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- Disclosing proteins in the leaves of cork oak plants associated with the immune response to Phytophthora cinnamomi inoculation in the roots: a long-term proteomics approachPublication . Coelho, Ana Cristina; Pires, Rosa; Schütz, Gabriela; Santa, Cátia; Manadas, Bruno; Pinto, Patricia ISThe pathological interaction between oak trees and Phytophthora cinnamomi has implications in the cork oak decline observed over the last decades in the Iberian Peninsula. During host colonization, the phytopathogen secretes effector molecules like elicitins to increase disease effectiveness. The objective of this study was to unravel the proteome changes associated with the cork oak immune response triggered by P. cinnamomi inoculation in a long-term assay, through SWATH-MS quantitative proteomics performed in the oak leaves. Using the Arabidopis proteome database as a reference, 424 proteins were confidently quantified in cork oak leaves, of which 80 proteins showed a p-value below 0.05 or a fold-change greater than 2 or less than 0.5 in their levels between inoculated and control samples being considered as altered. The inoculation of cork oak roots with P. cinnamomi increased the levels of proteins associated with protein-DNA complex assembly, lipid oxidation, response to endoplasmic reticulum stress, and pyridine-containing compound metabolic process in the leaves. In opposition, several proteins associated with cellular metabolic compound salvage and monosaccharide catabolic process had significantly decreased abundances. The most significant abundance variations were observed for the Ribulose 1,5-Bisphosphate Carboxylase small subunit (RBCS1A), Heat Shock protein 90-1 (Hsp90-1), Lipoxygenase 2 (LOX2) and Histone superfamily protein H3.3 (A8MRLO/At4G40030) revealing a pertinent role for these proteins in the host-pathogen interaction mechanism. This work represents the first SWATH-MS analysis performed in cork oak plants inoculated with P. cinnamomi and highlights host proteins that have a relevant action in the homeostatic states that emerge from the interaction between the oomycete and the host in the long term and in a distal organ.
- Spectral analysis, biocompounds, and physiological assessment of Cork Oak leaves: unveiling the interaction with Phytophthora cinnamomi and beyondPublication . Guerra, Rui; Pires, Rosa; Brazio, António; Cavaco, Ana Margarida; Schütz, Gabriela; Coelho, Ana CristinaThe cork oak tree (Quercus suber L.) symbolizes the Montado landscape in Portugal and is a central element in the country’s social and economic history. In recent decades, the loss of thousands of cork oaks has been reported, revealing the ongoing decline of these agroforestry ecosystems. This emblematic tree of the Mediterranean Basin is host to the soil-born root pathogen Phytophthora cinnamomi, an active cork oak decline driver. In this framework, the early diagnosis of trees infected by the oomycete by non-invasive methods should contribute to the sustainable management of cork oak ecosystems, which motivated this work. Gas exchange and visible/near-infrared (400–1100 nm) reflectance spectroscopy measurements were conducted on leaves of both control and P. cinnamomi inoculated plants. These measurements were taken at 63, 78, 91, 126, and 248 days after inoculation. Additionally, at the end of the experiment, biochemical assays of pigments, sugars, and starch were performed. The spectroscopic measurements proved effective in distinguishing between control and inoculated plants, while the standard gas exchange and biochemistry data did not exhibit clear differences between the groups. The spectral data were examined both daily and globally, utilizing the PARAFAC method applied to a three-way array of samples × wavelengths × days. The separation of the two plant groups was attributed to variations in water content (4v (O−H)); shifts in the spectra red edge; and structural modifications in the epidermal layer and leaves’ mesophyll. These spectral signatures can assist in the field identification of cork oaks that are interacting with P. cinnamomi.