NMRA-Like protein family: Who are they and what role they play on development and infection in Phytophthora capsici?

Eukaryote pathogens such as Phytophthora capsici cause significant disease on a wide range of plants. If we want to prevent losses caused by pathogens, we must understand the mechanisms that enable disease. We have discovered a conserved protein in P. capsici that, when over-expressed, changes gene expression specific to some life stages of the pathogen and extends the infection cycle. Other studies found similar proteins in fungi with similar architecture and well-studied functions. Therefore, we hypothesise that the NMRAL family in P. capsici could function as sensors or switches that control key events in the infection cycle (e.g. the biotrophic to necrotrophy transition during infection). To further explore the role of these proteins towards infection, we will use bioinformatic tools to identify members of this family in P. capsici, predict the protein shape and molecules that could interact with them, and evaluate the gene expression during the interaction with the plant. We will try to create mutants of those proteins, lacking the predicted active sites, and assess the impact on pathogen virulence, the disease cycle, and the expression of known PcNMRAL1 responsive genes. We will then identify cellular signalling proteins or regulators that interact with NMRAL proteins and help regulate gene expression. Finally, we will identify and predict NMRAL proteins in other organisms, hoping to understand the evolution of these proteins in Oomycetes, which could help control devastating crop diseases. By answering fundamental questions regarding developmental processes required for disease, we will open new avenues by which stage-specific signals can be identified and exploited through novel chemical control or crop improvement strategies.