An introduction to the amazing world of the oomycetes, which include some of the most destructive plant pathogens. These are the slides and notes of Sophien Kamoun’s lectures given to undergraduate students in January 2016 as part of the UEA BIO 6007B course, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park. Don’t miss the videos below.
Click here for the slides: Sophien Kamoun’s lectures on Oomycetes, UEA BIO 6007B, January 2016. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5721469
Summary — What you will learn — Phytophthora and the oomycetes
Infection cycle and diversity
Evolutionary history
Genome architecture and evolution
Virulence mechanisms: effector biology
Host resistance and evasion of resistance
Breeding host resistance: prospects and challenges
Further reading, videos, and acknowledgements
Kamoun, S. 2014. Keeping up with the plant destroyers.
Fisher et al. 2012. Emerging fungal threats to animal, plant and ecosystem health. Nature.
Zoospore Discharge in Phytophthora sojae.
Zoospore Infection — Phytophthora nicotianae.
Phytophthora plurivora zoospores attracted to Beech root exudates.
Phytophthora capsici infects sweet pepper.
A lethal killer is on the loose in our woods.
Linda McCartney memorial wood is destroyed by disease.
A 300 million year-old oomycete!
Bats are not birds. Oomycetes are not fungi!
Features of sequenced oomycete genomes. See Pais et al. 2013. Genome Biology.
The two-speed genomes of filamentous pathogens: waltz with plants. Dong et al. 2015. Current Opinion in Genetics & Development.
Effector Biology of Plant-associated Organisms: Concepts and Perspectives. Win et al. 2012. Cold Spring Harbor Symposium on Quantitative Biology, 77:235–247.
“We will aim to breed a potato that is more durable; but don’t bet against the pathogen,”
Hot potatoes! BASF drops GM spud plans in EU. BBC. 2013.
MutMap and next-gene crop breeding.
Plant genome editing made easy by CRISPR. Belhaj et al. Plant Methods. 2013.
“I didn’t come here to tell you how this is going to end.”
