Clavibacter michiganensis subsp. michiganensis (Cmm) is the pathogen causing bacterial canker in tomato. The disease was described for the first time in 1910 in Michigan, USA. Cmmis considered the most harmful bacteria threatening tomato. Disease transmission occurs via seed and symptoms become visible at least 20 days after infection. Due to its c...
Summary Late blight, caused by the oomycete Phytophthora infestans, is one of the most devastating potato diseases worldwide. To successfully colonize its host, P. infestans secretes a plethora of RXLR effectors that translocate into host cells to modulate plant defense. The RXLR effectors form the largest and most diverse effector family in oomyce...
Plant innate immunity requires immune receptors that sense the presence of microbes and activate defense reactions. Phosphatidylinositol-phospholipase C (PI-PLC) activity was previously shown to be important for several types of plant defenses although its signaling mechanism is not fully understood. It is also not clear why plants possess several ...
Similar to the animal innate immune system, plants employ extracellular leucine rich repeat (eLRR)-containing cell surface receptors to recognize conserved molecular structures that are derived from microbial pathogens. A number of these immune receptors, as well as the corresponding pathogen ligands, have been characterized. The interaction betwee...
In order to establish disease, plant pathogenic fungi deliver effectors in the apoplastic space surrounding host cells as well as into host cells themselves to manipulate host physiology in favour of their own growth. Cladosporium fulvum is a non-obligate biotrophic fungus causing leaf mould disease of tomato. For decades, this fungus has been a mo...
Endosymbiotic interactions form a fundament of life as we know it and are characterized by the formation of new specialized membrane compartments, in which the microbes are hosted inside living plant cells. A striking example is the symbiosis between legumes and nitrogen-fixing Rhizobium bacteria (rhizobia), which represents the most important sour...
Vascular wilt pathogens, which comprise bacteria, fungi and oomycetes, are among the most destructive plant pathogens that affect annual crops as well as woody perennials, thus not only impacting world food and feed production but also natural ecosystems. Vascular wilt pathogens colonize the xylem vessels of their host plants and interfere with the...
Potato is the most important non-cereal crop in the world. Late blight, caused by the oomycete pathogen Phytophthora infestans, is the most devastating disease of potato. In the mid-19th century, P. infestans attacked the European potato fields and this resulted in a widespread famine in Ireland and other parts of Europe. Late blight remains the mo...
Over the course of evolution, fungi have adapted to occupy specific niches, from symbiotically inhabiting the flora of the intestinal tract of mammals to saprophytic growth on leaf litter resting on the forest floor. In Plant Fungal Pathogens: Methods and Protocols, expert researchers in the field detail many of the methods which are now commonly u...
