The CBEL glycoprotein of Phytophthora parasitica var-nicotianae is involved in cell wall deposition and adhesion to cellulosic substrates.
2002
The cell wall of the oomycete plant pathogen Phytophthora
parasitica var. nicotianae contains a protein called CBEL that
shows cellulose-binding (CB), elicitor (E) of defense in plants and
lectin-like (L) activities. The biological role of this molecule in
Phytophthora was investigated by generating transgenic strains
suppressed in CBEL expression. Phenotypic characterization of these
strains showed that they were severely impaired in adhesion to a cellophane
membrane, differentiation of lobed structures in contact with cellophane, and
formation of branched aggregating hyphae on cellophane and on flax cellulose
fibres. Infection assays revealed that the strains suppressed in CBEL
expression were not greatly affected in pathogenicity and formed branched
aggregating hyphae in contact with the roots of the host plant, thereby
indicating that CBEL is involved in the perception of cellulose rather than in
the morphogenesis of hyphal aggregates. Interestingly, the absence of CBEL was
correlated with abnormal formation of papillae-like cell wall thickenings in
vitro, suggesting that CBEL is involved in cell wall deposition in
Phytophthora . Reverse genetics in oomycetes has long been hampered by
their diploid nature and difficulties in transformation and regeneration. The
gene inactivation approach reported in this work provides the first direct
evidence for intrinsic functions of an elicitor and cell wall protein in
oomycetes.
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