Plants and pathogens

Trypanosome pathogens of plants

Recognition of pathogens by plants

Plants must respond appropriately to a broad array of abiotic and biotic factors in the attempt to accumulate nutrient reserves and reach reproductive maturity. To complicate matters, their stockpile of nutrients makes them prime targets for pathogen attack. Phytopathogenic bacteria, fungi, and viruses all make raids on the stockpile, yet most plants are able to remain disease free. Plants have...

Histone Acetylation in Fungal Pathogens of Plants

Acetylation of histone lysine residues occurs in different organisms ranging from yeast to plants and mammals for the regulation of diverse cellular processes. With the identification of enzymes that create or reverse this modification, our understanding on histone acetylation has expanded at an amazing pace during the last two decades. In fungal pathogens of plants, however, the importance of ...

Pathogen Phytosensing: Plants to Report Plant Pathogens

Real-time systems that provide evidence of pathogen contamination in crops can be an important new line of early defense in agricultural centers. Plants possess defense mechanisms to protect against pathogen attack. Inducible plant defense is controlled by signal transduction pathways, inducible promoters and cis-regulatory elements corresponding to key genes involved in defense, and pathogen-s...

The use of plants against oral pathogens

Dental caries and periodontal diseases in humans have an astonishing impact on the health and welfare of communities. Sick leave, due to oral infections, and the consequent cost of dental treatment results in costing billions of dollars each year [1]. In 2007, the World Health Organization (WHO) stated that 5-10% of public health expenditure was related to dental care. ‘Tooth decay and, to a le...