Abstract
The oomycete pathogen Phytophthora capsici is able to infect a wide range of plants and causes
extensive losses in Solanum and Cucurbita crop plants. To better understand the interactions between P.
capsici and its host plants, information gained from model pathosystems will be instrumental. Here, we
describe a novel pathosystem between P. capsici and Arabidopsis. We screened a large collection of
Arabidopsis accessions with several isolates of P. capsici, and found interaction specificity among isolateaccession combinations. In compatible interactions, appressorium-mediated penetration was followed by
formation of invasive hyphae, haustoria and sporulation on leaves and roots. In contrast, in incompatible
interactions, Arabidopsis activated defense responses including callose deposition, strong accumulation
of H2O2 and O2- and cell death resulting in early pathogen encasement. Defense-related genes involved
in camaelxin and indole-glucosinolate pathways were strongly induced upon infection by P. capsici.
Moreover, mutants impaired in these pathways showed compromised resistance to P. capsici. Previously,
an Arabidopsis legume-like lectin receptor kinase (LecRK), LecRK-I.9, was identified to be essential for
Phytophthora resistance. LecRK-I.9 is a member of a family consisting of 45 genes. How other family
members contribute to oomycete disease resistance is not yet known. The Phytophthora capsici-
Arabidopsis pathosystem will be used for functional characterization of LecRK genes.
Original language | English |
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Title of host publication | Book of Abstracts Oomycete Molecular Genetics Network (OMGN), Nanjing, P.R. China, 26-28 May 2012 |
Pages | 25 |
Publication status | Published - 2012 |
Event | Oomycete Molecular Genetics Network (OMGN) - Duration: 26 May 2012 → 28 May 2012 |
Conference/symposium
Conference/symposium | Oomycete Molecular Genetics Network (OMGN) |
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Period | 26/05/12 → 28/05/12 |