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Pathogens
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Biology and Pathology of Phytophthora infestans
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Biology and Pathology of Phytophthora infestans

A special issue of Pathogens (ISSN 2076-0817). This special issue belongs to the section "Fungal Pathogens".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2020) | Viewed by 17117

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Michael D. Coffey

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Microbiology & Plant Pathology, University of California, Riverside, CA, USA
Interests: phytophthora
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Phytophthora infestans, the cause of late blight, is perhaps potentially the most devasting plant pathogen known to mankind, still threatening potato, a major food crop despite over a century of plant breeding and the development of new unique antimicrobial chemicals. The molecular evolution, population biology and development of new pathogenic strains has been studied exposing the genomic diversity and complexity of this microbe. The discovery of sources of resistance in wild potato relatives has presented possibilities for the breeding of new resistant crop varieties only leading to rapid breakdown of disease control. New chemistry has offered high levels of control only to be defeated by the emergence of new insensitive microbial strains. Disease forecasting has offered some respite but again the emergence of new highly virulent strains has complicated this management strategy. Does the new era of molecular genetic manipulation offer new practical approaches to disease management? For this Special Issue of Pathogens, we invite you to submit research articles, review articles, short notes as well as communications related to P. infestans covering molecular and epidemiological aspects, microbe–host interactions, the development of innovative host plant resistance strategies as well as the pursuit of new chemical and biological control approaches. We look forward to your contribution.

Prof. Michael D. Coffey
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. Pathogens is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). 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

  • Phytophthora infestans
  • Population diversity
  • Pathogen virulence
  • Host defense strategies

