D. E. L. Cooke

Phytophthora alni sp. nov. and its variants: designation of emerging heteroploid hybrid pathogens spreading on Alnus trees

In 1993 a destructive new Phytophthora pathogen of riparian Alnus trees was discovered in the UK and subsequently shown to be present in other parts of Europe. The new Phytophthora comprised a group of emergent heteroploid hybrids, probably between P. cambivora and a species related to P. fragariae. These included a common, near tetraploid standard hybrid, the presumptive allopolyploid; and four scarcer major variant types with chromosome numbers intermediate between diploid and tetraploid, named the Swedish, Dutch, German and UK variants. The standard hybrid type is formally designated here as Phytophthora alni subsp. alni. The Swedish variant is designated as P. alni subsp. uniformis; and the Dutch, German and UK variants collectively as P. alni subsp. multiformis. The properties of the Dutch, German and UK variants within subsp. multiformis are informally described. The problems of designating emergent species hybrids under the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature and the reasons for the taxonomic choices made are discussed.

Phylogenetic analysis of Phytophthora species based on ITS1 and ITS2 sequences of the ribosomal RNA gene repeat

The internal transcribed spacer regions (ITS1 and ITS2) of the ribosomal RNA gene repeat from Phytophthora species were amplified using the polymerase chain reaction and sequenced. Sequences from P. cambivora, P. cinnamomi, P. citricola, P. cryptogea, P. drechsleri, P. fragariae var. fragariae, P. fragariae var. rubi, P. megasperma var. megasperma and P. nicotianae were compared with published sequences and phylogenetic trees were produced. The resultant grouping of species generally agreed with groupings established using classical morphological criteria, primarily sporangial morphology. Amongst species with non-papillate sporangia two clades were evident, one consisting of P. fragariae, P. cambivora and P. cinnamomi and the other of P. megasperma, P. drechsleri and P. cryptogea. The latter three were placed in the tree between the non-papillate groups and the papillate and semi-papillate groups which formed three distinct clades. One group comprised P. citricola, P. citrophthora and P. capsici, another P. megakarya and P. palmivora and a third P. pseudotsugae, P. cactorum, P. idaei, P. nicotianae and P. infestans. More isolates of P. megasperma, P. drechsleri and P. cryptogea will need to be examined to settle more precisely the relationship of these species to the others. PCR amplification of ITS sequences using freeze-thawed mycelial scrapings from pure cultures growing on agar followed by digestion with restriction enzymes is a quick and easy way to compare and identify isolates without the need for laborious DNA extraction procedures. With improved technology, rapid automatic sequencing of PCR-amplified ITS regions is now possible and yields detailed information of relationships within the genus as well as allowing the design of species-specific PCR primers for diagnostic purposes.

Genome analyses of an aggressive and invasive lineage of the Irish potato famine pathogen.

Pest and pathogen losses jeopardise global food security and ever since the 19th century Irish famine, potato late blight has exemplified this threat. The causal oomycete pathogen, Phytophthora infestans, undergoes major population shifts in agricultural systems via the successive emergence and migration of asexual lineages. The phenotypic and genotypic bases of these selective sweeps are largely unknown but management strategies need to adapt to reflect the changing pathogen population. Here, we used molecular markers to document the emergence of a lineage, termed 13_A2, in the European P. infestans population, and its rapid displacement of other lineages to exceed 75% of the pathogen population across Great Britain in less than three years. We show that isolates of the 13_A2 lineage are among the most aggressive on cultivated potatoes, outcompete other aggressive lineages in the field, and overcome previously effective forms of plant host resistance. Genome analyses of a 13_A2 isolate revealed extensive genetic and expression polymorphisms particularly in effector genes. Copy number variations, gene gains and losses, amino-acid replacements and changes in expression patterns of disease effector genes within the 13_A2 isolate likely contribute to enhanced virulence and aggressiveness to drive this population displacement. Importantly, 13_A2 isolates carry intact and in planta induced Avrblb1, Avrblb2 and Avrvnt1 effector genes that trigger resistance in potato lines carrying the corresponding R immune receptor genes Rpi-blb1, Rpi-blb2, and Rpi-vnt1.1. These findings point towards a strategy for deploying genetic resistance to mitigate the impact of the 13_A2 lineage and illustrate how pathogen population monitoring, combined with genome analysis, informs the management of devastating disease epidemics.

