Evolution of Phytophthora infestans on its potato host since the Irish potato famine.
Nat Commun
; 15(1): 6488, 2024 Aug 05.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-39103347
ABSTRACT
Phytophthora infestans is a major oomycete plant pathogen, responsible for potato late blight, which led to the Irish Potato Famine from 1845-1852. Since then, potatoes resistant to this disease have been bred and deployed worldwide. Their resistance (R) genes recognize pathogen effectors responsible for virulence and then induce a plant response stopping disease progression. However, most deployed R genes are quickly overcome by the pathogen. We use targeted sequencing of effector and R genes on herbarium specimens to examine the joint evolution in both P. infestans and potato from 1845-1954. Currently relevant effectors are historically present in P. infestans, but with alternative alleles compared to modern reference genomes. The historic FAM-1 lineage has the virulent Avr1 allele and the ability to break the R1 resistance gene before breeders deployed it in potato. The FAM-1 lineage is diploid, but later, triploid US-1 lineages appear. We show that pathogen virulence genes and host resistance genes have undergone significant changes since the Famine, from both natural and artificial selection.
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Plant Diseases
/
Solanum tuberosum
/
Phytophthora infestans
/
Disease Resistance
Country/Region as subject:
Europa
Language:
En
Journal:
Nat Commun
Journal subject:
BIOLOGIA
/
CIENCIA
Year:
2024
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Estados Unidos