Secondary metabolites from wild potato species with anti-oomycotic activity

The oomycete Phytophthora infestans is the causal agent of late blight, the most devastating potato  disease. To prevent pathogen entry, plants synthesize and secrete antimicrobial secondary metabolites onto their leaf surface. The project exploits the diversity of extracellular metabolites of resistant wild potato species to identify novel defense compounds with anti-oomycotic activity. Elucidation of the biosynthetic pathway and the export mechanism will enable the transfer to cultivated potato species, thus enhancing the defense potential against P. infestans.