英国约克大学Simon J. McQueen-Mason研究团队发现，分泌的果胶单氧酶驱动植物被致病性卵菌感染。这一研究成果发表在2021年8月13日出版的国际学术期刊《科学》上。

研究人员在植物病原体卵菌中发现了一个依赖铜的细胞多糖单氧酶（LPMO）家族，以及它在植物感染致病疫霉（Phytophthora infestans）中的作用。研究人员表明，LPMO编码基因在感染的早期是上调的，分泌的酶可以氧化裂解果胶的骨架，这是植物细胞壁中的一种带电多糖。

这些LPMO的晶体结构揭示了其识别和降解果胶的能力，而且沉默侵染马铃薯的编码基因会抑制马铃薯的感染，表明其在宿主渗透中的作用。LPMO被鉴定为致病性卵菌的毒力因子，为作物保护和食品安全提供了机会。

据介绍，致病疫霉是一种破坏性的农作物病原体，也是研究植物与病原体相互作用的模型生物。

附：英文原文

Title: Secreted pectin monooxygenases drive plant infection by pathogenic oomycetes

Author: Federico Sabbadin, Saioa Urresti, Bernard Henrissat, Anna O. Avrova, Lydia R. J. Welsh, Peter J. Lindley, Michael Csukai, Julie N. Squires, Paul H. Walton, Gideon J. Davies, Neil C. Bruce, Stephen C. Whisson, Simon J. McQueen-Mason

Issue&Volume: 2021/08/13

Abstract: The oomycete Phytophthora infestans is a damaging crop pathogen and a model organism to study plant-pathogen interactions. We report the discovery of a family of copper-dependent lytic polysaccharide monooxygenases (LPMOs) in plant pathogenic oomycetes and its role in plant infection by P. infestans. We show that LPMO-encoding genes are up-regulated early during infection and that the secreted enzymes oxidatively cleave the backbone of pectin, a charged polysaccharide in the plant cell wall. The crystal structure of the most abundant of these LPMOs sheds light on its ability to recognize and degrade pectin, and silencing the encoding gene in P. infestans inhibits infection of potato, indicating a role in host penetration. The identification of LPMOs as virulence factors in pathogenic oomycetes opens up opportunities in crop protection and food security.

DOI: 10.1126/science.abj1342

Source: https://science.sciencemag.org/content/373/6556/774