Phytophthora quercina sp. nov., causing root rot of European oaks

In a 3 year study of oak decline in Central and Southern Europe, a papillate homothallic Phytophthora species was isolated consistently, with other Phytophthora spp., from necrotic fine roots by direct plating on to selective agar medium and from rhizosphere soil samples by baiting with leaves of Quercus robur. The morphology, physiology, RAPD banding patterns and pathogenicity against apple fruits of this Phytophthora sp. are described and compared with those of other papillate Phytophthora species from Waterhouse’s Group I, namely P. cactorum, P. clandestina, P. idaei, P. iranica, P. pseudotsugae and P. tentaculata, and semipapillate Group III P. citricola. The papillate Phytophthora isolates from oak diered from all other Group I species by their uniform, dome-shaped and cottonwool-like colony growth pattern on V8 juice agar and malt extract agar, the frequent occurrence of sympodially branched primary hyphae, a high proportion of elongated, ellipsoid or ovoid oogonia, the absence of amphigynous antheridia and RAPD banding patterns. Additionally, there was no other species in Group I with as much variation in size and shape of the sporangia or large proportion of sporangia with a curved apex, hyphal projections, lateral displacement of the papilla and lateral attachment to the sporangiophore. In pathogenicity tests with infested soil, the isolates proved to be more pathogenic to Q. robur than any other Phytophthora sp. recovered from declining oaks in Central Europe. Based on their unique combination of cultural, sporangial and gametangial morphology, pathogenicity and close association with Quercus but not other trees, the papillate Phytophthora isolates from oak are described as Phytophthora quercina sp. nov. Oak decline is a serious and frequently recurring threat to European forestry. Above-ground symptoms include dieback of branches and parts of the crown, formation of epicormic shoots, high transparency of the crown, yellowing and wilting of leaves and tarry exudates from the bark (Siwecki & Liese, 1991; Luisi, Lerario & Vannini, 1993), all symptoms indicative of water stress and poor nutrition. Roots of declining and healthy trees in 33 stands of Quercus robur L., Q. petraea (Mattuscka) Liebl., Q. cerris L., Q. pubescens Willd. and Q. ilex L. in Germany, Switzerland, Hungary, Slovenia, Italy and France were examined for the presence of Phytophthora species. For the first time in Central Europe, several Phytophthora species including P. citricola, P. cactorum, P. cambivora, P. gonapodyides and P. undulata and an unidentified species, Phytophthora sp. 2, were isolated from root and soil samples of most stands investigated. Another unknown but papillate Phytophthora species, possessing a unique combi

Detection and identification of Phytophthora fragariae Hickman by the polymerase chain reaction

Phytophthora fragariae Hickman, which causes strawberry red stele and raspberry root rot, is a quarantine organism for which specific and sensitive detection methods are required to test the health of planting material. Sequences of the internal transcribed spacer regions of the ribosomal gene repeat (rDNA) were used to develop primers for P. fragariae in a nested Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). The fungus was readily detected in infected but symptomless roots by nested, but not single-round, PCR. It was also detected in infested water samples obtained from the Dutch General Inspection Service by nested PCR. Detection of PCR products was at least 10-fold more sensitive by PCR-ELISA than by conventional visualisation on agarose gels.

Multiple new phenotypic taxa from trees and riparian ecosystems in Phytophthora gonapodyides-P. megasperma ITS Clade 6, which tend to be high-temperature tolerant and either inbreeding or sterile

Phytophthora isolates associated with Phytophthora major ITS Clade 6 were grouped into 11 phenotypic taxa. These comprised the described morphospecies P. gonapodyides, P. megasperma s. str. and P. humicola; four previously identified but so far undescribed taxa, informally designated here P. sp. O-group, P. sp. Apple-cherry, P. taxon Pgchlamydo, and P. taxon Walnut; and four previously unknown taxa, designated P. taxon Oaksoil, P. taxon Raspberry, P. taxon Forestsoil, and P. taxon Riversoil. With the exception of P. gonapodyides, each phenotypic taxon represented an unique ITS lineage. Two isolates morphologically identical to P. gonapodyides comprised a separate lineage and probably represent another taxon, designated here P. taxon Salixsoil, P. humicola, P. sp. O-group, P. sp. Apple-cherry and P. taxon Walnut grouped together as subclade I. Within subclade II, P. taxon Oaksoil, P. taxon Raspberry, P. taxon Forestsoil, P. taxon Riversoil and P. taxon Pgchlamydo formed a cluster of closely related but phenotypically distinct lineages basal to P. gonapodyides and P. megasperma, P. taxon Salixsoil being the most basal member. The taxonomy, adaptation and breeding systems of Clade 6 taxa are discussed. They show a strong association with forests and riparian ecosystems, only a limited association with agriculture and an ability to tolerate high temperatures. Also, in contrast to most other Phytophthora clades, Clade 6 taxa are predominantly sterile or inbreeding in culture. Only one taxon, P. sp. O-group, appears classically A1/A2 heterothallic.

Relatedness of Group I species of Phytophthora as assessed by randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPDs) and sequences of ribosomal DNA

Relatedness of Group I species P. iranica, P. clandestina, P. pseudotsugae, P. cactorum and a new species, P. idaei with specificity in pathogenicity tests to raspberry (Rubus idaeus), were examined at the molecular level using twenty random ten-mer primers to amplify total DNA (RAPDs) and by sequencing of the internal transcribed spacer regions, ITS1 and ITS2, of the ribosomal RNA gene. Cluster analysis of five of the RAPD banding patterns, separately or as a combined analysis, ranked P. idaei, P. pseudotsugae and P. cactorum more or less equally in each case. The separation between them and P. iranica and P. clandestina was much greater. Within P. cactorum, collar rot isolates from apple clustered separately from strawberry crown rot isolates, while isolates from raspberry appeared to have affinities with both clusters. Sequence analyses of ITS1 and ITS2 revealed only a few differences among isolates of P. idaei, P. pseudotsugae and P. cactorum. Their sequences were much more similar to one another than to P. infestans and in ITS1 they shared a characteristic motif, resulting from a base pair inversion, that was not present in any other Phytophthora species. The inversion occurred within a sequence that binds to a DNA probe that has been used as a genus-specific probe for all Phytophthora spp.

