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Advances in Plant–Pathogen Interactions 3.0
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Advances in Plant–Pathogen Interactions 3.0

A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Plant Sciences".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 September 2024 | Viewed by 4949

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Fucheng Lin

E-Mail
Guest Editor
College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
Interests: plant pathogenic fungi; molecular interaction between plant and microbe; autophagy of pathogenic fungi
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Throughout their life cycles, plants face challenges from various pathogens, such as fungi, bacteria, and viruses. Plant diseases have introduced serious economic losses to agricultural systems and production. Understanding how pathogens adopt adaptive mechanisms to infect plant hosts and how plants develop diverse resistance/susceptibility mechanisms to fight pathogens will provide basal scientific support for better prevention and control of plant diseases.

This Special Issue mainly focuses on:

  • The pathogenic mechanism of pathogens;
  • The molecular evolution, ecology, and interaction mechanism of plants towards microorganisms (such as bacteria, fungi, oomycetes, and viruses), nematodes, and insects;
  • Epigenetics in the interaction of plants and plant pathogens;
  • The influence of pathogens on plant development and immune response at molecular and cellular levels;
  • The environmental regulation of the interaction of plants and plant pathogens.

Prof. Dr. Fucheng Lin
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • host
  • effection
  • pathogenicity
  • pathogen
  • plant immunity
  • interactions

