Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions® (MPMI)
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Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions® (MPMI)
@mpmijournal.bsky.social
MPMI, a gold Open Access journal from The American Phytopathological Society and the International Society for Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions, features research on plant interactions with microbes, insects, nematodes, and parasitic plants.
Nicholas Rhoades et al. identified an RGAE homolog in Fusarium graminearum that is critical for the initial infection and DON mycotoxin accumulation in wheat and barley. Targeting this single effector gene, FgRGAE, offers a powerful new strategy to protect cereal crops: https://bit.ly/4oilO96
November 18, 2025 at 5:06 PM
Mandelli & Deluc identified 9 "hotspots" on the Grapevine Red Blotch Virus genome that are highly targeted by the grapevine's defense system. Delivering double-stranded RNA from these sites significantly reduced viral expression, paving the way for targeted RNAi biopesticides: https://bit.ly/3Jvwr9e
November 11, 2025 at 5:11 PM
Xiaoxiao Zhang et al. reports that flax rust effectors are secreted into a space outside the host cell, but only AvrM has the key signal for delivery into the host cell cytoplasm. Translocation is a separate process! Learn more: https://bit.ly/47BTl6Z

Read the commentary: https://bit.ly/4oO50Xj
November 4, 2025 at 4:48 PM
Po-Yuan Shih et al. found that the pea aphid's specialized salivary effector protein, Ap4, interacts directly with key pea proteins (PsBPL1/2) involved in plant immunity. When expressed, Ap4 enhances aphid performance: https://bit.ly/3Ww9pCg

Read the commentary: https://bit.ly/3JytiFH
October 30, 2025 at 9:03 PM
Just Published: "The TALE PthA4 of Xanthomonas citri subsp. citri Indirectly Activates an Expansin Gene CsEXP2 and an Endoglucanase CsEG1 via CsLOB1 to Cause Citrus Canker Symptoms," by Rikky Rai and Nian Wang. Learn more: https://doi.org/10.1094/MPMI-03-25-0030-R
October 27, 2025 at 5:08 PM
Just Published: "A Chromosome-Scale Genome Assembly of the Flax Rust Fungus Reveals the Two Unusually Large Effector Proteins, AvrM3 and AvrN," by Jana Sperschneider et al. Learn more: https://doi.org/10.1094/MPMI-04-25-0047-R
October 21, 2025 at 4:47 PM
Just Published: "An RGAE Homolog in Fusarium graminearum Is Critical for Initial Infection in Wheat and Barley," by Nicholas Rhoades et al. 🌾

Read the full article to learn more: https://doi.org/10.1094/MPMI-03-25-0027-R
October 16, 2025 at 9:29 PM
Just Published: "Early Activation of RNAi Reveals Genomic Regions of Grapevine Red Blotch Virus Targeted for Silencing in Grapevine," by Christian Mandelli and Laurent G. Deluc 🍇 Read the full article to learn more: https://doi.org/10.1094/MPMI-04-25-0038-R
October 14, 2025 at 6:57 PM
Beet mosaic virus (BtMV), once managed via neonicotinoid seed treatments, is now being targeted with RNA-based resistance. Dennis Rahenbrock et al. report dsRNA designed from small RNA sequencing effectively reduced BtMV in sugar beet and N. benthamiana in the greenhouse: doi.org/10.1094/MPMI...
September 22, 2025 at 3:57 PM
New interactions review on Verticillium longisporum, the cause of stripe disease in Brassica crops. Rafiei, Dixelius & Tzelepis outline the pathogenicity factors, host immune responses, knowledge gaps, and molecular tools for studying this threat.
Read the full article here: doi.org/10.1094/MPMI...
September 3, 2025 at 6:12 PM
In Sinorhizobium meliloti, loss of the carbon metabolism blocks symbiosis with alfalfa. Kaur et al. demonstrate that disrupting the key metabolic enzyme transketolase (tktA) in S. meliloti completely impairs its ability to engage in nitrogen-fixing symbiosis with alfalfa: doi.org/10.1094/MPMI...
August 29, 2025 at 4:05 PM
Crops often lack diverse resistance genes, making them vulnerable to rapidly evolving pathogens. Xiaoxiao Zhang et al. used DNA shuffling on barley Mla7 and Mla13 genes to create MLA variants, some gaining the ability to recognize the powdery mildew effector AVRA13: doi.org/10.1094/MPMI...
August 19, 2025 at 5:53 PM
Editor’s Pick! The cassava pathogen Xanthomonas phaseoli pv. manihotis (Xpm) causes severe disease, but its effector functions are not well understood. ‪‪Diana Gómez De La Cruz‬ et al. show that the Xpm effector XopAE suppresses plant defenses. Learn more: doi.org/10.1094/MPMI...
July 28, 2025 at 1:42 PM
A breakthrough for potatoes: Samodya K. Jayasinghe et al. identify salicylic acid as a key defense hormone against Spongospora subterranea f. sp. subterranea, a persistent soilborne protist threatening yields around the world. 🥔

