A functional genomics approach to address the molecular evolutionary concept of pathogen host range and non-host resistance
Final Report Abstract
Phytophthora infestans, the causal agent of potato late blight, has evolved so-called RxLR effectors that manipulate or suppress MAMP-triggered plant immunity (MTI). In an effort to improve our understanding of host-driven effector adaption to their cognate targets and to answer the molecular evolutionary concept connecting host adaptation, pathogen host range and non-host resistance, a comparative RNA-seq analysis of P. infestans RxLR effector genes at early stages of infection in different host plants including potato, tomato and Nicotiana benthamiana was performed. A selection of over thirty uncharacterized but differentially expressed RxLR genes during pathogen-host interactions was chosen for further functional characterization. One RxLR gene, PITG_04049, encoding a protein with a nuclear localization signal motif has been identified as a strong suppressor of early MTI responses in N. benthamiana. Future analysis will focus on its targets in different host plants, shedding light on the evolutionary conservation or diversification of RXLR effectors, driven by host-imposed positive selection.
