Genetic Modification of Disease Resistance: Fungal and Oomycete Pathogens

Tör, M. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4416-5048 and Woods-Tör, Alison (2016) Genetic Modification of Disease Resistance: Fungal and Oomycete Pathogens. In: Encyclopedia of Applied Plant Sciences (2nd Edition). Academic Press, Waltham, MA, pp. 83-87. ISBN Print : 978-0-12-394808-3 eBook: 9780123948083

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Abstract

Development of recombinant DNA technology allowed scientists to manipulate plant genomes, making it possible to study genes and
exploit them to modify novel agronomic traits. Here, we review the current and future potential of genetic modification (GM) strategies used
to increase the resistance of plants to oomycete and fungal pathogens. Numerous resistance genes (R-genes) have been cloned, and under
laboratory conditions, transgenic plants have given promising results against some important plant pathogens. However, only a few have so
far been deployed as commercial crop plants.GMof plants to disrupt pathogenicity, such as by inhibiting or degrading pathogenicity factors,
especially by necrotrophic pathogens, has also been exploited. The potential to engineer plants for the production of antimicrobial
peptides or to modify defense-signaling pathways have been successfully demonstrated under laboratory conditions. The most promising
current technology is genome editing, which allows researchers to edit DNA sequences directly in their endogenous environment. The
potential of this approach is discussed in detail and examples where broad-spectrum resistance has been achieved are given.

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