(Press-News.org) MANHATTAN, Kan. -- Like a stealthy enemy, blast disease invades rice crops around the world, killing plants and cutting production of one of the most important global food sources.
Now, a study by an international team of researchers has shed light on how the rice blast fungus, Magnaporthe oryzae, invades plant tissue. The finding is a step toward learning how to control the disease, which by some estimates destroys enough rice to feed 60 million people annually.
The team, led by Barbara Valent, Kansas State University distinguished professor in plant pathology, found that the fungus has evolved two distinct secretion systems that facilitate its invasion into rice plants. Study results have been published by Nature's new online journal, Nature Communications:
http://www.nature.com/ncomms/2013/130618/ncomms2996/abs/ncomms2996.html.
"Knowing that a special secretion system is required for disease is significant, because it means we can block this system without harming other fungi that are critical for healthy ecosystems," Valent said.
In addition to researchers from Kansas State University, the team includes professor Nicholas Talbot, from the University of Exeter in the United Kingdom, and students in his laboratory, as well as scientists from the Iwate Biotechnology Research Center in Japan.
Rice blast has been known throughout recorded history and occurs in all countries where rice is grown, including the U.S. In 1985, wheat blast emerged as a new disease sharply reducing wheat yields in Brazil. So far, wheat blast has only spread within South America and has not been detected in the U.S. Valent is now leading a team of scientists focused on developing resources for rapid identification and elimination of the disease if it should arrive in U.S. wheat regions.
"Rice blast disease is a threat to global food security and it's closely related to wheat blast," Valent said. "Because those two crops are the most important food staples worldwide, learning about these diseases is incredibly important."
Researchers know that to cause plant diseases, pathogenic microorganisms secrete proteins, called effector proteins, into the host plant's tissue, Valent said. The proteins suppress the plant's immunity and support the pathogen's growth. The goal of the study was to learn if fungi need different secretory systems to aid their invasion into host plants.
"We knew that over time bacterial pathogens evolved multiple secretion systems to target effector proteins where they need to go. We didn't know whether fungi, which cause the major diseases in most crop plants, also require different secretory mechanisms," she said.
They learned that the rice blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae has evolved a novel secretion system for effectors that go inside the plant cell. In contrast, effectors that end up in the space outside the plant cells are secreted by a classical system, which is shared by organisms from fungi to humans.
"In this study, we focused on investigating how the fungus secretes effectors during invasion of rice tissue by producing strains secreting effectors linked to fluorescent proteins from jellyfish and corals. We performed microscopy to watch the fungus secreting these fluorescent proteins as it grows inside rice cells, and we noticed that normal treatments that block protein secretion didn't stop those effectors that end up inside rice cells," Valent said.
"Identifying how these processes function will help us understand how disease microorganisms evolve and prove pivotal in controlling blast diseases," she said.
### END
Scientists discover new details about rice blast, a deadly plant fungus
Study also advances understanding of wheat blast
2013-06-19
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
NOAA, partners predict possible record-setting deadzone for Gulf of Mexico
2013-06-19
Scientists are expecting a very large "dead zone" in the Gulf of Mexico and a smaller than average hypoxic level in the Chesapeake Bay this year, based on several NOAA-supported forecast models.
NOAA-supported modelers at the University of Michigan, Louisiana State University, and the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium are forecasting that this year's Gulf of Mexico hypoxic "dead" zone will be between 7,286 and 8,561 square miles which could place it among the ten largest recorded. That would range from an area the size of Connecticut, Rhode Island and the District ...
Geosphere details the geology of North America with 6 new papers online
2013-06-19
Boulder, Colo., USA – Each of the six new papers published in Geosphere on 13 June address geoscience compiled in specially themed issues: CRevolution 2: Origin and Evolution of the Colorado River System II; The 36-18 Ma southern Great Basin, USA, ignimbrite province and flareup: Swarms of subduction-related supervolcanoes; New Developments in Grenville Geology; and Origin and Evolution of the Sierra Nevada and Walker Lane.
Abstracts for these and other Geosphere papers are available at http://geosphere.gsapubs.org/. Representatives of the media may obtain complimentary ...
Bay Area thrushes nest together, winter together, and face change together
2013-06-19
Swainson' s Thrushes, from a local population near Bolinas, CA spend their winters together in Mexico, according to a new tracking study released by Point Blue Conservation Science, (Point Blue, formerly PRBO). This result is important because it shows that the conservation of habitat for these local populations in California is tightly linked with climate and habitat changes in Mexico, where these birds spend their winters, 1,600 miles away.
The Swainson's Thrush is one of the most melodic of all the songbirds, and can be heard singing now by hikers, walkers, and cyclists ...
The hidden agenda of Obama's opposition
2013-06-19
Is the US Tea Party movement a racial backlash against President Obama? A new study by Angie Maxwell from the University of Arkansas, and Wayne Parent from Louisiana State University, assesses whether racial attitudes are contributing to Tea Party membership, and if so, the exact nature of this racial prejudice. Their work is published online in Springer's journal, Race and Social Problems.
The Tea Party is an American political movement that began in 2009 and which is focused on fiscal conservatism. The first major protests took place in 40 states just 37 days after ...