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

19 pages, 12487 KiB  
Article
Polycystic Kidney Disease Ryanodine Receptor Domain (PKDRR) Proteins in Oomycetes
by Limian Zheng, Barbara Doyle Prestwich, Patrick T. Harrison and John J. Mackrill
Pathogens 2020, 9(7), 577; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens9070577 - 16 Jul 2020
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2421
Abstract
In eukaryotes, two sources of Ca2+ are accessed to allow rapid changes in the cytosolic levels of this second messenger: the extracellular medium and intracellular Ca2+ stores, such as the endoplasmic reticulum. One class of channel that permits Ca2+ entry [...] Read more.
In eukaryotes, two sources of Ca2+ are accessed to allow rapid changes in the cytosolic levels of this second messenger: the extracellular medium and intracellular Ca2+ stores, such as the endoplasmic reticulum. One class of channel that permits Ca2+ entry is the transient receptor potential (TRP) superfamily, including the polycystic kidney disease (PKD) proteins, or polycystins. Channels that release Ca2+ from intracellular stores include the inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate/ryanodine receptor (ITPR/RyR) superfamily. Here, we characterise a family of proteins that are only encoded by oomycete genomes, that we have named PKDRR, since they share domains with both PKD and RyR channels. We provide evidence that these proteins belong to the TRP superfamily and are distinct from the ITPR/RyR superfamily in terms of their evolutionary relationships, protein domain architectures and predicted ion channel structures. We also demonstrate that a hypothetical PKDRR protein from Phytophthora infestans is produced by this organism, is located in the cell-surface membrane and forms multimeric protein complexes. Efforts to functionally characterise this protein in a heterologous expression system were unsuccessful but support a cell-surface localisation. These PKDRR proteins represent potential targets for the development of new “fungicides”, since they are of a distinctive structure that is only found in oomycetes and not in any other cellular organisms. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biology and Pathology of Phytophthora infestans)
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23 pages, 3685 KiB  
Article
Synthesis and Evaluation of Novel Ellipticines and Derivatives as Inhibitors of Phytophthora infestans
by Mary L. McKee, Limian Zheng, Elaine C. O’Sullivan, Roberta A. Kehoe, Barbara M. Doyle Prestwich, John J. Mackrill and Florence O. McCarthy
Pathogens 2020, 9(7), 558; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens9070558 - 10 Jul 2020
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2256
Abstract
The pathogen Phytophthora infestans is responsible for worldwide catastrophic crop damage and discovery of new inhibitors of this organism is of paramount agricultural and industrial importance. Current strategies for crop treatment are inadequate with limitations of efficacy and market alternatives. Ellipticines have recently [...] Read more.
The pathogen Phytophthora infestans is responsible for worldwide catastrophic crop damage and discovery of new inhibitors of this organism is of paramount agricultural and industrial importance. Current strategies for crop treatment are inadequate with limitations of efficacy and market alternatives. Ellipticines have recently been reported to have fungicidal properties and have been assessed against P. infestans growth with promising results. We hereby report a probe of the ellipticine framework to investigate the alkyl subunit and screen a set ellipticines and derivatives to identify new lead compounds to act against P. infestans. A series of ellipticinium salt derivatives have been identified with exceptional growth inhibitory activity and apparent lack of toxicity towards a human cell-line surpassing the effect of known and marketed fungicides. This report identifies the potential of this natural product derivative as a novel fungicide. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biology and Pathology of Phytophthora infestans)
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18 pages, 335 KiB  
Article
Allelic Variation and Selection in Effector Genes of Phytophthora infestans (Mont.) de Bary
by Juan G. Morales, Astrid E. Gaviria and Elizabeth Gilchrist
Pathogens 2020, 9(7), 551; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens9070551 - 09 Jul 2020
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2096
Abstract
Phytophthora infestans is a devastating plant pathogen in several crops such as potato (Solanum tuberosum), tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) and Andean fruits such as tree tomato (Solanum betaceum), lulo (Solanum quitoense), uchuva (Physalis peruviana) [...] Read more.
Phytophthora infestans is a devastating plant pathogen in several crops such as potato (Solanum tuberosum), tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) and Andean fruits such as tree tomato (Solanum betaceum), lulo (Solanum quitoense), uchuva (Physalis peruviana) and wild species in the genus Solanum sp. Despite intense research performed around the world, P. infestans populations from Colombia, South America, are poorly understood. Of particular importance is knowledge about pathogen effector proteins, which are responsible for virulence. The present work was performed with the objective to analyze gene sequences coding for effector proteins of P. infestans from isolates collected from different hosts and geographical regions. Several genetic parameters, phylogenetic analyses and neutrality tests for non-synonymous and synonymous substitutions were calculated. Non-synonymous substitutions were identified for all genes that exhibited polymorphisms at the DNA level. Significant negative selection values were found for two genes (PITG_08994 and PITG_12737) suggesting active coevolution with the corresponding host resistance proteins. Implications for pathogen virulence mechanisms and disease management are discussed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biology and Pathology of Phytophthora infestans)
24 pages, 4029 KiB  
Article
Inhibitory Properties of Aldehydes and Related Compounds against Phytophthora infestans—Identification of a New Lead
by John J. Mackrill, Roberta A. Kehoe, Limian Zheng, Mary L. McKee, Elaine C. O’Sullivan, Barbara M. Doyle Prestwich and Florence O. McCarthy
Pathogens 2020, 9(7), 542; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens9070542 - 07 Jul 2020
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2621
Abstract
