Oomycetes

A special issue of Journal of Fungi (ISSN 2309-608X). This special issue belongs to the section "Fungal Cell Biology, Metabolism and Physiology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 January 2021) | Viewed by 9960

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Department of Biological Sciences, Institute of Ecology, Evolution and Diversity, Germany and Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (BiK-F), Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung and Goethe University Frankfurt am Main, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Interests: biogeography; comparative genomics; evolution; molecular Interactions of symbiotic systems; pathogen ecology; phylogenetics; taxonomy

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Oomycetes, which are related to brown sea-weeds and diatoms, have evolved an osmotrophic mode of nutrition and filamentous growth in parallel to opisthokont fungi, which are related to animals. Many oomycetes are plant pathogens, some of which are among the most devastating pathogens in agriculture. Due to their speed of adaptation in overcoming biocides and resistance genes, the domestication of several crops is under pressure, including maize, grapes, potato, and cucurbits. However, oomycetes are also important for carbon cycling in aquatic habitats, and several species threaten the farming of fish and crustaceans. All oomycete groups are united by the fact that the major part of their diversity is still unknown, and new plant and animal diseases emerge frequently due to the global trade, threatening both natural and managed ecosystems. It is the aim of this Special Issue to highlight different facets of current oomycete research, ranging from biodiversity to molecular interactions. 

Prof. Dr. Marco Thines
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • Oomycetes
  • Plant–pathogen interactions
  • Fungal biodiversity
  • Neglected and emerging diseases
  • Plant resistance

