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Agronomy
Special Issues
New Insights into Fungal Pathogenicity, Pathogen–Host Interactions, and Host Immunity
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New Insights into Fungal Pathogenicity, Pathogen–Host Interactions, and Host Immunity

A Special Issue of Agronomy (ISSN 2073-4395) belonging to the section "Pest and Disease Management".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2026) | Viewed by 8813

Editor

Dr. Muxing Liu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Plant Pathology, College of Plant Protection, Nanjing Agricultural University, Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Crop Diseases and Pests, Ministry of Education, Nanjing 210095, China
Interests: effector; host immunity; pathogenicity; crop disease resistance; pathogen–host interaction
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Recent research efforts have provided a fresh perspective on fungal pathogenicity, pathogen–host interactions, and host immunity. Through a comprehensive exploration of these intricate relationships, novel insights have been uncovered, shedding light on the mechanisms underlying fungal diseases and their impact on host organisms. By delving into the molecular intricacies of pathogen–host interactions, researchers have identified key factors driving pathogenicity and virulence and elucidated the strategies employed by pathogens to evade host immune responses. Furthermore, a deeper understanding of host immunity mechanisms has been achieved, highlighting potential targets for enhancing plants’ resistance to fungal infections. These discoveries pave the way for the development of innovative strategies to combat fungal diseases, ultimately contributing to the advancement of plant health and agricultural sustainability.

We aim to publish novel research of special significance related to pathogen–host interactions and host immunity, especially in the areas of cellular biology, molecular biology, biochemistry, genetics, development, and evolution. The primary criteria for publication are that the article provides new insights that are of broad interest to plant and pathogen biologists, not only to specialists, and that the presentation of results is appropriate for a wide audience of plant and pathogen biologists.

Dr. Muxing Liu
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Agronomy is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • pathogen–host interactions
  • pathogenicity
  • host immunity
  • plant resistance

