How a grape-rotting fungus disables its host's immune system
Dou M, Li Y, Feng Z, Xu X, Yin X
Crop Improvement
If you grow grapes on a backyard trellis or love visiting vineyards, this points to a possible future where breeders can boost a plant's natural defense protein instead of reaching for more fungicide.
A fungus that causes grape ripe rot sneaks a protein into grape leaves that jams the plant's internal alarm system, letting the infection spread. Researchers found that when they gave grapevines extra copies of the target protein the fungus attacks, the plants got noticeably better at fighting off the disease. It's a roadmap for breeding sturdier, more disease-resistant grapevines down the line.
Key Findings
Deleting the fungal effector gene CvA10999 reduced spore production, disrupted appressorium formation, and weakened the fungus's ability to infect grape leaves.
CvA10999 binds the grape protein VvSnRKb1, blocking its interaction with VvNPR1 and preventing VvNPR1 phosphorylation, which suppresses salicylic acid-driven defense gene activation.
Both transient and stable transgenic overexpression of VvSnRKb1 in Thompson Seedless grapevines significantly increased resistance to Colletotrichum viniferum.
chevron_right Technical Summary
Scientists discovered how the fungus behind grape ripe rot disarms grapevine defenses by shutting down a key immune protein, and boosting that protein's activity made grape plants more resistant to infection.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
The fungal effector CvA10999 suppresses plant immunity by targeting VvSnRKb1 to facilitate Colletotrichum viniferum virulence.
Colletotrichum viniferum, the causal agent of grape ripe rot and leaf spot, poses a serious threat to grape yield and fruit quality. Like many phytopathogens, C. viniferum secretes effector protein...
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A grape is a fruit, botanically a berry, of the deciduous woody vines of the flowering plant genus Vitis. Grapes are a non-climacteric type of fruit, generally occurring in clusters.