Expression of the Theobroma cacao Bax-inhibitor-1 gene in tomato reduces infection by the hemibiotrophic pathogen Moniliophthora perniciosa.

ABSTRACT: Programmed cell death (PCD) plays a key role in plant responses to pathogens, determining the success of infection depending on the pathogen lifestyle and on which participant of the interaction triggers cell death. The hemibiotrophic basidiomycete Moniliophthora perniciosa is the causal agent of witches' broom disease of Theobroma cacao L. (cacao), a serious constraint for production in South America and the Caribbean. It has been hypothesized that M. perniciosa pathogenesis involves PCD, initially as a plant defence mechanism, which is diverted by the fungus to induce necrosis during the dikaryotic phase of the mycelia. Here, we evaluated whether the expression of a cacao anti-apoptotic gene would affect the incidence and severity of M. perniciosa infection using the 'Micro-Tom' (MT) tom

SUBMITTER: Scotton DC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6638249 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature