| Abstract Detail
Tuesday Afternoon Ecology and Adaptation Kamoun, Sophien [1]. Molecular adaptation in Phytophthora-Solanum interactions. THE oomycete Phytophthora infestans causes late blight of potato and tomato and is arguably the most destructive pathogen of solanaceous crops. P. infestans establishes parasitic colonization of plants by modulating host cell defenses through an array of disease effector proteins. The biology of P. infestans effectors is poorly understood but tremendous progress has been made in recent years. Using a functional genomics approach, several P. infestans genes have been identified as effectors. Predictably, effectors genes encode secreted proteins and are up-regulated during infection. Also, effectors are typically fast evolving and under diversifying selection probably as a result of a coevolutionary arms race with host factors. Two classes of effectors target distinct sites in the host plant: Apoplastic effectors are secreted into the plant extracellular space, and cytoplasmic effectors are translocated inside the plant cell, where they target different subcellular compartments. The perturbations caused by these effectors are helping us to elucidate key processes in plant cell defense. For example, we employed the discovered effectors in protein-protein interaction assays and plant mutagenesis experiments to isolate the corresponding host targets. Also, in collaboration with European labs, we are using the effectors to probe for genetic variation of defense response in the Solanum germplasm. Considering that P. infestans is undergoing genome sequencing and annotation, we are rapidly moving toward a genome-wide catalogue of effectors. Already, it is evident that P. infestans has evolved an effector secretome that is more complex than expected, with perhaps several hundred proteins dedicated to manipulating host cell structure and function. The availability of the host genome sequences will further facilitate the investigation of the host factors and processes targeted by these P. infestans effectors.
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Related Links:
Kamoun Lab webpage
1 - Ohio State University-OARDC, Department of Plant Pathology, 1680 Madison Ave., Wooster, OH, 44691, USA
Keywords:
disease
virulence
avirulence
coevolution.
Session: SOL05-7
Location: Ballroom AB/Monona Terrace
Date: Tuesday, July 25th, 2006
Time: 5:00 PM
Abstract ID:31 |
