in the cell walls of Cfp ascospores, hyphae and conidia suggesting that this protein had a role in forming the fungal cell wall apart from the already known fact that it is secreted early in culture and elicits phytoalexin synthesis and/or plant cell death. The finding was obtained with three immunological techniques: a quantitative ELISA which determines the amount of CP in the mycelium, an immunofluorescence assay, and immunogold labelling to define the exact localization of CP in the Cfp cells.