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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16 pages, 1188 KiB  
Article
Molecular Mechanisms of the Stripe Rust Interaction with Resistant and Susceptible Wheat Genotypes
by Taras Nazarov, Yan Liu, Xianming Chen and Deven R. See
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(5), 2930; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25052930 - 02 Mar 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 694
Abstract
Rust fungi cause significant damage to wheat production worldwide. In order to mitigate disease impact and improve food security via durable resistance, it is important to understand the molecular basis of host–pathogen interactions. Despite a long history of research and high agricultural importance, [...] Read more.
Rust fungi cause significant damage to wheat production worldwide. In order to mitigate disease impact and improve food security via durable resistance, it is important to understand the molecular basis of host–pathogen interactions. Despite a long history of research and high agricultural importance, still little is known about the interactions between the stripe rust fungus and wheat host on the gene expression level. Here, we present analysis of the molecular interactions between a major wheat pathogen—Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici (Pst)—in resistant and susceptible host backgrounds. Using plants with durable nonrace-specific resistance along with fully susceptible ones allowed us to show how gene expression patterns shift in compatible versus incompatible interactions. The pathogen showed significantly greater number and fold changes of overexpressed genes on the resistant host than the susceptible host. Stress-related pathways including MAPK, oxidation–reduction, osmotic stress, and stress granule formation were, almost exclusively, upregulated in the resistant host background, suggesting the requirement of the resistance-countermeasure mechanism facilitated by Pst. In contrast, the susceptible host background allowed for broad overrepresentation of the nutrient uptake pathways. This is the first study focused on the stripe rust pathogen–wheat interactions, on the whole transcriptome level, from the pathogen side. It lays a foundation for the better understanding of the resistant/susceptible hosts versus pathogenic fungus interaction in a broader sense. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Plant–Pathogen Interactions 3.0)
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15 pages, 4663 KiB  
Article
A Glycosyl Hydrolase 5 Family Protein Is Essential for Virulence of Necrotrophic Fungi and Can Suppress Plant Immunity
by Xiaofan Liu, Huihui Zhao, Jiatao Xie, Yanping Fu, Bo Li, Xiao Yu, Tao Chen, Yang Lin, Daohong Jiang and Jiasen Cheng
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(5), 2693; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25052693 - 26 Feb 2024
Viewed by 578
Abstract
Phytopathogenic fungi normally secrete large amounts of CWDEs to enhance infection of plants. In this study, we identified and characterized a secreted glycosyl hydrolase 5 family member in Sclerotinia sclerotiorum (SsGH5, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum Glycosyl Hydrolase 5). SsGH5 was significantly upregulated during the early [...] Read more.
Phytopathogenic fungi normally secrete large amounts of CWDEs to enhance infection of plants. In this study, we identified and characterized a secreted glycosyl hydrolase 5 family member in Sclerotinia sclerotiorum (SsGH5, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum Glycosyl Hydrolase 5). SsGH5 was significantly upregulated during the early stages of infection. Knocking out SsGH5 did not affect the growth and acid production of S. sclerotiorum but resulted in decreased glucan utilization and significantly reduced virulence. In addition, Arabidopsis thaliana expressing SsGH5 became more susceptible to necrotrophic pathogens and basal immune responses were inhibited in these plants. Remarkably, the lost virulence of the ΔSsGH5 mutants was restored after inoculating onto SsGH5 transgenic Arabidopsis. In summary, these results highlight that S. sclerotiorum suppresses the immune responses of Arabidopsis through secreting SsGH5, and thus exerts full virulence for successful infection. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Plant–Pathogen Interactions 3.0)
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17 pages, 2752 KiB  
Article
The Auto-Regulation of ATL2 E3 Ubiquitin Ligase Plays an Important Role in the Immune Response against Alternaria brassicicola in Arabidopsis thaliana
by Daewon Kim, Su Jeong Jeon, Jeum Kyu Hong, Min Gab Kim, Sang Hee Kim, Ulhas S. Kadam, Woe-Yeon Kim, Woo Sik Chung, Gary Stacey and Jong Chan Hong
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(4), 2388; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25042388 - 17 Feb 2024
Viewed by 839
Abstract
The ubiquitin/26S proteasome system is a crucial regulatory mechanism that governs various cellular processes in plants, including signal transduction, transcriptional regulation, and responses to biotic and abiotic stressors. Our study shows that the RING-H2-type E3 ubiquitin ligase, Arabidopsis Tóxicos en Levadura 2 ( [...] Read more.
The ubiquitin/26S proteasome system is a crucial regulatory mechanism that governs various cellular processes in plants, including signal transduction, transcriptional regulation, and responses to biotic and abiotic stressors. Our study shows that the RING-H2-type E3 ubiquitin ligase, Arabidopsis Tóxicos en Levadura 2 (ATL2), is involved in response to fungal pathogen infection. Under normal growth conditions, the expression of the ATL2 gene is low, but it is rapidly and significantly induced by exogenous chitin. Additionally, ATL2 protein stability is markedly increased via chitin treatment, and its degradation is prolonged when 26S proteasomal function is inhibited. We found that an atl2 null mutant exhibited higher susceptibility to Alternaria brassicicola, while plants overexpressing ATL2 displayed increased resistance. We also observed that the hyphae of A. brassicicola were strongly stained with trypan blue staining, and the expression of A. brassicicola Cutinase A (AbCutA) was dramatically increased in atl2. In contrast, the hyphae were weakly stained, and AbCutA expression was significantly reduced in ATL2-overexpressing plants. Using bioinformatics, live-cell confocal imaging, and cell fractionation analysis, we revealed that ATL2 is localized to the plasma membrane. Further, it is demonstrated that the ATL2 protein possesses E3 ubiquitin ligase activity and found that cysteine 138 residue is critical for its function. Moreover, ATL2 is necessary to successfully defend against the A. brassicicola fungal pathogen. Altogether, our data suggest that ATL2 is a plasma membrane-integrated protein with RING-H2-type E3 ubiquitin ligase activity and is essential for the defense response against fungal pathogens in Arabidopsis. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Plant–Pathogen Interactions 3.0)
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14 pages, 4597 KiB  
Article
Genome-Wide Identification and Characterization of Effector Candidates with Conserved Motif in Falciphora oryzae
by Mengdi Dai, Zhenzhu Su, Xueming Zhu, Lin Li, Ziran Ye, Xiangfeng Tan, Dedong Kong, Xiaohong Liu and Fucheng Lin
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(1), 650; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25010650 - 04 Jan 2024
Viewed by 838
Abstract
Microbes employ effectors to disrupt immune responses and promote host colonization. Conserved motifs including RXLR, LFLAK-HVLVxxP (CRN), Y/F/WxC, CFEM, LysM, Chitin-bind, DPBB_1 (PNPi), and Cutinase have been discovered to play crucial roles in the functioning of effectors in filamentous fungi. Nevertheless, little is [...] Read more.
Microbes employ effectors to disrupt immune responses and promote host colonization. Conserved motifs including RXLR, LFLAK-HVLVxxP (CRN), Y/F/WxC, CFEM, LysM, Chitin-bind, DPBB_1 (PNPi), and Cutinase have been discovered to play crucial roles in the functioning of effectors in filamentous fungi. Nevertheless, little is known about effectors with conserved motifs in endophytes. This research aims to discover the effector genes with conserved motifs in the genome of rice endophyte Falciphora oryzae. SignalP identified a total of 622 secreted proteins, out of which 227 were predicted as effector candidates by EffectorP. By utilizing HMM features, we discovered a total of 169 effector candidates with conserved motifs and three novel motifs. Effector candidates containing LysM, CFEM, DPBB_1, Cutinase, and Chitin_bind domains were conserved across species. In the transient expression assay, it was observed that one CFEM and one LysM activated cell death in tobacco leaves. Moreover, two CFEM and one Chitin_bind inhibited cell death induced by Bax protein. At various points during the infection, the genes’ expression levels were increased. These results will help to identify functional effector proteins involving omics methods using new bioinformatics tools, thus providing a basis for the study of symbiosis mechanisms. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Plant–Pathogen Interactions 3.0)
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19 pages, 3618 KiB  
Article
Comparative Analysis of Transcriptomics and Metabolomics Reveals Defense Mechanisms in Melon Cultivars against Pseudoperonospora cubensis Infection
by Yueming Ling, Xianpeng Xiong, Wenli Yang, Bin Liu, Yue Shen, Lirong Xu, Fuyuan Lu, Meihua Li, Yangdong Guo and Xuejun Zhang
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(24), 17552; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms242417552 - 16 Dec 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1063
Abstract
Melon (Cucumis melo L.) represents an agriculturally significant horticultural crop that is widely grown for its flavorful fruits. Downy mildew (DM), a pervasive foliar disease, poses a significant threat to global melon production. Although several quantitative trait loci related to DM resistance [...] Read more.
Melon (Cucumis melo L.) represents an agriculturally significant horticultural crop that is widely grown for its flavorful fruits. Downy mildew (DM), a pervasive foliar disease, poses a significant threat to global melon production. Although several quantitative trait loci related to DM resistance have been identified, the comprehensive genetic underpinnings of this resistance remain largely uncharted. In this study, we utilized integrative transcriptomics and metabolomics approaches to identify potential resistance-associated genes and delineate the strategies involved in the defense against DM in two melon cultivars: the resistant ‘PI442177′ (‘K10-1′) and the susceptible ‘Huangdanzi’ (‘K10-9′), post-P. cubensis infection. Even in the absence of the pathogen, there were distinctive differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between ‘K10-1′ and ‘K10-9′. When P. cubensis was infected, certain genes, including flavin-containing monooxygenase (FMO), receptor-like protein kinase FERONIA (FER), and the HD-ZIP transcription factor member, AtHB7, displayed pronounced expression differences between the cultivars. Notably, our data suggest that following P. cubensis infection, both cultivars suppressed flavonoid biosynthesis via the down-regulation of associated genes whilst concurrently promoting lignin production. The complex interplay of transcriptomic and metabolic responses elucidated by this study provides foundational insights into melon’s defense mechanisms against DM. The robust resilience of ‘K10-1′ to DM is attributed to the synergistic interaction of its inherent transcriptomic and metabolic reactions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Plant–Pathogen Interactions 3.0)
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Review

