New Enzyme That Infects Plants Identified, Paving the Way for Potential Disease Prevention
Published:15 Aug.2021 Source:University of York
By discovering previously unexplored ways in which crop pathogens break through plant cell walls, the scientists have opened up opportunities for developing effective disease control technologies.
The new research, published in Science, describes a family of enzymes found in a microorganism called Phytophthora infestans. The enzymes enable crop pathogens to degrade pectin -- a key component of plant cell walls -- thereby enabling the pathogens to break through the plant's defences to infect the plant.