Presence⁄absence, differential expression and sequence polymorphisms between PiAVR2 and PiAVR2-like in Phytophthora infestans determine virulence on R2 plants

• A detailed molecular understanding of how oomycete plant pathogens evade disease resistance is essential to inform the deployment of durable resistance (R) genes. • Map-based cloning, transient expression in planta, pathogen transformation and DNA sequence variation across diverse isolates were used to identify and characterize PiAVR2 from potato late blight pathogen Phytophthora infestans. • PiAVR2 is an RXLR-EER effector that is up-regulated during infection, accumulates at the site of haustoria formation, and is recognized inside host cells by potato protein R2. Expression of PiAVR2 in a virulent P. infestans isolate conveys a gain-of-avirulence phenotype, indicating that this is a dominant gene triggering R2-dependent disease resistance. PiAVR2 presence/absence polymorphisms and differential transcription explain virulence on R2 plants. Isolates infecting R2 plants express PiAVR2-like, which evades recognition by R2. PiAVR2 and PiAVR2-like differ in 13 amino acids, eight of which are in the C-terminal effector domain; one or more of these determines recognition by R2. Nevertheless, few polymorphisms were observed within each gene in pathogen isolates, suggesting limited selection pressure for change within PiAVR2 and PiAVR2-like. • Our results direct a search for R genes recognizing PiAVR2-like, which, deployed with R2, may exert strong selection pressure against the P. infestans population.

Elevating crop disease resistance with cloned genes

Essentially all plant species exhibit heritable genetic variation for resistance to a variety of plant diseases caused by fungi, bacteria, oomycetes or viruses. Disease losses in crop monocultures are already significant, and would be greater but for applications of disease-controlling agrichemicals. For sustainable intensification of crop production, we argue that disease control should as far as possible be achieved using genetics rather than using costly recurrent chemical sprays. The latter imply CO2 emissions from diesel fuel and potential soil compaction from tractor journeys. Great progress has been made in the past 25 years in our understanding of the molecular basis of plant disease resistance mechanisms, and of how pathogens circumvent them. These insights can inform more sophisticated approaches to elevating disease resistance in crops that help us tip the evolutionary balance in favour of the crop and away from the pathogen. We illustrate this theme with an account of a genetically modified (GM) blight-resistant potato trial in Norwich, using the Rpi-vnt1.1 gene isolated from a wild relative of potato, Solanum venturii, and introduced by GM methods into the potato variety Desiree.

The Irish potato famine pathogen Phytophthora infestans originated in central Mexico rather than the Andes

Significance The potato late blight pathogen was introduced to Europe in the 1840s and caused the devastating loss of a staple crop, resulting in the Irish potato famine and subsequent diaspora. Research on this disease has engendered much debate, which in recent years has focused on whether the geographic origin of the pathogen is South America or central Mexico. Different lines of evidence support each hypothesis. We sequenced four nuclear genes in representative samples from Mexico and the South American Andes. An Andean origin of P. infestans does not receive support from detailed analyses of Andean and Mexican populations. This is one of a few examples of a pathogen with a known origin that is secondary to its current major host. Phytophthora infestans is a destructive plant pathogen best known for causing the disease that triggered the Irish potato famine and remains the most costly potato pathogen to manage worldwide. Identification of P. infestan’s elusive center of origin is critical to understanding the mechanisms of repeated global emergence of this pathogen. There are two competing theories, placing the origin in either South America or in central Mexico, both of which are centers of diversity of Solanum host plants. To test these competing hypotheses, we conducted detailed phylogeographic and approximate Bayesian computation analyses, which are suitable approaches to unraveling complex demographic histories. Our analyses used microsatellite markers and sequences of four nuclear genes sampled from populations in the Andes, Mexico, and elsewhere. To infer the ancestral state, we included the closest known relatives Phytophthora phaseoli, Phytophthora mirabilis, and Phytophthora ipomoeae, as well as the interspecific hybrid Phytophthora andina. We did not find support for an Andean origin of P. infestans; rather, the sequence data suggest a Mexican origin. Our findings support the hypothesis that populations found in the Andes are descendants of the Mexican populations and reconcile previous findings of ancestral variation in the Andes. Although centers of origin are well documented as centers of evolution and diversity for numerous crop plants, the number of plant pathogens with a known geographic origin are limited. This work has important implications for our understanding of the coevolution of hosts and pathogens, as well as the harnessing of plant disease resistance to manage late blight.