Have we finally opened the door to understanding Septoria tritici blotch disease in wheat?

Abstract

The ability of a fungal pathogen to colonize and infect a plant is a special and unique process. Nearly all plant–fungal interactions occur out of sight as plants have evolved complex systems to recognize and resist most pathogens. However, there is a low percentage of fungal species that have evolved tools to circumvent host defence and cause disease, and it is the basis of these interactions which is of intense interest amongst plant and microbe researchers. It is now recognized that pathogens facilitate disease by secreting virulence molecules (also known as effectors) that target and manipulate endogenous host processes. Consequently, the identification and characterization of these effectors has been the focus of the molecular plant pathology field now for several decades, not only to understand the basis of disease, but also to underpin novel disease management strategies. In the study by Zhong et al. in this issue of New Phytologist (pp. 619–631), the authors have identified the first effector from the devastating wheat pathogen Zymoseptoria tritici involved in a gene-for-gene interaction with a host resistance protein and, in doing so, have opened the door to finally begin to understand how it inflicts devastating yield losses.