Research Projects

Tomato, a widely grown vegetable crop globally, is affected by several phytopathogens, including Alternaria species, which cause leaf spot disease and significantly reduce the quality and quantity of food. These pathogenic fungi secrete toxic metabolites that can cause severe problems in agriculture, reducing crop yield and economic losses. Alternaria species produce specific mycotoxins, such as alternariol (AOH), alternariol monomethyl ether (AME), altenuene (ALT), tentoxin (TEN), and tenuazonic acid (TeA), which damage cells by disrupting their structural integrity. During pathogen attacks, plants employ various defense mechanisms, such as phytoalexin production, hypersensitivity response, and reinforcement of the cell wall. Pathogenesis-related proteins (PRs) are plant species-specific proteins produced in response to infection with viruses, fungi, or bacteria. These PRs genes are responsible for the expression of PRs proteins and have been associated with incipient anti-pathogen effects and systemic acquired resistance. To develop resistant cultivar varieties against pathogenic diseases and their causing mechanisms, it is necessary to understand the molecular interaction between A. alternata (plant pathogen) and tomato plants. This study aims to identify PRs and their differentially expressed genes in the host plant (tomato) upon attack from the pathogen and its toxic metabolites. By understanding the resistance mechanism between A. alternata and tomato plants, beneficial approaches can be developed to develop resistant cultivar varieties against pathogenic diseases.