Macroarray Detection of Eleven Potato-Infecting Viruses and Potato spindle tuber viroid

A macroarray was developed for the detection of 11 potato viruses and Potato spindle tuber viroid. The 11 viruses detected included those commonly found or tested for in North American potato seed certification programs: Alfalfa mosaic virus, Cucumber mosaic virus, Potato mop top virus, Potato leafroll virus, Potato latent virus, Potato virus A, Potato virus M, Potato virus S, Potato virus X, Potato virus Y, and Tobacco rattle virus. These viruses were detected using oligonucleotide 70-mer probes and labeled targets prepared by a random primed amplification procedure. Potato plants analyzed included those infected with 12 reference virus stocks and 36 field isolates. Results from the macroarray were entirely consistent with those obtained using a standard serological assay (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay). Four isolates of Potato spindle tuber viroid, in mixed infection with one or more viruses, also were detected in the array, although strong hybridization signals required amplification with viroid-specific primers in combination with anchored-random primers. In individual plants, up to four viruses, or a viroid plus two viruses, were detected, with no apparent competition or inhibition. Macroarrays are a cost-effective approach to the simultaneous diagnostic detection of multiple pathogens from infected plants.