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 5516 KB  
Article
BTH-Induced Resistance in Rice Impairs Magnaporthe oryzae Metabolic Fitness and Suppresses Key Virulence Genes
by Ruiming Zhang, Yao Sun, Yanan He, Yaping Li, Yongbin Peng, Chongke Zheng, Lixia Xie, Conghui Jiang, Jinjun Zhou, Guanhua Zhou, Wei Sun, Chang-Jie Jiang and Xianzhi Xie
Agronomy 2026, 16(10), 962; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy16100962 - 12 May 2026
Viewed by 550
Abstract
Induced resistance primes host immunity for enhanced protection; however, how pathogens respond to this primed state remains poorly understood. Here, we investigated the molecular responses of the rice blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae during infection of benzothiadiazole (BTH)-primed rice. Seed priming with BTH conferred [...] Read more.
Induced resistance primes host immunity for enhanced protection; however, how pathogens respond to this primed state remains poorly understood. Here, we investigated the molecular responses of the rice blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae during infection of benzothiadiazole (BTH)-primed rice. Seed priming with BTH conferred long-lasting resistance against M. oryzae at the four-leaf stage. Time-course transcriptomic analyses (12–48 hpi) identified 699 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in M. oryzae, revealing a distinct temporal transition during infection of BTH-primed rice. The fungal transcriptional response shifted from early growth and environmental sensing to enhanced protein turnover, metabolic repression, energy depletion, and genomic instability, indicating progressive impairment of fungal fitness by host immunity. From these DEGs, eight BTH-suppressed candidate virulence genes (MoBVG1–8) were selected for functional characterization. Gene overexpression analyses showed that two genes, MoBVG2 and MoBVG6, significantly increased pathogenicity on BTH-primed rice, while knockout analyses confirmed that both are required for full pathogenicity on non-primed control plants. MoBVG2 encodes a reactive oxygen species (ROS)-scavenging effector, and MoBVG6 encodes an environmental sensor, highlighting the importance of ROS detoxification and environmental perception for successful host colonization. Functional analyses further revealed that MoBVG2 contribute to vegetative growth, while MoBVG6 is required for proper appressorium development. Together, these findings suggest that BTH-induced resistance restricts blast disease by impairing fungal metabolic fitness and suppressing key virulence genes, providing novel insights into the pathogen-side molecular mechanisms underlying chemically induced resistance in plants. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Insights into Fungal Pathogenicity, Pathogen–Host Interactions, and Host Immunity)
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15 pages, 3121 KB  
Article
Genome-Wide Identification of the FKBP Gene Family in Rice and Its Potential Roles in Blast Resistance
by Jiazong Liu, Xin Wang, Wendi Li, Qiyue Xu, Xinhua Ding and Ziyi Yin
Agronomy 2026, 16(2), 149; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy16020149 - 7 Jan 2026
Viewed by 1011
Abstract
Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is a major global staple crop, yet its productivity is severely constrained by rice blast disease caused by Magnaporthe oryzae. FK506-binding proteins (FKBPs) are peptidyl-prolyl cis-trans isomerases involved in protein folding, stress response, and signaling regulation, but [...] Read more.
Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is a major global staple crop, yet its productivity is severely constrained by rice blast disease caused by Magnaporthe oryzae. FK506-binding proteins (FKBPs) are peptidyl-prolyl cis-trans isomerases involved in protein folding, stress response, and signaling regulation, but their roles in rice blast resistance remain unclear. In this study, we performed a comprehensive identification and characterization of FKBP gene family members in two rice cultivars, Nipponbare (NIP) and Zhonghua 11 (ZH11), based on the latest T2T (telomere-to-telomere) genome assembly of ZH11 and the reference genome of NIP. A total of 24 and 29 FKBP genes were detected in NIP and ZH11, respectively, indicating a slight expansion in ZH11. Phylogenetic and collinearity analyses revealed strong conservation of FKBP family members between the two cultivars, while several ZH11-specific genes likely resulted from recent duplication events. Promoter analysis showed that FKBP genes are enriched in stress and hormone responsive cis-elements, particularly those related to ABA, MeJA, and SA signaling. Transcriptomic and RT-qPCR analyses demonstrated that multiple FKBP genes were significantly regulated during M. oryzae infection, suggesting their potential involvement in defense signaling pathways. This study provides a comprehensive overview of FKBP gene family evolution and expression in rice, identifies candidate genes potentially associated with blast resistance, and offers valuable insights for molecular breeding aimed at improving disease resistance in rice. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Insights into Fungal Pathogenicity, Pathogen–Host Interactions, and Host Immunity)
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14 pages, 10261 KB  
Article
PlTem1, a Key Cell Cycle Regulator, Serves as an Important Bridge Between Cell Division and Autophagy in Peronophythora litchii
by Wanzhen Feng, Han Wang, Danlu Hong, Guoliang Liao, Ge Yu, Lina Yang, Chengdong Yang and Qinghe Chen
Agronomy 2025, 15(7), 1619; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15071619 - 2 Jul 2025
Viewed by 896
Abstract
The orderly progression of the cell division process is crucial for the morphogenesis of pathogens and the process of infecting hosts. However, there is currently no relevant research on cell division in the pathogen Peronophythora litchii. First, we verified that treatment with [...] Read more.
The orderly progression of the cell division process is crucial for the morphogenesis of pathogens and the process of infecting hosts. However, there is currently no relevant research on cell division in the pathogen Peronophythora litchii. First, we verified that treatment with cell division inhibitors would have an adverse effect on the growth, development, and pathogenicity of P. litchii. Subsequently, through homology-based sequence alignment and functional domain prediction analyses, we identified PlTem1, a key small GTPase regulating cell division. Compared with the wild-type strain Shs3, the mutant strain ΔPltem1 exhibited significant defects in mycelial growth, sporangia and zoospore generation, and virulence. To explore the pathogenic mechanism of PlTem1, screening and identification of interacting proteins were carried out. The comprehensive results show that there is an interaction between Tem1 and multiple autophagy-related proteins, suggesting that PlTem1 serves as an important bridge between autophagy and cell division in P. litchii. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Insights into Fungal Pathogenicity, Pathogen–Host Interactions, and Host Immunity)
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14 pages, 2497 KB  
Article
Adding Sulfur to Soil Improved Cucumber Plants’ Resistance to Powdery Mildew
by Hongwei Jia, Zifan Wang, Xinna Kang, Jing Wang, Yahong Wu, Zeyang Yao, Yanwei Zhou, Yuke Li, Yu Fu, Yuan Huang, Jianhua Shi and Zhonglin Shang
Agronomy 2024, 14(8), 1799; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14081799 - 15 Aug 2024
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 5296
Abstract
Chemical fungicides can effectively prevent and control powdery mildew, but they can also leave pesticide residues in the environment and on cucumbers. In this study, we added sulfur powder to the soil where cucumbers were grown to see how it affected the occurrence [...] Read more.
Chemical fungicides can effectively prevent and control powdery mildew, but they can also leave pesticide residues in the environment and on cucumbers. In this study, we added sulfur powder to the soil where cucumbers were grown to see how it affected the occurrence of powdery mildew. The results showed that adding sulfur increased sulfur absorption by the cucumbers, improved plant immunity, and reduced the incidence of powdery mildew. Furthermore, adding sulfur to the soil increased soluble protein content in cucumber leaves, enhanced photosynthesis, and significantly increased fruit yield. Additionally, sulfur addition decreased soil dehydrogenase activity and increased sucrase activity, potentially impacting soil microbial activity. In conclusion, this study found that adding sulfur had a positive inhibitory effect on the occurrence of cucumber powdery mildew while not significantly impacting the soil environment. These findings provide valuable insights for developing new control methods that are easy to implement, cost-effective, reliable, and environmentally safe. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Insights into Fungal Pathogenicity, Pathogen–Host Interactions, and Host Immunity)
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