A Molecular Vision of the Interaction of Tomato Plants and Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersic

Abstract

Fusarium oxysporum causes vascular wilt disease in a broad range of crops, including tomato (Solanum lycopersicum). Tomato, a major and important vegetable crop, is suscep- tible to F. oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici (FOL), a biotrophic pathogen that is the causal agent of tomato wilt resulting in significant yield losses each year. Development of disease in susceptible tomato plants requires FOL to advance through a series of transitions, begin- ning with spore germination and culminating with establishment of a systemic infec- tion. In addition, many host attributes, including the composition of root exudates, the structure of the root cortex, and the capacity to recognize and respond quickly to invasive growth of a pathogen, can impede the development of FOL. FOL divides into races on the basis of the ability of individual strains to overcome specific genes. This implies the presence of avirulence genes (Avr) in the fungus that is recognized by products of the corresponding genes. In tomato, resistance (R) genes against the wilt-inducing FOL are called immunity genes, and the interaction between these genes will determine the suc- cess of the infection. Keywords: