Life cycle specialization of filamentous pathogens — colonization and reproduction in plant tissues

• Published in: Current opinion in microbiology Vol. 32; pp. 31 - 37
• Main Authors: Haueisen, Janine, Stukenbrock, Eva H
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01.08.2016
• Subjects: Bacteria - pathogenicity; coevolution; ecology; evolutionary adaptation; Fungi - pathogenicity; genes; Host-Pathogen Interactions - immunology; immunity; Life Cycle Stages; nutrients; Pathology; Plant Diseases - immunology; Plant Diseases - microbiology; Plant Immunity - physiology; plant pathogens; plant tissues; Plants - immunology; Plants - microbiology; reproduction; virulence; Virulence Factors - genetics
• ISSN: 1369-5274; 1879-0364
• DOI: 10.1016/j.mib.2016.04.015

•Plant pathogens specialize to plant tissue as their niche for growth and reproduction.•Pathogens sense plant-derived signals to recognize and localize their hosts.•Different strategies allow filamentous pathogens to enter and colonize plant tissues.•Pathogens kill plant cells or develop feeding structures to take up nutrients.•Specialized fruiting bodies facilitate spore dispersal to new host plants. Filamentous plant pathogens explore host tissues to obtain nutrients for growth and reproduction. Diverse strategies for tissue invasion, defense manipulation, and colonization of inter and intra-cellular spaces have evolved. Most research has focused on effector molecules, which are secreted to manipulate plant immunity and facilitate infection. Effector genes are often found to evolve rapidly in response to the antagonistic host-pathogen co-evolution but other traits are also subject to adaptive evolution during specialization to the anatomy, biochemistry and ecology of different plant hosts. Although not directly related to virulence, these traits are important components of specialization but little is known about them. We present and discuss specific life cycle traits that facilitate exploration of plant tissues and underline the importance of increasing our insight into the biology of plant pathogens.