The Mechanism Between Plant Pathogenic Oomycetes and Plant Hosts
A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Protection and Biotic Interactions".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 March 2026 | Viewed by 210
Special Issue Editor
Interests: biochemical; functional genetics; metabolomics; proteomic; chemical genetics; plant pathology techniques to investigate fungal and oomycetes pathosystems; the application of knowledge to enhance plant immunity against phytopathogenic fungi and oomycete
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Oomycetes, a distinct group of fungus-like eukaryotic microorganisms, include some of the most aggressive and economically important plant pathogens. Notable species such as Phytophthora infestans, Phytophthora sojae, and Phytophthora capsici are responsible for destructive diseases, including potato late blight, soybean root rot, and pepper blight, affecting staple and horticultural crops. These pathogens continue to pose a challenge to sustainable crop production worldwide.
Despite their morphological similarities to fungi, oomycetes are evolutionarily distinct, equipped with unique effector repertoires, signaling pathways, and infection strategies. Understanding how these pathogens interact with their plant hosts is crucial for developing durable resistance and innovative disease management strategies.
This Special Issue welcomes the submission of high-quality contributions addressing the molecular and cellular basis of oomycete–plant interactions. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Effector biology and host targeting strategies (e.g., RXLR, CRN effectors);
- Plant immune responses, including pattern- and effector-triggered immunity (PTI/ETI);
- Signal transduction, transcriptional regulation, and hormonal crosstalk during infection;
- Functional genomics and transcriptomic analyses in hosts and pathogens;
- Resistance gene discovery, functional validation, and crop breeding applications;
- Pathogen evolution, population biology, and host specificity;
- Molecular determinants of virulence variation;
- Advances in model pathosystems: infestans–potato interactions, P. sojae–soybean interactions, and P. capsici’s interactions with multiple host crops;
- Development and application of tools for oomycete–host research (e.g., gene editing, live-cell imaging, etc.).
We invite the submission of original research articles, reviews, perspectives, and methodology papers that enhance our understanding of oomycete biology and plant host defense. Contributions that bridge the gap between basic science and applied solutions are particularly encouraged.
By bringing together current advances in this field, this Special Issue aims to support the research community in unraveling the complex arms race between oomycetes and plants, while also promoting new strategies for sustainable crop protection.
Prof. Dr. Justice Norvienyeku
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 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
- oomycete–plant interactions
- host targeting strategies
- plant immune responses
- pathogen evolution
- virulence variation
- Phytophthora
- Pythium
- Peronospora
- Pseudoperonospora
- Plasmopara
- Albugo
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