Effectors in plant–microbe interactions

Effectors in plant–microbe interactions, edited by F. Martin and S. Kamoun, Stafford, Wiley-Blackwell, John Wiley, 2012, 426 pp., Au$ 245.00 (hardback), ISBN 13:978-0-4709-5822-3

Receptors play a critical role in plant–microbe interactions for multiple reasons, the most important being the modulation of plant-defence circuit and parasite colonisation (see Hogenhout et al. 2009). Effectors in plant–microbe interactions is as an elegant compilation of 15 chapters discussing a range of themes referring to the physiology of effectors of bacteria and fungi that interact with higher plants. Chapters 1 and 2 comprehensively discuss the basics of innate immunity and microbial effectors, reiterating convergent evolution of effectors and their role in plant-immune system. Chapters 3–5 discuss effectors of bacteria and fungi interacting with crop plants, their modes of action supplemented with examples. Chapters 6 and 7 deal with the role of effectors of Pseudomonas syringae and rust fungi. Ecology of biotrophs and necrotrophs is gaining in relevance today (e.g. Glazebrook 2005; Kliebenstein and Rowe 2008). This chapter in particular interests us because of our interest in the molecular ecology of fungal endophytes that infect pasture grasses and the impact of endophyte-infected grasses on arthropods (see Raman et al. 2012). Chapters 9 and 10 refer to effector trafficking by explaining the entry mechanism of microbes. Chapters 11–14 shed light on the role of effector proteins in legume – Rhizobium mutualism, mutualistic effectors as designers of symbiosis, role of effectors in nematode–plant, insect–plant interactions. Critical discussions that compare and contrast the roles and modes of action of effectors in microbes, nematodes and insects, while interacting with plants, are the highlights of this book. Chapter 15 discusses fungal-secondary metabolites and their role as effectors. The absence of a synthesis chapter, preferably by the editors, at the end, tying the loose ends is a notable omission. Nonetheless, we enjoyed reading this book, which offered delightful insights into contemporary biology by providing conceptual clarity of the molecular ecology of plant–microbe interactions; the term ‘microbe’ extended to mean plant-interacting invertebrates as well. This book would be useful to research students, academics and scientists pursuing molecular ecology of plant interactions with the ‘microbes’. What worried us is whether the book would be affordable to scholars in developing nations.

Anantanarayanan Raman, Anamika Sharma,

Sreenath Subrahmanyam

Charles Sturt University

Orange, NSW, Australia

Emails: [email protected], [email protected],
[email protected]

© 2012, Anantanarayanan Raman,

Anamika Sharma, Sreenath Subrahmanyam