Description:
| Aims: * To provide a critical knowledge of the processes involved in infection and colonisation of plants by parasitic microorganisms that lead to disease.
* To provide insights into the chemical signals exchanged as key components of recognition events.
* To reveal the potential range of defences of plants: constitutive, induced non-specifically by damage, or specifically by pathogens.
Learning Outcomes: After taking this course the student should be able to:
* demonstrate a comprehensive knowledge on the biochemical and physical factors which determine the outcome of interactions between microorganisms and plants;
* provide insights into how pathogens can avoid, negate or suppress host defences;
* evaluate the different strategies by pathogens for obtaining nutrients from plant hosts;
* assess alternative strategies for control of plant diseases.
Skills: Learning and studying T/F/A, Written communication T/F/A, Information handling & retrieval T/F/A, Working independently T/F.
Content:
Resistance genes, their structure and function. Constitutive resistance based on existing structural barriers such as cuticle, secondary cell walls and on antimicrobial chemicals such as saponins and phenolics; detoxifying enzymes; toxin binding sites. Induced resistance comprising formation of physical barriers such as new or altered cell walls, vascular occlusions, de novo synthesis of phytoalexins. 'Defence-related genes'. Triggering of defence by stress or wounding, microbial elicitors or a recognition event. Infection structures of pathogenic fungi. Pathogenicity determinants including depolymerases, toxins, polysaccharides, siderophores, detoxifying enzymes; their structure, modes of action and role. Contrasting strategies of obligate biotrophs and facultative necrotrophs. Pathogenicity and virulence genes; molecular strategies to identify them.
|