Sequence and Gene Expression Analysis of Recently Identified NLP from .

Grapevine downy mildew, evoked by the obligate biotrophic oomycete is one of the most challenging diseases in viticulture. establishes an infection by circumvention of plant immunity, which is achieved by the secretion of effector molecules. One family of potential effectors are the necrosis- and ethylene-inducing peptide 1 (Nep1)-like proteins (NLP). NLP are most abundant in plant pathogenic microorganisms and exist in cytotoxic and non-cyctotoxic forms. Cytotoxic NLP often act as virulence factors and are synthesized in necrotrophic or hemibiotrophic pathogens during the transition from biotrophic to necrotrophic growth. In addition to these cytotoxic NLP, many non-cytotoxic NLP have been identified; their function in biotrophic pathogens is still unknown. In 2020, eight different coding genes were identified in and named to (). In the present study, to were characterized by using qPCR analysis and transient expression in the model plant . Gene expression analysis showed high expression during the early stages of infection. Necrosis-inducing activity of was not observed in the nonhost .