Molecular Pathogens, 2025, Vol.16, No.4, 182-192 http://microbescipublisher.com/index.php/mp 182 Case Study Open Access Case Study of Downy Mildew Resistancein Grapevine: Molecular and Genetic Insights MingLi 1, Chunyang Zhan2 1 Tropical Microbial Resources Research Center, Hainan Institute of Tropical Agricultural Resources, Sanya, 572025, Hainan, China 2 Hainan Institute of Biotechnology, Haikou, 570206, Hainan, China Corresponding author: chunyang.zhan@hitar.org Molecular Pathogens, 2025, Vol.16, No.4 doi: 10.5376/mp.2025.16.0019 Received: 03 Jun., 2025 Accepted: 15 Jul., 2025 Published: 02 Aug., 2025 Copyright © 2025 Li and Zhan, This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Preferred citation for this article: Li M., and Zhan C.Y., 2025, Case study of downy mildew resistancein grapevine: molecular and genetic insights, Molecular Pathogens, 16(4): 182-192 (doi: 10.5376/mp.2025.16.0019) Abstract Grape downy mildew (the pathogen is Plasmopara viticola) is one of the important diseases that threaten the grape industry, and often causes serious production reductions and quality reductions. In this study, I combined case analysis to review the etiological characteristics and prevalence laws of grape downy mildew, focusing on the genetic basis and molecular mechanism of grape downy mildew resistance, covering the identification progress of resistance genes and quantitative trait sites (QTL), as well as the mechanism of action of plant immune pathways (PTI and ETI) and signaling molecules (such as salicylic acid SA, jasmonic acid JA, ethylene ET, etc.) in disease resistance. In addition, we introduce the application of multiomics techniques in the analysis of grape anti-downy mildew pathogenesis, such as the new insights provided by the integration analysis of transcriptome, proteome and metabolomics, and compare the differences in disease resistance between European cultivated grapes and wild germplasms, and share the molecular genetic research results of typical resistant grape germplasms. Finally, we discuss the latest advances in the development and molecular breeding of downy mildew-resistant grapes, including the application of SSR and SNP markers in resistance identification, the practice of marker-assisted selection (MAS) and genome selection (GS) techniques, and cases of new varieties of downy mildew-resistant. This study aims to provide reference for the study of the mechanism of resistance to downy mildew and disease resistance breeding of grapes. Keywords Downy mildew; Disease-resistant genes; Quantitative trait sites (QTLs); Plant immunity; Multiomics 1 Introduction Vitis vinifera is a widely cultivated economic fruit tree worldwide. Its fruit can be used for winemaking, fresh food and drying, and occupies an important position in agriculture and economy. According to statistics, China's annual grape production is about 14.769 million tons, ranking first in the world; the global grape and wine market size exceeds 29 billion euros. However, grapes are susceptible to a variety of diseases, among which downy mildew caused by oomycosis is one of the most destructive and important diseases (Salotti et al., 2024). Grape downy mildew is particularly prevalent in wet and warm climates, which can lead to a reduction in grape yield of up to 50%~75%. After downy mildew was introduced into Europe with North American antiphylloxera rootstocks in the 19th century, it triggered a major outbreak in vineyards, causing huge losses to the grape industry. At present, the prevention and control of downy mildew mainly depends on the repeated spraying of chemical fungicides, but large-scale long-term use of drugs has brought about problems such as increased costs, environmental pollution and drug resistance (Toffolatti et al., 2016). It is reported that approximately 68 000 tons of fungicide is used in vineyards every year in Europe. Although rational use of drugs can control diseases to a certain extent, sustainable management is difficult to achieve through chemical prevention and control alone. In contrast, cultivating and planting disease-resistant varieties is considered to be a more economical and long-term solution strategy (Salotti et al., 2024). Molecular genetic research plays a key role in elucidating the pathogenesis of grapes, discovering disease-resistant genes and assisting breeding.
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