Accumulation of phytoalexins in leaves of plane tree (Platanus spp.) expressing susceptibility or resistance toCeratocystis fimbriata f. sp.platani

Inoculation of leaves of resistantPlatanus occidentalis and susceptiblePlatanus acerifolia leaves withCeratocystis fimbriata f. sp.platani, the canker stain disease agent, induced foliar necrosis and biosynthesis of two phytoalexins, scopoletin and umbelliferone. Foliar symptoms keep localized and accumulation of coumarin phytoalexins was rapid for incompatible interactions. Necrosis spread widely and accumulation of these phenolic compounds was much later and lower for compatible interactions. The differential response could be used in a genetic improvement program for resistance against canker stain.     

Development of novel pesticides based on phytoalexins: Part 2. Quantitative structure-activity relationships of 2-heteroaryl-4-chromanone derivatives

Phytoalexins are low-molecular-weight chemicals that immune systems of plants produce and accumulate in response to infections, especially those of fungal origin. Although their content is not high in plants, yet they have shown unique fungicidal activity and played an important role in the defence system of plants. In searching for novel environmentally benign fungicides with high activity, the structures of flavanone derivatives, one of the most important phytoalexins groups, have been modified via bioisosteric substitution and a series of 2-heteroaryl-4-chromanones were designed and synthesized. They showed good fungicidal activities against rice blast disease, Pyricularia grisea (Sacc). Their IC50 values were tested in vitro and the relationship between structure and fungicidal activity was analyzed quantitatively using a Hansch-Fujita approach. The results showed that hydrophobicity was very important for fungicidal activity and there is apparently an optimum hydrophobic property for the molecules at a log Pow value of about 2.7. In addition, the results indicated that electronic effects played an important role in binding with the receptor and that the C=O group was probably a electron-accepting site. The quantitative structure-retention correlative equation of the title compounds was also established.     

Stilbene oligomer phytoalexins in grape as a response to Aspergillus carbonarius infection

Stilbenes are grapevine phytoalexins elicited by biotic and abiotic agents; Aspergillus carbonarius is a widespread ochratoxin A producing fungus present in warm conditions, such as in Southern Italy. To increase the knowledge on biosynthesis of stilbene oligomers induced by A. carbonarius infection, grape berries of the Southern Italian grape cv. Negro Amaro were inoculated. Significant increase of trans-resveratrol and resveratrol dimers and oligomers, such as caraphenol, E-ε-viniferin, ω-viniferin, δ-viniferin, α-viniferin, E-miyabenol C, and two tetramers, was observed, and concomitant decrease of glycoside derivatives. These findings improve the knowledge on the phytoalexin production as response against this pathogen.     

Luteoforol,a flavan 4-ol,is induced in pome fruits by prohexadione-calciumand shows phytoalexin-like properties against <Emphasis Type="Italic">Erwinia amylovora</Emphasis>and other plant pathogens

Treatments with prohexadione-calcium led to lowered incidence of fire blight, scab and other diseases in pome fruit trees and other crop plants. In addition to acting as a growth regulator, prohexadione-calcium interferes with flavonoid metabolism and induces the accumulation of the 3-deoxycatechin luteoliflavan in shoots of pome fruit trees. Luteoliflavan does not possess any remarkable antimicrobial activity. Therefore luteoforol, its unstable and highly reactive precursor, has been tested in vitro for its bactericidal and fungicidal activities. Luteoforol was found to be highly active against different strains of Erwinia amylovora, the causal agent of fire blight, and all other bacterial and fungal organisms tested. Phytotoxic effects were also observed in pear plantlets. The results obtained indicate that prohexadione-calcium induces luteoforol as an active principle with non-specific biocidal properties. It is proposed that luteoforol is released upon pathogen attack from its cellular compartment and inhibits further disease development by destroying pathogen cells as well as by inducing a hypersensitive-like reaction in the host plant tissue. This mechanism would be closely analogous to the one known for structurally related phytoalexins in sorghum.     

