Poster
Patricia M. Manosalva
Associate Professor
Department of Microbiology and Plant Pathology, University of California Riverside
Riverside, California, United States
Aidan Shands
Department of Microbiology and Plant Pathology, University of California Riverside
Riverside, California, United States
Natasha Jackson
Department of Microbiology and Plant Pathology, University of California Riverside
Riverside, California, United States
Shirin Seifbargui
Department of Microbiology and Plant Pathology, University of California Riverside
Riverside, California, United States
Haiyang Wang
Department of Microbiology and Plant Pathology, University of California Riverside
Riverside, California, United States
Rodger Belisle
Department of Microbiology and Plant Pathology, University of California Riverside
Riverside, California, United States
Guangyuan Xu
Department of Microbiology and Plant Pathology, University of California Riverside
Riverside, California, United States
Aureliano Bombarely
Department of Biotechnology and Plant Breeding, Institute of Plant Molecular and Cellular Biology
Valencia, Murcia, Spain
Liliana Cano
Department of Plant Pathology, University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, Indian River Research and Education Center
Fort Pierce, Florida, United States
Phytophthora cinnamomi (Pc) is a hemibiotrophic oomycete pathogen attacking over 5,000 plant species, threatening natural ecosystems, forestry, and agriculture. Despite its significant impact, the molecular basis of Pc pathogenicity, host adaptation, and plant immunity remain poorly understood. Here, we studied the molecular interactions of this pathogen when infecting several hosts through pathogenomic, transcriptomic, and functional genomic analyses. We found that the complexity of the Pc genome and its two-speed genome architecture contributed to the contrasting virulence phenotypes observed. The most virulent isolate sequenced in this study exhibited a larger repertoire of RXLR effectors residing in gene-sparse regions. RNA-seq analysis revealed that a single Pc isolate deployed common gene repertoires and host-specific subsets, especially among effectors, when infected different plants triggering core- and specific- plant immune responses. Core immune responses included cell wall defenses, WRKY transcription factors, calcium-dependent signaling, salicylic acid-related responses, and detoxification pathways. Our functional genomic studies in Nicotiana benthamiana validated the contribution of Pc candidate core RXLRs and plant defense response genes during Pc-plant interactions. This study provides insights into the P. cinnamomi infection strategies when attacking different hosts and identifies key pathogen and plant genes that can be used to develop Pc resistant plants.