This project aims to investigate the genetics of Phytophthora cinnamomi, a pathogenic oomycete that causes devastating dieback and root-rot diseases in an extremely wide range of host plants, including pine, avocado and Kauri. Phytophthora cinnamomi lives inside the plants tissue and evolves specifically to overcome the immune system, making it an incredibly dangerous pathogen. The genomes of different isolates were sequenced and assembled using long sequencing reads and guided by a reference genome.

This allowed for the identification of effector protein genes present in each isolate. These effector proteins are the main weapons deployed into the host species, driving infection and eventually killing the plant. Phytophthora cinnamomi’s pathogenic ability is largely determined by its arsenal of effector proteins and their characterisation is a key aim of this pou.

Phytophthora cinnamomi is a devastating phytopathogen that is incredibly invasive and long-lived. Not only can its motile zoospores travel through damp soil, but its hardy chlamydospore are able to survive for up to 5 years underground. It poses a uniquely high threat to Aotearoa’s flora, due to having comparatively less time being exposed to build up a resistance to it and its effector proteins.

Identifying and characterizing the differences between the effector protein arsenals of different isolates is a research outcome that will give insight into the role of the host in Phytophthora cinnamomi infections. Given the constant co-evolutionary dynamics between Phytophthora cinnamomi and its plant hosts, understanding the effectome will provide valuable insights into the pathogen’s adaptation and the development of counter measures, particularly in vulnerable Aotearoa New Zealand plant species.

Project Collaborators

| University of Canterbury |