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Robigalia Roundup #2
Uncovering the structure of thousands of pathogen effectors from the wheat stripe rust fungus
Alyssa Martino
October 02, 2024 • Reading Time: 5 minutes
Hello Robigalia Reader and welcome back to another week of Robigalia, delivering the latest research, tools, and opportunities in plant pathology.
This week, we learn about the structure of thousands of pathogen effectors from the wheat stripe rust fungus and a reference management tool that has saved me many headaches throughout my PhD! As always, Robigalia subscribers can access my online database and the title song for today’s issue.
Keep reading for the latest updates!
Plant pathology research
Computational studies reveal structural characterization and novel families of Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici effectors
If you haven’t tried AlphaFold yet, this is the sign you’ve been waiting for! Researchers conducted a comprehensive computational analysis of over 15,000 effector candidates from the wheat stripe rust pathogen Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici (Pst) using AlphaFold2. By predicting and characterising effector structures, they identified novel effector families and structural similarities with effectors from other pathogens, providing insights into Pst pathogenicity and evolution. This work significantly advances our understanding of effector biology in Pst and highlights the incredible power of AI in plant pathology.
In this study, Shang et al. identified a novel fungal effector, CfEC28, from Colletotrichum fructicola that suppresses plant immunity by manipulating the shikimate pathway enzyme DAHPS in chloroplasts. CfEC28 inhibits DAHPS activity by competing with manganese ions for binding to the enzyme's active site, disrupting the production of various defence-related secondary metabolites. Overexpression of DAHPS in transgenic apple plants significantly enhanced resistance to C. fructicola infection, highlighting the importance of the shikimate pathway in plant defence and the potential for improving disease resistance through manipulating this pathway.
Research tools you’re loving
If you’re looking for a new reference manager, you can’t go past Zotero. It was recommended to me early on in my PhD and I haven’t looked back. Here are just a few reasons I think you’ll love it too:
Free and Open-Source: No cost to use, with a supportive community.
Easy Saving: Save articles, books, and more with a single click.
Organisational Tools: Create collections and tag items with keywords.
Citation Styles: Supports over 9,000 citation styles for references and bibliographies.
Sync Across Devices: Keep your research up-to-date on all your devices.
Collaboration: Share your library effortlessly with group projects.
Integration: Works with Word, LibreOffice, and Google Docs for seamless writing.
Research student of the week
COMING SOON!
Fill out the EOI to have your research featured in Robigalia
PhD Scholarships and Jobs
PhD Scholarships
John Innes Foundation Rotation PhD Programme, Norwich, England
Plant-microbe interactions (Ustilago hordei), Institute for Plant Sciences/CEPLAS, Cologne, Germany
Viral manipulation of plants, INRAE, Colmar, France
Jobs
Other News and Opportunities
Register your interest for the 17th Australasian Plant Breeding Conference in Sydney in June 2025
Save the date for the 25th Australasian Plant Pathology Society conference in Sydney in May 2025
Nominations are now open for the 2025 Jeanie Borlaug Laube Women in Triticum (WIT) awards. Nominations close November 29th 2024.
Meme of the week
Before you go…
Like or didn’t like this new newsletter format? Let me know if the comments!
Think a friend (or two) could benefit from reading? I’d love it if you could share this link with them.
Until next week,
Alyssa
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