Genetics of Pathogen–Host Interaction by the Example of Potato Late Blight Disease

Abstract

This article is a review of modern conceptions concerning the interaction between a pathogen and a host plant at the molecular level. In particular, the basic principles of plant immunity and the mechanisms by which pathogens overcome this immunity are described. In this respect, special attention is paid to information about the interaction of the causative agent of late blight disease oomycete Phytophthora infestans (Mont.) de Bary with its host potato. This is due to the fact that late blight is the largest economically significant problem for modern potato farming. Despite the fact that the causative agent of late blight has been known to science for a long time, there are many unresolved issues related to the biology of this pathogen. Therefore, to create new potato varieties with high resistance to late blight, it is necessary to obtain new knowledge about the interaction of the polygenic plant resistance system with the determinants of pathogenicity of P. infestans.