Antifungal activity toPhytophthora infestans of sesquiterpenoids from infected potato tubers

Summary The sesquiterpenes 2-(1',2'-dihydroxy-1'-methylethyl)-6,10-dimethyl-spiro-[4,5]dec-6-en-8-on (1) and its 2'-O-β-d-glucopyranoside (2) were isolated from the stress zones of potato tubers infected withPhoma foveata andFusarium spp., and rishitin and solavetivone from tuber slices inoculated withErwinia carotovora. The influence of these compounds, and of the naturally occurring plant sesquiterpenoids abscisic acid, cedrol and farnesol, on the mycelial growth ofPhytophthora infestans were tested on agar plates using a defined medium. All sesquiterpenoids suppressed the growth of the pathogen, except for1 and its glucoside2 which induced a slight, however significant, growth stimulation. Compounds1 and2 could not be isolated fromE. carotovora orP. infestans-inoculated tuber tissue.     

Inheritance of resistance in carnation against Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. dianthi races 1 and 2, in relation to resistance components

Four carnation cultivars, Novada (resistant to races 1 and 2 ofFusarium oxysporum f.sp.dianthi), Elsy (susceptible to race 1), Lena (susceptible to race 2) and Sam's Pride (susceptible to both races), were selfed and crossed. When three months old, the seedlings were inoculated via the roots or via the stems, after which wilting was recorded weekly according to a 5-point ordinal scale.Analyses were carried out on the proportions of diseased plants. For race 1 variation between the progenies could be described by means of general combining abilities only; GCA values were not affected by the inoculation method used. Also for race 2 GCAs were most important but the GCA values appeared different for the two inoculation methods. It is concluded that resistance to both races is inherited in an additive way.Indications for independently inherited root-specific resistance components (extravascular resistance) were only found with race 2. With both races, the ability to confine the pathogen at the infection site appeared the most important resistance component. Resistant progenies were also characterized by longer latent periods and lower wilting rates.Both race 1 and race 2 induced the accumulation of the phytoalexins dianthalexin and methoxydianthramide S, but race 2 induced higher amounts than race 1. The accumulation of phytoalexins was positively correlated to the resistance level of the progenies against the respective races. The progenies of the double-resistant cultivar Novada appeared to produce particularly high levels of phytoalexins.     

Involvement of phenol metabolism in resistance of Dianthus caryophyllus to Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. dianthi

Three carnation cultivars were investigated for the effect of stem inoculation withFusarium oxysporum f.sp.dianthi on production of phenolic compounds and on fungistatic activity. Carnation stems were characterized by a complex mixture of cell wall-bound phenolics, several of which occurred in considerable amounts. Only very low amounts of phenolic compound were present in the vacuoles.Infection withF. oxysporum f.sp.dianthi induced the production and accumulation of a number of new compounds, both free in the cell sap and bound to the cell wall. In addition, the stem extracts acquired germination-inhibiting properties for conidia of the fungus. The accumulation of several phenolics and the fungistatic activity were roughly correlated to the degree of resistance of the three cultivars. Part of the differences in their resistance toF. oxysporum f.sp.dianthi might be due to an inhibition of the conversion of phenolic acid-type precursors into phytoalexins in the more susceptible cultivars.Samenvatting Drie anjercultivars werden onderzocht op de effecten van stengelinoculatie metFusarium oxysporum f.sp.dianthi op de produktie van fenolische verbindingen en op de fungistatische activiteit van stengelextracten. Anjerstengels bleken een complex mengsel van celwand-gebonden fenolzuren te bevatten, waarvan er verschillende in vrij grote hoeveelheden voorkwamen. Daartegenover waren de hoeveelheden fenolische verbindingen in de vacuole bij gezonde anjerstengels erg laag.Infectie metF. oxysporum f.sp.dianthi induceerde de produktie en accumulatie van een aantal nieuwe verbindingen in het celsap, alsook gebonden aan de celwand. Tevens bleek de remming van de kieming van conidiën vanF. oxysporum f.sp.dianthi onder invloed van deze stengelextracten sterk verhoogd, in vergelijking met de remming veroorzaakt door extracten van gezonde stengels. De accumulatie van een aantal fenolen en de verhoging van de fungistatische activiteit van de extracten waren in grote lijnen gecorreleerd met de uit de praktijk bekende resistentie van de drie cultivars. De verschillen in resistentie tegenF. oxysporum f.sp.dianthi zouden deels kunnen berusten op remming van de omzetting van precursors (fenolzuren) in fytoalexinen in de meer vatbare cultivars.     

