Molecular genetics approaches in Phytophthora research can be hampered by the limited number of known constitutive promoters for expressing transgenes and the instability of transgene activity. We have therefore characterized genes encoding the cytoplasmic ribosomal proteins of Phytophthora and studied their suitability for expressing transgenes in P. infestans. Phytophthora spp. encode a stand...

There are more than 60 species in the genus Phytophthora (94), and most are destructive plant pathogens. Extensive efforts are directed at the control of Phytophthora diseases each year, yet they still cause serious crop losses. For example, more than $200 million in lost production annually is attributed to Phytophthora diseases in Australia alone (47). Late blight, caused by P. infestans, pro...

Taiwanese isolates of Phytophthora infestans were examined for mating types and pathogenicity to tomato and potato. A total of 70 isolates, including 68 isolates from tomato and 2 isolates from potato, from six counties of Taiwan were all A1 mating type. Three tomato isolates of P. infestans caused only leaf blight of tomato, while two isolates obtained from potato were able to cause the diseas...

There are more than 60 species in the genus Phytophthora (94), and most are destructive plant pathogens. Extensive efforts are directed at the control of Phytophthora diseases each year, yet they still cause serious crop losses. For example, more than $200 million in lost production annually is attributed to Phytophthora diseases in Australia alone (47). Late blight, caused by P. infestans, pro...

AIMS To design and validate a colorimetric loop-mediated isothermal amplification assay for rapid detection of Phytophthora infestans DNA. METHODS AND RESULTS Two sets of loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) primers were designed and evaluated for their sensitivity and specificity for P. infestans. ITSII primers targeted a portion of the internal transcribed spacer region of ribosoma...

The potato late blight pathogen Phytophthora infestans secretes an array of effector proteins thought to act in its hosts by disarming defences and promoting pathogen colonisation. However, little is known about the host targets of these effectors and how they are manipulated by the pathogen. This work describes the identification of two putative membrane-associated NAC transcription factors (T...

Most species of the genus Phytophthora produce 10-kDa extracellular protein elicitors, collectively termed elicitins. Elicitins induce hypersensitive response in a restricted number of plants, particularly in the genus Nicotiana within the Solanaceae family. A cDNA encoding INF1, the major secreted elicitin of Phytophthora infestans, a pathogen of solanaceous plants, was isolated and characteri...

Large-scale DNA sequencing of samples of foliage collected in the 19th century from plants infected with late blight has shown that the potato famines of the 1840s were triggered by a single clonal lineage of Phytophthora infestans, called HERB-1, which persisted for at least 50 years.

Phytophthora nicotianae is one of the most destructive plant pathogens affecting a variety of plants, causing black shank of tobacco, among several other devastating diseases. Herein, we assembled the mitochondrial genome of P. nicotianae and analyzed its gene content and genome structure, performed comparative mitochondrial genomics analysis, and assessed phylogenetic relationships among oomyc...

Improving host resistance to late blight (Phytophthora infestans) has been a major concern of potato breeders since the Irish famine 1840s. Since then, number resistant (Solanum tuberosum L.) cultivars have developed using both conventional and molecular techniques. However, did not last long broke down due emergence more virulent races Phytophthora infestans. This perspective paper presents st...