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 3089 KiB  
Article
Altitudinal Heterogeneity of UV Adaptation in Phytophthorainfestans Is Associated with the Spatial Distribution of a DNA Repair Gene
by Yan-Ping Wang, Abdul Waheed, Shi-Ting Liu, Wen-Yang Li, Oswald Nkurikiyimfura, Yahuza Lurwanu, Zonghua Wang, Laura J. Grenville-Briggs, Lina Yang, Luping Zheng and Jiasui Zhan
J. Fungi 2021, 7(4), 245; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof7040245 - 24 Mar 2021
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3192
Abstract
Climate change is considered a major threat to society and nature. UV irradiation is the most important environmental genotoxic agent. Thus, how elevated UV irradiation may influence human health and ecosystems has generated wide concern in the scientific community, as well as with [...] Read more.
Climate change is considered a major threat to society and nature. UV irradiation is the most important environmental genotoxic agent. Thus, how elevated UV irradiation may influence human health and ecosystems has generated wide concern in the scientific community, as well as with policy makers and the public in general. In this study, we investigated patterns and mechanisms of UV adaptation in natural ecosystems by studying a gene-specific variation in the potato late blight pathogen, Phytophthora infestans. We compared the sequence characteristics of radiation sensitive 23 (RAD23), a gene involved in the nucleotide excision repair (NER) pathway and UV tolerance, in P. infestans isolates sampled from various altitudes. We found that lower genetic variation in the RAD23 gene was caused by natural selection. The hypothesis that UV irradiation drives this selection was supported by strong correlations between the genomic characteristics and altitudinal origin (historic UV irradiation) of the RAD23 sequences with UV tolerance of the P. infestans isolates. These results indicate that the RAD23 gene plays an important role in the adaptation of P. infestans to UV stress. We also found that different climatic factors could work synergistically to determine the evolutionary adaptation of species, making the influence of climate change on ecological functions and resilience more difficult to predict. Future attention should aim at understanding the collective impact generated by simultaneous change in several climate factors on species adaptation and ecological sustainability, using state of the art technologies such as experimental evolution, genome-wide scanning, and proteomics. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Oomycetes)
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20 pages, 2708 KiB  
Article
Innate Resistance and Phosphite Treatment Affect Both the Pathogen’s and Host’s Transcriptomes in the Tanoak-Phytophthora ramorum Pathosystem
by Takao Kasuga, Katherine J. Hayden, Catherine A. Eyre, Peter J. P. Croucher, Shannon Schechter, Jessica W. Wright and Matteo Garbelotto
J. Fungi 2021, 7(3), 198; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof7030198 - 9 Mar 2021
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 3000
Abstract
Phosphites have been used to control Sudden Oak Death; however, their precise mode of action is not fully understood. To study the mechanism of action of phosphites, we conducted an inoculation experiment on two open-pollinated tanoak families, previously found to be partially resistant. [...] Read more.
Phosphites have been used to control Sudden Oak Death; however, their precise mode of action is not fully understood. To study the mechanism of action of phosphites, we conducted an inoculation experiment on two open-pollinated tanoak families, previously found to be partially resistant. Stems of treatment group individuals were sprayed with phosphite, and seven days later, distal leaves were inoculated with the Sudden Oak Death pathogen Phytophthora ramorum. Leaves from treated and untreated control plants were harvested before and seven days after inoculation, and transcriptomes of both host and pathogen were analyzed. We found that tanoak families differed in the presence of innate resistance (resistance displayed by untreated tanoak) and in the response to phosphite treatment. A set of expressed genes associated with innate resistance was found to overlap with an expressed gene set for phosphite-induced resistance. This observation may indicate that phosphite treatment increases the resistance of susceptible host plants. In addition, genes of the pathogen involved in detoxification were upregulated in phosphite-treated plants compared to phosphite-untreated plants. In summary, our RNA-Seq analysis supports a two-fold mode of action of phosphites, including a direct toxic effect on P. ramorum and an indirect enhancement of resistance in the tanoak host. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Oomycetes)
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11 pages, 1412 KiB  
Article
Clinical Outcomes of Radical Surgery and Antimicrobial Agents in Vascular Pythiosis: A Multicenter Prospective Study
by Pattama Torvorapanit, Nipat Chuleerarux, Rongpong Plongla, Navaporn Worasilchai, Kasama Manothummetha, Achitpol Thongkam, Nattapong Langsiri, Jaruwan Diewsurin, Prasopchai Kongsakpaisan, Ratiporn Bansong, Nuttapon Susaengrat, Watchara Wattanasoontornsakul, Ariya Chindamporn and Nitipong Permpalung
J. Fungi 2021, 7(2), 114; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof7020114 - 4 Feb 2021
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3051
Abstract
Vascular pythiosis is a rare, neglected, life-threatening disease with mortality of 100% in patients with incomplete surgical resection or patients with persistently elevated serum β-d-glucan (BDG). The study was conducted to understand the clinical outcomes of new treatment protocols and potential use of [...] Read more.
Vascular pythiosis is a rare, neglected, life-threatening disease with mortality of 100% in patients with incomplete surgical resection or patients with persistently elevated serum β-d-glucan (BDG). The study was conducted to understand the clinical outcomes of new treatment protocols and potential use of erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and c-reactive protein (CRP) as alternative monitoring tools, given recent favorable minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of antibacterial agents and prohibitive cost of serum BDG in Thailand. A prospective cohort study of patients with vascular pythiosis was conducted between February 2019 and August 2020. After diagnosis, patients were followed at 0.5, 1, 1.5, 3, and 6 months. Descriptive statistics, Spearman’s correlation coefficient, and general linear model for longitudinal data were used. Amongst the cohort of ten vascular pythiosis patients, four had residual disease after surgery. Among four with residual disease, one developed disseminated disease and died, one developed relapse disease requiring surgery, and two were successfully managed with antimicrobial agents. The spearman’s correlation coefficients between BDG and ESR, and between BDG and CRP in patients without relapse or disseminated disease were 0.65 and 0.60, respectively. Tetracyclines and macrolides had most favorable minimum inhibitory concentrations and synergistic effects were observed in combinations of these two antibiotic classes. Adjunctive use of azithromycin and doxycycline preliminarily improved survival in vascular pythiosis patients with residual disease. Further studies are needed to understand the trends of ESR and CRP in this population. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Oomycetes)
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