Contribution of proteomics to the study of plant pathogenic fungi

J Proteome Res. 2012 Jan 1;11(1):3-16. doi: 10.1021/pr200873p. Epub 2011 Nov 28.

Abstract

Phytopathogenic fungi are one of the most damaging plant parasitic organisms, and can cause serious diseases and important yield losses in crops. The study of the biology of these microorganisms and the interaction with their hosts has experienced great advances in recent years due to the development of moderm, holistic and high-throughput -omic techniques, together with the increasing number of genome sequencing projects and the development of mutants and reverse genetics tools. We highlight among these -omic techniques the importance of proteomics, which has become a relevant tool in plant-fungus pathosystem research. Proteomics intends to identify gene products with a key role in pathogenicity and virulence. These studies would help in the search of key protein targets and in the development of agrochemicals, which may open new ways for crop disease diagnosis and protection. In this review, we made an overview on the contribution of proteomics to the knowledge of life cycle, infection mechanisms, and virulence of the plant pathogenic fungi. Data from current, innovative literature, according to both methodological and experimental systems, were summarized and discussed. Specific sections were devoted to the most studied fungal phytopathogens: Botrytis cinerea, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, and Fusarium graminearum.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Chromatography, Liquid
  • Crops, Agricultural / microbiology
  • Fungal Proteins / chemistry
  • Fungal Proteins / isolation & purification
  • Fungal Proteins / metabolism*
  • Fungi / metabolism
  • Fungi / physiology*
  • Plant Diseases / microbiology*
  • Proteome / chemistry
  • Proteome / isolation & purification
  • Proteome / metabolism*
  • Proteomics
  • Tandem Mass Spectrometry

Substances

  • Fungal Proteins
  • Proteome