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24 pages, 1752 KiB  
Review
Looking for Resistance to Soft Rot Disease of Potatoes Facing Environmental Hypoxia
by Tomasz Maciag, Edmund Kozieł, Katarzyna Otulak-Kozieł, Sylwia Jafra and Robert Czajkowski
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(7), 3757; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25073757 - 28 Mar 2024
Viewed by 588
Abstract
Plants are exposed to various stressors, including pathogens, requiring specific environmental conditions to provoke/induce plant disease. This phenomenon is called the “disease triangle” and is directly connected with a particular plant–pathogen interaction. Only a virulent pathogen interacting with a susceptible plant cultivar will [...] Read more.
Plants are exposed to various stressors, including pathogens, requiring specific environmental conditions to provoke/induce plant disease. This phenomenon is called the “disease triangle” and is directly connected with a particular plant–pathogen interaction. Only a virulent pathogen interacting with a susceptible plant cultivar will lead to disease under specific environmental conditions. This may seem difficult to accomplish, but soft rot Pectobacteriaceae (SRPs) is a group virulent of pathogenic bacteria with a broad host range. Additionally, waterlogging (and, resulting from it, hypoxia), which is becoming a frequent problem in farming, is a favoring condition for this group of pathogens. Waterlogging by itself is an important source of abiotic stress for plants due to lowered gas exchange. Therefore, plants have evolved an ethylene-based system for hypoxia sensing. Plant response is coordinated by hormonal changes which induce metabolic and physiological adjustment to the environmental conditions. Wetland species such as rice (Oryza sativa L.), and bittersweet nightshade (Solanum dulcamara L.) have developed adaptations enabling them to withstand prolonged periods of decreased oxygen availability. On the other hand, potato (Solanum tuberosum L.), although able to sense and response to hypoxia, is sensitive to this environmental stress. This situation is exploited by SRPs which in response to hypoxia induce the production of virulence factors with the use of cyclic diguanylate (c-di-GMP). Potato tubers in turn reduce their defenses to preserve energy to prevent the negative effects of reactive oxygen species and acidification, making them prone to soft rot disease. To reduce the losses caused by the soft rot disease we need sensitive and reliable methods for the detection of the pathogens, to isolate infected plant material. However, due to the high prevalence of SRPs in the environment, we also need to create new potato varieties more resistant to the disease. To reach that goal, we can look to wild potatoes and other Solanum species for mechanisms of resistance to waterlogging. Potato resistance can also be aided by beneficial microorganisms which can induce the plant’s natural defenses to bacterial infections but also waterlogging. However, most of the known plant-beneficial microorganisms suffer from hypoxia and can be outcompeted by plant pathogens. Therefore, it is important to look for microorganisms that can withstand hypoxia or alleviate its effects on the plant, e.g., by improving soil structure. Therefore, this review aims to present crucial elements of potato response to hypoxia and SRP infection and future outlooks for the prevention of soft rot disease considering the influence of environmental conditions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Plant–Pathogen Interactions 3.0)
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