Respect may be the key to stopping patient 'no shows'
2013-06-19
People with HIV are more likely to keep their scheduled medical appointments — and their disease under control — if they feel their physician listens, explains things clearly and knows them as a person, not just a "case," new Johns Hopkins research suggests.
"If people feel their doctor really knows them and listens to them, they feel that doctor has their best interests at heart and may be more likely to follow medical advice," says study leader Tabor E. Flickinger, M.D., M.P.H., a fellow in the Division of General Internal Medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School ...
Novel enzyme from tiny gribble could prove a boon for biofuels research
2013-06-19
Researchers from the United Kingdom, the Energy Department's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), and the University of Kentucky have recently published a paper describing a novel cellulose-degrading enzyme from a marine wood borer Limnoria quadripunctata, commonly known as the gribble.
Gribbles are biologically intriguing because they exhibit a relatively unique ability to produce their own enzymes instead of using symbiotic microbes to break down the biomass they eat. New biomass-degrading enzymes from novel sources such as the gribble may prove beneficial ...
Scientists catch EGFR passing a crucial message to cancer-promoting protein
2013-06-19
HOUSTON – Researchers have discovered and mapped the signaling network between two previously unconnected proteins, exposing a link that, if broken, could cut off cancer cell growth at its starting point.
A team led by scientists at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center reported the tie between epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), a well-known cancer drug target, and MCM7, a protein vital to the first step in DNA replication, in the June issue of Cancer Cell.
"MCM7 overexpression marks cell proliferation and is associated with glioblastoma and colorectal, ...
UT Dallas study suggests new approach to fight lung cancer
2013-06-19
Recent research has shown that cancer cells have a much different – and more complex – metabolism than normal cells. Now, scientists at The University of Texas at Dallas have found that exploiting these differences might provide a new strategy to combat lung cancer.
In an article published online May 21 in the journal PLOS ONE, UT Dallas researchers compared the metabolic characteristics of non-small-cell lung cancer cells with normal lung cells taken from the same patient.
They found that the cancer cells consumed substantially more oxygen than normal cells, about ...
Scientists find new biomarker to measure sugar consumption
2013-06-19
FAIRBANKS, Alaska—Scientists at the University of Alaska Fairbanks identified a new tool that can dramatically improve the notoriously inaccurate surveys of what and how much an individual eats and drinks. Their research is published in the June 2013 issue of the Journal of Nutrition.
Conventional wisdom says that consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages such as soda and fruit juice is a significant contributor to obesity and chronic disease risk, but the science surrounding this issue is inconclusive. Part of the problem is that in a typical diet survey few people accurately ...
Immunity mechanism discovered
2013-06-19
Scientists at the University of Calgary's Faculty of Medicine have discovered a mechanism that is used to protect the body from harmful bacteria. Platelets, a component of blood typically associated with clotting, were discovered to actively search for specific bacteria, and upon detection, seal it off from the rest of the body. The findings, which were published in Nature Immunology this week, provide the science community with a greater understanding of immunity.
"The science community has known that platelets do participate in immunity, but now it's been demonstrated ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
Non-English primary language may raise risk of delirium after surgery, study finds
Children fast from clear liquids much longer before surgery than guidelines recommend, large study shows
Food insecurity, loneliness can increase the risk of developing chronic pain after surgery
Cesarean delivery linked to higher risk of pain and sleep problems after childbirth
New global burden of disease study: Mortality declines, youth deaths rise, widening health inequities
Chemobiological platform enables renewable conversion of sugars into core aromatic hydrocarbons of petroleum
Individualized perioperative blood pressure management in patients undergoing major abdominal surgery
Proactive vs reactive treatment of hypotension during surgery
Different types of depression linked to different cardiometabolic diseases
Ketogenic diet may protect against stress experienced in the womb
Adults 65 years and older not immune to the opioid epidemic, new study finds
Artificial intelligence emerging as powerful patient safety tool in pediatric anesthesia
Mother’s ZIP code, lack of access to prenatal care can negatively impact baby’s health at birth, new studies show
American Society of Anesthesiologists honors John M. Zerwas, M.D., FASA, with Distinguished Service Award
A centimeter-scale quadruped piezoelectric robot with high integration and strong robustness
Study confirms that people with ADHD can be more creative. The reason may be that they let their mind wander
Research gives insight into effect of neurodegenerative diseases on speech rhythm
Biochar and plants join forces to clean up polluted soils and boost ecosystem recovery
Salk scientist Joseph Ecker awarded McClintock Prize for Plant Genetics and Genome Studies
ADHD: Women are diagnosed five years later than men, despite symptoms appearing at the same age.
Power plants may emit more pollution during government shutdowns
Increasing pressures for conformity de-skilling and demotivating teachers, study warns
Researchers develop smarter menstrual product with potential for wearable health monitoring
Microwaves for energy-efficient chemical reactions
MXene current collectors could reduce size, improve recyclability of Li-ion batteries
Living near toxic sites linked to aggressive breast cancer
New discovery could open door to male birth control
Wirth elected Fellow of American Physical Society
The Journal of Nuclear Medicine Ahead-of-Print Tip Sheet: October 10, 2025
Destined to melt
[Press-News.org] Scientists discover new details about rice blast, a deadly plant fungusStudy also advances understanding of wheat blast