Studies on the phloroglucinol–HCl reactive material produced by squash fruit elicited with pectinase: Isolation using hydrolytic enzymes and release of p -coumaryl aldehyde by water reflux

Pathological tissues from a variety of plants turn red when treated with the histochemical reagent phloroglucinol (PG)–HCl. This induced PG–HCl reacting material has been termed both wound gum and, more recently, induced lignin or lignin-like material. We are exploring alternative approaches to better identify this induced material. In this report, we describe methods for purifying the PG–HCl reactive material from solvent-washed tissue preparations and measuring the amount of p -coumaryl aldehyde released from the purified material by boiling in water. Acorn squash fruit wall tissue was sliced, sprayed with pectinase to elicit the formation of PG–HCl reactive material and incubated up to 72 h at 27°C. Sampled tissue was washed extensively with water and organic solvents. Insoluble residues were treated with cell wall degrading enzymes to remove cell wall materials, and dimethyl sulfoxide was used to dissolve starch. Yields of residual material increased from 7.5% in the time zero samples to 29.7% after 72 h. Refluxing the purified material in water released <6 μ g p -coumaryl aldehyde g⁻¹ from preparations of tissue at time zero and 8100 μ g p -coumaryl aldehyde g⁻¹ from samples incubated for 48 h. These results suggest that the function of the material is to sequester phytoalexins, but are not consistent with the material being lignin. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd.     

Plant immunisation: from myth to SAR

The idea that plants might be able to develop a form of acquired immunity to infection following exposure to a pathogen has been current ever since discovery of the animal immune system in the later years of the nineteenth century. Early attempts to demonstrate a comparable system in plants focused on the detection of precipitating antibodies and hence were doomed to failure. Nevertheless, largely anecdotal evidence for plant immunisation continued to accumulate, culminating in the discovery of phytoalexins in the 1940s. Convincing evidence for systemic changes in plant resistance following an inducer inoculation was not available until 20 years later, when pioneering work on tobacco infected with blue mould (Peronospora tabacina) or tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) showed that tissues remote from the inoculation site were altered in disease reaction type. Increased resistance was expressed as a reduction in lesion numbers and size, and a reduced rate of pathogen reproduction. Systemic acquired resistance (SAR) has now been demonstrated in at least 20 plant species in at least six plant families, although detailed genetic or molecular analysis has mainly been confined to a few models, such as tobacco, cucumber and Arabidopsis. SAR is associated with the coordinate induction of genes encoding defence proteins which can be used as molecular markers of the response. The availability of Arabidopsis mutants altered in the induction and expression of SAR is now providing new insights into the signal transduction pathway(s) involved, and will enable comparison with the molecular mechanisms operating in other plant taxa. Important unresolved questions concern the nature of the translocated signal, the mechanism of defence ‘priming’, efficacy of the response against different pathogens, and practical exploitation of SAR in crop protection. The first generation of chemical plant defence activators is now commercially available and optimal use of these SAR inducers in integrated disease control requires further evaluation. The prospects for engineering transgenic crops altered in the regulation or expression of SAR is also a subject for further investigation. © 1999 Society of Chemical Industry