Read the press release to learn more: www.apsnet.org/about/newsro...
July 23, 2025 at 8:02 PM
Haider Ali, Megan C. McDonald, and Graeme J. Kettles developed a rapid forward genetics methodology to identify genes that enable Zymoseptoria tritici to gain virulence on previously resistant wheat varieties. Learn more: doi.org/10.1094/MPMI...
June 12, 2025 at 9:46 PM
Eliza P. I. Loo et al. discuss gaps in information acquisition and transfer between the field and laboratory and indicate that collaboration among stakeholders, scientists, farmers, and policymakers could enhance the development of pathogen-resistant crops. doi.org/10.1094/MPMI...
May 19, 2025 at 7:31 PM
New call for papers alert 🚨🌱🦠 Submit to the "Symbiotic and Pathogenic Interactions in the Rhizosphere" focus issue by September 1, 2025!

Focus Issue Guest Editors: Tarek Hewezi, Hari Krishnan, Kevin Garcia, and Mina Ohtsu

Learn more: apsjournals.apsnet.org/mpmirhizosph...
May 8, 2025 at 9:13 PM
Just published! Barbara Valent honors H. H. Flor by exploring how rice blast fungus evades plant resistance via AVR gene changes—driving boom–bust cycles—and warns of rising wheat and ryegrass blast threats from similar shifts and crossbreeding. Read the article: doi.org/10.1094/MPMI...
April 25, 2025 at 4:15 PM
Alissar Cheaib and Nabil Killiny review how pathogens disrupt photosynthesis, from tissue destruction to chlorosis, and how plants adapt. Understanding these interactions is essential for #sustainableagriculture and ecosystem health. ☀️🌱 Learn more: doi.org/10.1094/MPMI... @alissarcheaib.bsky.social
April 14, 2025 at 7:15 PM
New research by K. M. Martin et al. expands our knowledge of tomato spotted wilt virus infection and elaborates on the intricate relationships between viral proteins, cellular dynamics, and host responses.
Learn more: doi.org/10.1094/MPMI...
April 3, 2025 at 7:06 PM
Selin Ozdemir et al. investigated the differential regulation and function of lncRNAs during two different stages of tomato infection by the root-knot #nematode Meloidogyne incognita. 🍅🪱 Learn more: apsjournals.apsnet.org/doi/10.1094/...
April 1, 2025 at 7:20 PM
Iron's redox states (Fe2+/Fe3+) are critical in fungal pathogenesis, influencing ROS production during plant-pathogen interactions. Aliyeva-Schnorr et al. developed p-TEMPO and MPNBD dyes to visualize Fe2+/Fe3+ distribution in #Colletotrichumgraminicola hyphae. Learn more: doi.org/10.1094/MPMI...
March 31, 2025 at 4:52 PM
New research by Joydeep Chakraborty et al. elucidates the tomato PP2C-immunity associated candidate 6 (Pic6) as a negative regulator of MAPK signaling and its pivotal role in modulating tomato immunity against bacterial pathogens. 🍅🦠

Learn more: doi.org/10.1094/MPMI...
March 26, 2025 at 5:22 AM
Tan et al. developed efficient base editing vectors, achieving high A-to-G conversion rates in Arabidopsis thaliana and successfully targeting multiple genes, including NLRs, to modify protein function, demonstrating the potential of base editing 🧬
Learn more: doi.org/10.1094/MPMI...
March 25, 2025 at 4:19 PM
Editor's Pick! Amelia Lovelace et al. examined the transcriptomic landscape of ‘Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus’ in citrus seed coat vasculatures, revealing unique gene expression patterns vs. previous midrib studies and new insights into citrus #huanglongbing. 🍊🦠 doi.org/10.1094/MPMI...
March 21, 2025 at 6:00 PM