BcXYG1, a Secreted Xyloglucanase from , Triggers Both Cell Death and Plant Immune Responses.

In search of cell death-inducing proteins, we found a xyloglucanase (BcXYG1) that induced strong necrosis and a resistance response in dicot plants. Expression of the gene was strongly induced during the first 12 h post inoculation, and analysis of disease dynamics using PathTrack showed that a strain overexpressing produced early local necrosis, supporting a role of BcXYG1 as an early cell death-inducing factor. The xyloglucanase activity of BcXYG1 was not necessary for the induction of necrosis and plant resistance, as a mutant of BcXYG1 lacking the xyloglucanase enzymatic activity retained both functions.

Diversity of fungal endophytes in recent and ancient wheat ancestors Triticum dicoccoides and Aegilops sharonensis.

Endophytes have profound impacts on plants, including beneficial effects on agriculturally important traits. We hypothesized that endophytes in wild plants include beneficial endophytes that are absent or underrepresented in domesticated crops. In this work, we studied the structure of endophyte communities in wheat-related grasses, Triticum dicoccoides and Aegilops sharonensis, and compared it to an endophyte community from wheat (T.

Characterization of Botrytis-plant interactions using PathTrack -an automated system for dynamic analysis of disease development.

The measurement of disease development is integral in studies on plant-microbe interactions. To address the need for a dynamic and quantitative disease evaluation, we developed PathTrack , and used it to analyse the interaction of plants with Botrytis cinerea. PathTrack is composed of an infection chamber, a photography unit and software that produces video files and numerical values of disease progression.

Anti-apoptotic machinery protects the necrotrophic fungus Botrytis cinerea from host-induced apoptotic-like cell death during plant infection.

Necrotrophic fungi are unable to occupy living plant cells. How such pathogens survive first contact with living host tissue and initiate infection is therefore unclear. Here, we show that the necrotrophic grey mold fungus Botrytis cinerea undergoes massive apoptotic-like programmed cell death (PCD) following germination on the host plant.