Author
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Jones, Richard |
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OSPINA-GIRALDO, MANUEL - LAFAYETTE COLLEGE, PA |
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Submitted to: PLOS ONE
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal Publication Acceptance Date: 7/20/2011 Publication Date: 8/24/2011 Citation: Jones, R.W., Ospina-Giraldo, M. 2011. A small cellulose binding domain protein in Phytophtora is cell wall localized. PLoS One. 6(8):e23555. Interpretive Summary: Phytophthora is a destructive microbe that destroys potato and tomato plants. We are looking for specific features of this microbe that might make it vulnerable, and subject to control. One unique feature we discovered was one of the ways that this microbe glues itself together. This information can be used by scientists to develop new and specific ways of controlling Phytophthora. Technical Abstract: Cellulose binding domains (CBD) are structurally conserved regions linked to catalytic regions of cellulolytic enzymes. While widespread amongst saprophytic fungi that subsist on plant cell wall polysaccharides, they are not generally present in plant pathogenic fungi. A genome wide survey of CBDs was performed on the highly destructive plant pathogen Phytophthora infestans, a fungal-like Stramenopile, to determine if it harbored cellulolytic enzymes with CBDs. While a small group of genes were found to encode CBDs, none were associated with catalytic domains. The CBD-containing proteins represent a unique group of proteins largely confined to the Stramenopiles. Immunolocalization of one of these proteins indicated that it is embedded in the hyphal cell wall. Proteins with CBDs have been shown to have plant host elicitor activity. Tests with Agrobacterium-mediated in planta expression and synthetic peptide infiltration failed to identify plant hypersensitive elicitation. |
