CRISPR/Cas9 editing of Downy mildew resistant 6 (DMR6-1) in grapevine leads to reduced susceptibility to Plasmopara viticola

Downy mildew of grapevine (Vitis vinifera), caused by the oomycete Plasmopara viticola, is an important disease that is present in cultivation areas worldwide, and using resistant varieties provides an environmentally friendly alternative to fungicides. DOWNY MILDEW RESISTANT 6 (DMR6) from Arabidopsis is a negative regulator of plant immunity and its loss of function confers resistance to downy mildew. In grapevine, DMR6 is present in two copies, named VvDMR6-1 and VvDMR6-2. Here, we describe the editing of VvDMR6-1 in embryogenic calli using CRISPR/Cas9 and the regeneration of the edited plants. All edited plants were found to be biallelic and chimeric, and whilst they all showed reduced growth compared with non-transformed control plants, they also had reduced susceptibility to P. viticola. Comparison between mock-inoculated genotypes showed that all edited lines presented higher levels of salicylic acid than controls, and lines subjected to transformation presented higher levels of cis-resveratrol than controls. Our results identify VvDMR6-1 as a promising target for breeding grapevine cultivars with improved resistance to downy mildew.

Plasmopara viticola RxLR effector PvAvh77 triggers cell death and governs immunity responses in grapevine

Grapevine downy mildew, caused by the oomycete Plasmopara viticola, is one of the most significant production challenges for the grape and wine industry. P. viticola injects a plethora of effectors into its host cells to disrupt immune processes, but the mechanisms by which these effectors act at the molecular level have not been well characterized. Herein, we show that a candidate P. viticola avirulence homolog (Avh) RxLR effector gene, designated PvAvh77, was strongly up-regulated during the initial stages of P. viticola infection in Vitis vinifera. Further experiments demonstrated that PvAvh77 could trigger non-specific cell death when expressed in the wild grapevine Vitis riparia and in tobacco (Nicotiana benthamiana and Nicotiana tabacum). In addition, a truncated form of PvAvh77, designated PvAvh77-M2, was more active in inducing cell death in N. benthamiana and V. riparia than full-length PvAvh77. Ectopic expression of PvAvh77 in V. vinifera 'Thompson Seedless' leaves neutralized host immunity and enhanced colonization by P. viticola, and the immune-inhibiting activity of PvAvh77 on susceptible Eurasian grapevine depended on its nuclear localization. Using a yeast signal sequence trap approach, we showed that the signal peptide of PvAvh77 is functional in yeast. Moreover, PvAvh77 with a signal peptide stimulated plant immune responses in the apoplast. Notably, application of exogenous purified PvAvh77-M2 effectively initiated defence responses in grapevine extracellularly, as evidenced by increased accumulation of salicylic acid and H2O2, and reduced infection of inoculated P. viticola. In summary, we identified a novel effector, PvAvh77, from P. viticola, which has the potential to serve as an inducer of plant immunity.

Diketopiperazine cyclo(-l-Leu-l-Phe) with plant elicitation activity and anti-oomycete activity against Plasmopara viticola

The aim of this study was to contribute to the reduction of synthetic chemical fungicide application in viticulture by using cyclo(-l-Leu-l-Phe) (cLF) produced by Bacillus subtilis KS1, a candidate for biological control agent. cLF is a diketopiperazine and belongs to the family of 2,5-diketopiperazines. KS1 secreted micromolar levels of cLF into culture medium. Micromolar concentrations of cLF structure-dependently decreased by ∼90% both disease severity and lesion density of downy mildew in grapevine cultivated in a growth chamber. Microscopic observation demonstrated that cLF inhibited Plasmopara viticola haustorium formation by 80% but not zoospore germination on leas disks. Interestingly, millimolar concentrations of cLF induced plant defense response, such as expression of genes encoding chitinase and β-1,3-glucanase, in grapevine leaves through the salicylic acid and jasmonate signaling pathways. We demonstrated that cLF was a weapon against P. viticola infection. Further evaluation of cLF in field trials is required to uncover its inherent characteristics.

Two sides of the same story in grapevine-pathogen interactions

Proteases are an integral part of plant defence systems, and their role in plant-pathogen interactions is unequivocal. Emerging evidence suggests that different protease families contribute to the establishment not only of hypersensitive response, priming, and signalling, but also of recognition events through complex proteolytic cascades. Moreover, they play a crucial role in pathogen/microbe-associated molecular pattern (PAMP/MAMP)-triggered immunity as well as in effector-triggered immunity. However, despite important advances in our understanding of the role of proteases in plant defence, the contribution of proteases to pathogen defence in grapevine remains poorly understood. In this review, we summarize current knowledge of the main grapevine pathosystems and explore the role of serine, cysteine, and aspartic proteases from both the host and pathogen point of views.

A High-Quality Grapevine Downy Mildew Genome Assembly Reveals Rapidly Evolving and Lineage-Specific Putative Host Adaptation Genes

Downy mildews are obligate biotrophic oomycete pathogens that cause devastating plant diseases on economically important crops. Plasmopara viticola is the causal agent of grapevine downy mildew, a major disease in vineyards worldwide. We sequenced the genome of Pl. viticola with PacBio long reads and obtained a new 92.94 Mb assembly with high contiguity (359 scaffolds for a N50 of 706.5 kb) due to a better resolution of repeat regions. This assembly presented a high level of gene completeness, recovering 1,592 genes encoding secreted proteins involved in plant-pathogen interactions. Plasmopara viticola had a two-speed genome architecture, with secreted protein-encoding genes preferentially located in gene-sparse, repeat-rich regions and evolving rapidly, as indicated by pairwise dN/dS values. We also used short reads to assemble the genome of Plasmopara muralis, a closely related species infecting grape ivy (Parthenocissus tricuspidata). The lineage-specific proteins identified by comparative genomics analysis included a large proportion of RxLR cytoplasmic effectors and, more generally, genes with high dN/dS values. We identified 270 candidate genes under positive selection, including several genes encoding transporters and components of the RNA machinery potentially involved in host specialization. Finally, the Pl. viticola genome assembly generated here will allow the development of robust population genomics approaches for investigating the mechanisms involved in adaptation to biotic and abiotic selective pressures in this species.