Haustoria-omic of powdery mildew fungi infecting cereals, pea, and strawberry to unravel key factors of biotrophy, susceptibility and virulence

Powdery mildew diseases (PMs), caused by obligate biotrophic fungi, compromise food production. PMs affect major crops, including cereals, legumes, cucurbits, strawberry. PM biotrophic interaction with their host completely rely on haustoria that are confined to the infected leaves epidermis, while hyphae grow “outside” the host, epiphytically. Comparative proteomics and transcriptomics analysis of haustorial and extrahaustorial structures from different PMs (barley, wheat, pea, strawberry) will identify the haustorium core protein candidates required for plant susceptibility and fungal virulence. While these pathogens cannot be genetically transformed, a transient gene silencing assay will allow to validate gene functionality for infection.