Synthesis and fungicidal activity of novel imidazole-based ketene dithioacetals.

Novel imidazole-based ketene dithioacetals show impressive in planta activity against the economically important plant pathogens Alternaria solani, Botryotinia fuckeliana, Erysiphe necator and Zymoseptoria tritici. Especially derivatives of the topical antifungal lanoconazole, which bear an alkynyloxy or a heteroaryl group in the para-position of the phenyl ring, exhibit excellent control of the mentioned phytopathogens. These compounds inhibit 14α -demethylase in the sterol biosynthesis pathway of the fungi. Synthesis routes starting from either benzaldehydes or acetophenones as well as structure-activity relationships are discussed in detail.

Synthesis and fungicidal activity of N-thiazol-4-yl-salicylamides, a new family of anti-oomycete compounds.

A novel class of experimental fungicides has been discovered, which consists of special N-thiazol-4-yl-salicylamides. They originated from amide reversion of lead structures from the patent literature and are highly active against important phytopathogens, such as Phytophthora infestans (potato and tomato late blight), Plasmopara viticola (grapevine downy mildew) and Pythium ultimum (damping-off disease). Structure-activity relationship studies revealed the importance of a phenolic or enolic hydroxy function in the ß-position of a carboxamide. An efficient synthesis route has been worked out, which for the first time employs the carbonyldiimidazole-mediated Lossen rearrangement in the field of thiazole carboxylic acids.

Antifouling and Fungicidal Resorcylic Acid Lactones from the Sea Anemone-Derived Fungus Cochliobolus lunatus.

Three new 14-membered resorcylic acid lactones, cochliomycins D-F, 1-3, and eight known analogues, 4-11, were isolated from the sea anemone-derived fungus Cochliobolus lunatus. Compounds 1-4 are diastereomers differing from each other by the absolute configurations of the 4',5'-diol chiral centers. The absolute configurations of 1-4 were established by the CD exciton chirality method and TDDFT ECD calculations. In antifouling assays, 1, 3-6, and 6a exhibited potent antifouling activities against the larval settlement of the barnacle Balanus amphitrite at nontoxic concentrations, with EC50 values ranging from 1.82 to 22.5 µg/mL. Noticeably, fungicide whole-plant assays indicated that 6 showed excellent activity on the Plasmopara viticola preventative test at 6 ppm and concentration-dependent activity on the Phytophthora infestans preventative application at 200, 60, and 20 ppm. Preliminary structure-activity relationships are also discussed.

The cellulose synthase 3 (CesA3) gene of oomycetes: structure, phylogeny and influence on sensitivity to carboxylic acid amide (CAA) fungicides.

Proper disease control is very important to minimize yield losses caused by oomycetes in many crops. Today, oomycete control is partially achieved by breeding for resistance, but mainly by application of single-site mode of action fungicides including the carboxylic acid amides (CAAs). Despite having mostly specific targets, fungicidal activity can differ even in species belonging to the same phylum but the underlying mechanisms are often poorly understood. In an attempt to elucidate the phylogenetic basis and underlying molecular mechanism of sensitivity and tolerance to CAAs, the cellulose synthase 3 (CesA3) gene was isolated and characterized, encoding the target site of this fungicide class. The CesA3 gene was present in all 25 species included in this study representing the orders Albuginales, Leptomitales, Peronosporales, Pythiales, Rhipidiales and Saprolegniales, and based on phylogenetic analyses, enabled good resolution of all the different taxonomic orders. Sensitivity assays using the CAA fungicide mandipropamid (MPD) demonstrated that only species belonging to the Peronosporales were inhibited by the fungicide. Molecular data provided evidence, that the observed difference in sensitivity to CAAs between Peronosporales and CAA tolerant species is most likely caused by an inherent amino acid configuration at position 1109 in CesA3 possibly affecting fungicide binding. The present study not only succeeded in linking CAA sensitivity of various oomycetes to the inherent CesA3 target site configuration, but could also relate it to the broader phylogenetic context.

Insights into the molecular mechanism of tolerance to carboxylic acid amide (CAA) fungicides in Pythium aphanidermatum.

BACKGROUND: Tolerance to the oomycete-specific carboxylic acid amide (CAA) fungicides is a poorly understood mechanism in Pythium species. The root-rot and damping-off causative agent Pythium aphanidermatum and the CAA fungicide mandipropamid (MPD) were used to investigate the molecular basis of CAA tolerance. RESULTS: Five genes putatively involved in carbohydrate synthesis were identified and characterised: one chitin synthase gene, PaChs, and four cellulose synthase genes PaCesA1 to PaCesA4, of which PaCesA3 encodes the MPD target enzyme. These genes were differentially expressed throughout the life cycle of P. aphanidermatum. Mycelium treated with MPD concentrations slightly affecting mycelial growth did not cause a change in PaCesA3 expression nor a strong upregulation of PaCesA homologues. The high tolerance level of P. aphanidermatum and the lack of PaCesA upregulation imply that MPD tolerance is the result of a specific amino acid configuration in the cellulose synthase 3 (CesA3) target enzyme. Indeed, P. aphanidermatum displays the amino acid L1109 which is also associated with MPD resistance in artificial mutants of Phytophthora species. CONCLUSION: It is concluded that MPD tolerance in P. aphanidermatum is not caused by compensatory mechanisms but most likely by an inherent target-site configuration in PaCesA3 that hinders MPD binding to the enzyme pocket.

