Phage-displayed peptides as developmental agonists for Phytophthora capsici zoospores.

ABSTRACT: As part of its pathogenic life cycle, Phytophthora capsici disperses to plants through a motile zoospore stage. Molecules on the zoospore surface are involved in reception of environmental signals that direct preinfection behavior. We developed a phage display protocol to identify peptides that bind to the surface molecules of P. capsici zoospores in vitro. The selected phage-displayed peptides contained an abundance of polar amino acids and proline but were otherwise not conserved. About half of the selected phage that were tested concomitantly induced zoospore encystment in the absence of other signaling agents. A display phage was shown to bind to the zoospore but not to the cyst form of P. capsici. Two free peptides corresponding to active phage were similarly able to induce encystment

SUBMITTER: Bishop-Hurley SL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC126814 | biostudies-literature | 2002 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature