CP32, a novel anti‐oomycete cyclic peptide, interferes with cell‐wall deposition in Phytophthora infestans
9 affiliations
- 1Dipartimento di Bioscienze, Università degli Studi di Milano Milano 20133 Italy
- 2Division of Glycoscience, Department of Chemistry, School of Engineering Sciences in Chemistry, Biotechnology and Health Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) Stockholm SE 106 91 Sweden
- 3Dipartimento di Scienze Farmaceutiche Università degli Studi di Milano Milano 20133 Italy
- 4Dipartimento di Fisiopatologia Medico‐Chirurgica e dei Trapianti Università degli Studi di Milano Milan 20100 Italy
- 5College of Medicine and Public Health Flinders University, Bedford Park Campus Adelaide 5042 South Australia Australia
- 6Molecular Biology and Nanotechnology Laboratory (MolBNL@UniTS), DEA University of Trieste Trieste 34127 Italy
- 7Department of General Biophysics, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection University of Lodz Łódź 90‐236 Poland
- 8Université Paris‐Saclay, CNRS, BioCIS Orsay 91400 France
- 9Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie e Ambientali—Produzione, Territorio e Agroenergia Università degli Studi di Milano Milano 20133 Italy
Abstract
Phytophthora infestans, the causal agent of late blight in potato and tomato, is a historically devastating pathogen that continues to pose a major threat to global food security. Although conventional fungicides remain a cornerstone of crop protection, growing concerns over their environmental impact and long‐term sustainability have driven the search for safer and more selective alternatives. In this context, next‐generation fungicides with high specificity and minimal ecological footprint are urgently needed. This study introduces CP32, a small cyclic peptide, identified via yeast two‐hybrid screening of a genetically encoded combinatorial peptide library, based on its specific interaction with the catalytic domain of the P. infestans enzyme Cellulose Synthase 2. CP32 exhibits anti‐oomycete activity, effectively inhibits sporangial growth at low micromolar concentrations, and significantly reduces late blight symptoms on tomato leaves and entire plants. In silico docking analyses, supported by molecular and biochemical evidence, confirm that CP32 compromises cell‐wall integrity by interfering with cellulose deposition and altering glucan composition. Furthermore, CP32 readily permeates the Phytophthora membrane and displays oomycete‐static properties, while showing no detectable toxicity toward non‐target organisms, such as bacteria, yeast, or plants. Collectively, these findings identify CP32 as a promising, targeted anti‐oomycete agent with a unique mode of action, targeting the P. infestans cell wall, representing a valuable contribution to the development of sustainable strategies for the control of late blight.
Related
- Long Non-Coding RNA StlincPRI Enhances Resistance to Phytophthora infestans by Regulating Reactive Oxygen Species Homeostasis
- Species-specific divergence in Phytophthora infestans resistance between Nicotiana benthamiana and potato mediated by 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid pretreatment.
- An Aphid Protein Interferes with Plant endomembrane Trafficking Machinery to Promote Aphid Survival and Plant Growth
- Volatile organic compounds of L. enzymogenes LEC suppress the growth of fungal and oomycete pathogens and modify the cell physiology of Rhizoctonia solani
- Genome-wide analyses resolve three clonal lineages and lineage-specific ploidy in Phytophthora cinnamomi
BibTeX
@article{marciano2026cp32,
title = {{CP32, a novel anti‐oomycete cyclic peptide, interferes with cell‐wall deposition in Phytophthora infestans}},
author = {Demetrio Marcianò and Stefano Rosa and Elena Marone Fassolo and Chiara Bertaso and Andrea Tagliani and Nina Gauri Capra and Federico Ballabio and Chiara Mizzotti and Giulia Rizzi and Sadia Fida Ullah and Lisa Kappel and Lucia Feni and Luca Tadini and Louise Jane Gourlay and Rosaria Russo and Vincent Bulone and Sabrina Pricl and Sandrine Ongeri and Sara Pellegrino and Carlo Camilloni and Silvia Laura Toffolatti and Vaibhav Srivastava and Paolo Pesaresi and Simona Masiero},
journal = {Journal of Integrative Plant Biology},
year = {2026},
month = jul,
doi = {10.1111/jipb.70343},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1111/jipb.70343},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - CP32, a novel anti‐oomycete cyclic peptide, interferes with cell‐wall deposition in Phytophthora infestans
AU - Demetrio Marcianò
AU - Stefano Rosa
AU - Elena Marone Fassolo
AU - Chiara Bertaso
AU - Andrea Tagliani
AU - Nina Gauri Capra
AU - Federico Ballabio
AU - Chiara Mizzotti
AU - Giulia Rizzi
AU - Sadia Fida Ullah
AU - Lisa Kappel
AU - Lucia Feni
AU - Luca Tadini
AU - Louise Jane Gourlay
AU - Rosaria Russo
AU - Vincent Bulone
AU - Sabrina Pricl
AU - Sandrine Ongeri
AU - Sara Pellegrino
AU - Carlo Camilloni
AU - Silvia Laura Toffolatti
AU - Vaibhav Srivastava
AU - Paolo Pesaresi
AU - Simona Masiero
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/07/16
JO - Journal of Integrative Plant Biology
DO - 10.1111/jipb.70343
UR - https://doi.org/10.1111/jipb.70343
AB - Phytophthora infestans, the causal agent of late blight in potato and tomato, is a historically devastating pathogen that continues to pose a major threat to global food security. Although conventional fungicides remain a cornerstone of crop protection, growing concerns over their environmental impact and long‐term sustainability have driven the search for safer and more selective alternatives. In this context, next‐generation fungicides with high specificity and minimal ecological footprint are urgently needed. This study introduces CP32, a small cyclic peptide, identified via yeast two‐hybrid screening of a genetically encoded combinatorial peptide library, based on its specific interaction with the catalytic domain of the P. infestans enzyme Cellulose Synthase 2. CP32 exhibits anti‐oomycete activity, effectively inhibits sporangial growth at low micromolar concentrations, and significantly reduces late blight symptoms on tomato leaves and entire plants. In silico docking analyses, supported by molecular and biochemical evidence, confirm that CP32 compromises cell‐wall integrity by interfering with cellulose deposition and altering glucan composition. Furthermore, CP32 readily permeates the Phytophthora membrane and displays oomycete‐static properties, while showing no detectable toxicity toward non‐target organisms, such as bacteria, yeast, or plants. Collectively, these findings identify CP32 as a promising, targeted anti‐oomycete agent with a unique mode of action, targeting the P. infestans cell wall, representing a valuable contribution to the development of sustainable strategies for the control of late blight.
SN - 1672-9072
SN - 1744-7909
ER -