Image Credit: University of Maryland Home and Garden Information Center
A common foe for plant life worldwide, the fungus known as powdery mildew affects tens of thousands of species. The characteristic white or gray splotches that appear on leaves and stems can weaken plants and diminish the flavor of fruits and vegetables, causing not only headaches for gardeners but economic devastation for crop farmers. Yet researchers have long sought to understand why some species are better at resisting the common fungus than others.
In a study recently published as a featured article in the journal Plant Cell, Shunyuan Xiao, an associate professor in the Department of Plant Science & Landscape Architecture (PSLA) at the University of Maryland, and his research collaborators uncovered what they consider to be key clues in the mystery surrounding powdery mildew infections.
Xiao and other members of the team use the small flowering plant Arabidopsis as a model organism to study the molecular basis of broad-spectrum resistance against powdery mildew. In the course of their research, Xiao and collaborators were able to identify a protein that specifically triggers resistance at the host-pathogen interface to fight off powdery mildew infection.
“This is really very exciting because the host-pathogen interface is mysterious,” says Xiao. “We really think it (this protein) functions much like a molecular missile.”
Building upon this theory of a “missile defense,” Xiao and researchers went one step further – trying to find the “zip code” that guides the protein in targeting resistance to the interface. The research team uncovered two short basic amino acid-enriched motifs they believe serve as the guidance signal to stop powdery mildew infection in its tracks.
Xiao says the discovery of this complex molecular defense system could lead to advances in breeding plants with a stronger resistance to powdery mildew, developing new anti-fungal treatments, and a broader understanding of how plants are able to resist other types of infections.
“We hope we can eventually make a new, improved missile and that we can deploy more advanced methods to destroy pathogens,” says Xiao.
The research for this study was conducted at the Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research (IBBR) in Shady Grove. The IBBR is a University System of Maryland joint research enterprise created to enhance collaboration among the University of Maryland College Park, The University of Maryland Baltimore and the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
