Explore recent research papers collected from PubMed.
This review summarizes recent findings on the RXLR cytoplasmic effectors of Phytophthora infestans, the causal agent of potato late blight, and their mechanisms of suppressing host immunity. It details how these virulence factors target critical host cellular processes—such as transcriptional regulation, vesicle trafficking, and chloroplast signaling—to promote colonization. Understanding these effector-host interactions provides valuable insights for functional genomics and breeding durable late blight resistance in potato.
This study engineered a thermostable 1,4-α-glucan branching enzyme using semi-rational design to improve its performance in industrial starch modification. When applied to potato starch, the optimized enzyme increased amylopectin content and cold water solubility while reducing rapidly digestible starch, demonstrating high utility for potato-derived food science applications.
This study employs integrated transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses on potato cultivar 'Jizhangshu 12' under moderate and severe drought stress to uncover key regulatory networks. Pathway enrichment highlighted phenylpropanoid-flavonoid biosynthesis, lipid metabolism, and MAPK-hormone signaling as core response modules. Core candidate genes, including COMT1, F3'H, an ABCG transporter, and a WRKY transcription factor, were identified to facilitate breeding for drought-tolerant potatoes.
This study provides genomic and ecological evidence that the potato psyllid (Bactericera cockerelli), a critical vector of the potato zebra chip pathogen Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum (CLso), comprises at least three genetically distinct cryptic species. The lineages display strong reproductive isolation, distinct Solanaceae host plant associations, and differences in harbored CLso variants. These findings offer important insights for managing potato psyllid populations and biosecurity strategies against zebra chip disease.
This study investigates the cellular regulation of sucrose transporters, including potato StSUT1, demonstrating that plasma membrane lipid composition affects their localization, abundance, and uptake activity. The findings provide insights into the post-translational and membrane-environment regulation of phloem loading in potato.
This study investigates the divergent effects of 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) pretreatment on late blight (Phytophthora infestans) resistance in potato and Nicotiana benthamiana. It demonstrates that ACC induces species-specific transcriptional reprogramming, showing that the failure to activate jasmonic acid (JA) signaling, ROS, and protease inhibitor defenses in potato underlies its distinct immune response compared to N. benthamiana.
This review identifies continental plant health priorities across Asia, highlighting potato alongside wheat, rice, and maize as key crops driving documented pathogen impacts. For potato production in temperate and highland systems, it emphasizes managing late blight, viral degeneration, and bacterial wilt through seed-tuber health and certified planting material.
This study evaluated soil microbial community composition and diversity across three potato-growing regions in the Upper Midwest of the USA. The authors identified regionally divergent relationships between microbial properties and factors such as soil pH, organic matter, fumigation, and crop rotation. The findings emphasize the need for region-specific management strategies to enhance soil health in potato production systems.
This study highlights an engineering approach in potato that links a late blight resistance gene to a humidity-responsive cis-element. By inducing resistance specifically under disease-favoring high-humidity conditions, this strategy effectively prevents late blight while avoiding the yield penalties typically caused by constitutive resistance gene expression.
This study isolates and characterizes a novel bacteriophage, Bacillus phage PHZU0001, capable of targeting multiple Bacillus cereus strains isolated from spoiled potatoes. The phage demonstrated broad environmental stability across varying pH and temperature ranges and effectively prevented B. cereus infection in potatoes, highlighting its potential biocontrol application for improving potato post-harvest storage and food safety.