The pathogen Phytophthora infestans is responsible for catastrophic crop damage on a global scale which totals billions of euros annually. The discovery of new inhibitors of this organism is of paramount agricultural importance and of critical relevance to food security. Current strategies for [...] Read more.
The pathogen Phytophthora infestans is responsible for catastrophic crop damage on a global scale which totals billions of euros annually. The discovery of new inhibitors of this organism is of paramount agricultural importance and of critical relevance to food security. Current strategies for crop treatment are inadequate with the emergence of resistant strains and problematic toxicity. Natural products such as cinnamaldehyde have been reported to have fungicidal properties and are the seed for many new discovery research programmes. We report a probe of the cinnamaldehyde framework to investigate the aldehyde subunit and its role in a subset of aromatic aldehydes in order to identify new lead compounds to act against P. infestans. An ellipticine derivative which incorporates an aldehyde (9-formyl-6-methyl ellipticine, 34) has been identified with exceptional activity versus P. infestans with limited toxicity and potential for use as a fungicide. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biology and Pathology of Phytophthora infestans)
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14 pages, 2237 KiB  
Article
S-methyl Methanethiosulfonate: Promising Late Blight Inhibitor or Broad Range Toxin?
by Charlotte Joller, Mout De Vrieze, Aboubakr Moradi, Claudine Fournier, Delphine Chinchilla, Floriane L’Haridon, Sebastien Bruisson and Laure Weisskopf
Pathogens 2020, 9(6), 496; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens9060496 - 22 Jun 2020
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2981
Abstract
(1) Background: S-methyl methanethiosulfonate (MMTS), a sulfur containing volatile organic compound produced by plants and bacterial species, has recently been described to be an efficient anti-oomycete agent with promising perspectives for the control of the devastating potato late blight disease caused by Phytophthora [...] Read more.
(1) Background: S-methyl methanethiosulfonate (MMTS), a sulfur containing volatile organic compound produced by plants and bacterial species, has recently been described to be an efficient anti-oomycete agent with promising perspectives for the control of the devastating potato late blight disease caused by Phytophthora infestans. However, earlier work raised questions regarding the putative toxicity of this compound. To assess the suitability of MMTS for late blight control in the field, the present study thus aimed at evaluating the effect of MMTS on a wide range of non-target organisms in comparison to P. infestans. (2) Methods: To this end, we exposed P. infestans, as well as different pathogenic and non-pathogenic fungi, bacteria, the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans as well as the plant Arabidopsis thaliana to MMTS treatment and evaluated their response by means of in vitro assays. (3) Results: Our results showed that fungi (both mycelium and spores) tolerated MMTS better than the oomycete P. infestans, but that the compound nevertheless exhibited non-negligible toxic effects on bacteria, nematodes and plants. (4) Conclusions: We discuss the mode of action of MMTS and conclude that even though this compound might be too toxic for chemical application in the field, its strong anti-oomycete activity could still be exploited when naturally released at the site of infection by plant-associated microbes inoculated as biocontrol agents. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biology and Pathology of Phytophthora infestans)
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18 pages, 3619 KiB  
Article
Phosphite Application Alleviates Pythophthora infestans by Modulation of Photosynthetic and Physio-Biochemical Metabolites in Potato Leaves
by Mohammad Aqa Mohammadi, Xiaoyun Han, Zhizhong Zhang, Yupei Xi, Mohammadreza Boorboori and Gefu Wang-Pruski
Pathogens 2020, 9(3), 170; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens9030170 - 28 Feb 2020
Cited by 18 | Viewed by 4094
Abstract
Potato late blight (Phytophtora infestans) is among the most severely damaging diseases of potato (Solanum tuberusom L.) worldwide, causing serious damages in potato leaves and tubers. In the present study, the effects of potassium phosphite (KPhi) applications on photosynthetic parameters, [...] Read more.
Potato late blight (Phytophtora infestans) is among the most severely damaging diseases of potato (Solanum tuberusom L.) worldwide, causing serious damages in potato leaves and tubers. In the present study, the effects of potassium phosphite (KPhi) applications on photosynthetic parameters, enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidant properties, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and malondialdehyde (MDA), total protein and total carbohydrate of potato leaves challenged with P. infestans pathogen were investigated. Potato leaves were sprayed five times with KPhi (0.5%) during the growing season prior to inoculation with P. infestans. The potato leaves were artificially infected by the LC06-44 pathogen isolate. The leaves were sampled at 0, 24, 48, 72 and 96 h after the infection for evaluations. P. infestans infection reduced chlorophyll (Chl) pigments contents, chlorophyll fluorescence, carotenoid (Car) and anthocyanin contents and increased the accumulation of H2O2 and MDA. Meanwhile, our result showed that KPhi treatment alleviated adverse effect of late blight in potato leaves. KPhi application also increased plant tolerance to the pathogen with improved photosynthetic parameters Chl a, b, total Chl, Car, and anthocyanin compare to controls. Moreover, the increased oxidative enzymes activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), catalase (CAT) and ascorbate peroxidase (APx), and non-enzymatic substances such as phenolics, flavonoids and proline were found in KPhi treated plants, compared to untreated plants after inoculation. In addition, KPhi application followed by P. infestans infection also decreased the content of H2O2 and MDA, but increased the total protein and total carbohydrate contents in potato leaves. The consequence of current research indicated that KPhi played a vital role in pathogen tolerance, protecting the functions of photosynthetic apparatus by improved oxidative levels and physio-biochemical compounds in potato leaves. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biology and Pathology of Phytophthora infestans)
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