Resistance mechanism to carboxylic acid amide fungicides in the cucurbit downy mildew pathogen Pseudoperonospora cubensis.

BACKGROUND: Pseudoperonospora cubensis, the causal oomycete agent of cucurbit downy mildew, is responsible for enormous crop losses in many species of Cucurbitaceae, particularly in cucumber and melon. Disease control is mainly achieved by combinations of host resistance and fungicide applications. However, since 2004, resistance to downy mildew in cucumber has been overcome by the pathogen, thus driving farmers to rely only on fungicide spray applications, including carboxylic acid amide (CAA) fungicides. Recently, CAA-resistant isolates of P. cubensis were recovered, but the underlying mechanism of resistance was not revealed. The purpose of the present study was to identify the molecular mechanism controlling resistance to CAAs in P. cubensis. RESULTS: The four CesA (cellulose synthase) genes responsible for cellulose biosynthesis in P. cubensis were characterised. Resistant strains showed a mutation in the CesA3 gene, at position 1105, leading to an amino acid exchange from glycine to valine or tryptophan. Cross-resistance tests with different CAAs indicated that these mutations lead to resistance against all tested CAAs. CONCLUSION: Point mutations in the CesA3 gene of P. cubensis lead to CAA resistance. Accurate monitoring of these mutations among P. cubensis populations may improve/facilitate adequate recommendation/deployment of fungicides in the field.

Mandipropamid targets the cellulose synthase-like PiCesA3 to inhibit cell wall biosynthesis in the oomycete plant pathogen, Phytophthora infestans.

Oomycete plant pathogens cause a wide variety of economically and environmentally important plant diseases. Mandipropamid (MPD) is a carboxylic acid amide (CAA) effective against downy mildews, such as Plasmopara viticola on grapes and potato late blight caused by Phytophthora infestans. Historically, the identification of the mode of action of oomycete-specific control agents has been problematic. Here, we describe how a combination of biochemical and genetic techniques has been utilized to identify the molecular target of MPD in P. infestans. Phytophthora infestans germinating cysts treated with MPD produced swelling symptoms typical of cell wall synthesis inhibitors, and these effects were reversible after washing with H(2)O. Uptake studies with (14)C-labelled MPD showed that this oomycete control agent acts on the cell wall and does not enter the cell. Furthermore, (14)C glucose incorporation into cellulose was perturbed in the presence of MPD which, taken together, suggests that the inhibition of cellulose synthesis is the primary effect of MPD. Laboratory mutants, insensitive to MPD, were raised by ethyl methane sulphonate (EMS) mutagenesis, and gene sequence analysis of cellulose synthase genes in these mutants revealed two point mutations in the PiCesA3 gene, known to be involved in cellulose synthesis. Both mutations in the PiCesA3 gene result in a change to the same amino acid (glycine-1105) in the protein. The transformation and expression of a mutated PiCesA3 allele was carried out in a sensitive wild-type isolate to demonstrate that the mutations in PiCesA3 were responsible for the MPD insensitivity phenotype.

A single point mutation in the novel PvCesA3 gene confers resistance to the carboxylic acid amide fungicide mandipropamid in Plasmopara viticola.

The grapevine downy mildew, Plasmopara viticola, is one of the most devastating pathogens in viticulture. Effective control is mainly based on fungicide treatments, although resistance development in this pathogen is reported for a number of fungicides. In this study we describe for the first time the molecular mechanism of resistance to a carboxylic acid amide (CAA) fungicide. We identified a family of four cellulose synthase (CesA) genes containing conserved domains that are found in all processive glycosyltransferases. Phylogenetic analysis revealed their close relationship to the cellulose synthases of Phytophthora sp. Sequencing of the CesA genes in a CAA- resistant and -sensitive field isolate revealed five single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) affecting the amino acid structure of the proteins. SNP inheritance in F(1)-, F(2)- and F(3)-progeny confirmed resistance to be correlated with one single SNP located in PvCesA3. Only if present in both alleles, this SNP led to the substitution of a glycine for a serine residue at position 1105 (G1105S) in the deduced amino acid sequence, thus conferring CAA- resistance. Our data demonstrate that the identified genes are putative cellulose synthases and that one recessive mutation in PvCesA3 causes inheritable resistance to the CAA fungicide mandipropamid.