How Sclerotinia sclerotiorum Uses Oxalic Acid to Suppress Plant Defenses
Author Information
Author(s): Williams Brett, Kabbage Mehdi, Kim Hyo-Jin, Britt Robert, Dickman Martin B.
Primary Institution: Texas A&M University
Hypothesis
Can Sclerotinia sclerotiorum manipulate the host redox environment to suppress plant defenses?
Conclusion
Sclerotinia sclerotiorum uses oxalic acid to create a reducing environment in host cells, which suppresses plant defenses and facilitates infection.
Supporting Evidence
- Sclerotinia sclerotiorum can induce programmed cell death in plants through the secretion of oxalic acid.
- The wild type Sclerotinia suppresses the oxidative burst in host plants, while the oxalic acid-deficient mutant does not.
- Chemical reduction of host cells can restore the ability of the oxalic acid-deficient mutant to cause disease.
Takeaway
A fungus called Sclerotinia sclerotiorum can trick plants into letting it in by changing the plant's internal environment, making it easier for the fungus to cause disease.
Methodology
The study used transgenic plants with a redox-sensitive GFP reporter to analyze the host redox status during infections with wild type and an oxalic acid-deficient mutant of Sclerotinia.
Limitations
The study primarily focuses on a specific interaction between Sclerotinia and dicotyledonous plants, which may not be generalizable to other plant-pathogen interactions.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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