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FUNGAL PATHOGENESIS

Getting a grip on blast

Nature Microbiology volume 5, pages 1457–1458 (2020)Cite this article

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Spermine is essential for adhesion to the hydrophobic rice leaf surface by the blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae during infection.

Gaining entry to host cells is the first, and arguably most formidable, challenge faced by any microbial pathogen. After all, the outer surfaces of plant and animal cells are tough and highly resistant to attack. To breach this barrier, many plant pathogenic fungi have evolved the ability to form specialized infection structures called appressoria1. Using a combination of genetic, biochemical, pharmacological and microscopic analyses, Rocha and co-workers reveal a role for spermine in creating an environment favourable for effective adhesion and penetration of plant cells by appressoria of the rice blast fungus2.

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Fig. 1: Regulation of appressorium adhesion during infection by the rice blast fungus.

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  1. The Sainsbury Laboratory, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, UK

    Andrew J. Foster & Nicholas J. Talbot

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  1. Andrew J. Foster
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  2. Nicholas J. Talbot
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Correspondence to Nicholas J. Talbot.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Foster, A.J., Talbot, N.J. Getting a grip on blast. Nat Microbiol 5, 1457–1458 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41564-020-00821-8

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