Dr Pieter Van West
Reader
MSc (Wageningen, The Netherlands, 1993) PhD (Wageningen, The Netherlands, 2000)
Personal Details
| Telephone: | +44 (0)1224 555848/+44 (0)1224 555800 |
| Fax: | +44 (0)1224 555844 |
| E-mail: | p.vanwest@abdn.ac.uk |
| Address: | University of Aberdeen Aberdeen Oomycete Laboratory College of Life Sciences and Medicine Institute of Medical Sciences Foresterhill, Aberdeen AB25 2ZD, Scotland UK. Tel: +44 (0) 1224 555848 (office) Tel: +44 (0) 1224 555800 (lab) Fax: +44 (0) 1224 555844 E-mail: p.vanwest@abdn.ac.uk Office: 2:33, lab 2:39 |
Web Links
http://www.abdn.ac.uk/oomycetes
http://www.sams.ac.uk/expedition-blogs/baffin-island-expedition
http://www.britmycolsoc.org.uk
Biography
Dr. Ir. Pieter van West is a Reader and a past Royal Society University Research Fellow in the School of Medical Sciences at the University of Aberdeen. He obtained an MSc and PhD in Molecular Plant Pathology at the Wageningen University in the Netherlands.
In January 1998, after his PhD-work was completed, he started a Post-Doctoral position in the laboratory of Prof. N.A.R. Gow in the College of Life Sciences and Medicine to work on Phytophthora -plant interactions.
In October 2000, he was awarded a Royal Society University Fellowship for 5 years to work on a research program that focuses on understanding fundamental molecular processes in Oomycete pathogens such as Saprolegnia, Phytophthora, Eurychasma and Pythium species. In December 2002, he was awarded the Berkeley Award by the British Mycological Society for his scientific contributions to mycology and in 2005 his Royal Society University Fellowship was extended with another 3 years.
Research Interests
Fundamental molecular processes in Oomycete pathogensThe group of oomycete pathogens cause destructive diseases of thousands of (commercially important) plant species and fish. These so-called watermoulds have many fungus-like characteristics, but are not true-fungi. In fact, they are closely related to kelp and diatoms. One particular oomycete, Phytophthora infestans, the causal agent of potato late blight, generates global yield losses estimated to exceed over £3 billion annually, making it one of the most important biotic constraints to global food production. It is probably the most destructive plant pathogen in human history, as it caused tremendous human suffering in the mid 1840's due to failed potato crops in Ireland and the UK. One of the most destructive oomycete pathogens on fish is Saprolegnia parasitica. It is endemic to all fresh water habitats around the world and is partly responsible for the decline of natural populations of salmonids and other fresh water fish. Today, losses in the salmon aquaculture business in Scotland alone are estimated at several millions of pounds annually.
Despite their economic importance, little is known about the molecular mechanisms accounting for the success of Oomycetes as plant or fish pathogens, or the fundamental molecular processes underlying their development. My research program aspires to identify molecular characteristics that are essential for the development and pathogenesis of Phytophthora, Pythium and Saprolegnia species.
Work mainly focuses on the isolation and functional characterisation of genes encoding recognition molecules and stage-specific proteins to enable: [1] understanding and unravelling fundamental molecular processes in Oomycetes, [2] the detection of molecular targets for novel control strategies, possibly directed against a variety of Oomycete pathogens.
Current Research
1 Identification and functional characterisation of zoospore specific proteins from oomycetes via genomic, transcriptomic and proteomics approaches (Figure 1).
Figure 1. Zoospores are released from a sporangium of Saprolegnia parasitica (taken from van West, 2006)
2 Identification and functional characterisation of appressoria specific proteins and proteins that are secreted during the appressorial infection stages.
3 Identification and functional characterisation of proteins from Saprolegnia parastica, a fish pathogen of salmonids and other fresh water fish (Figure 3), that are essential for development and pathogenicity.
Figure 3. Life cycle of Saprolegnia parasitica (taken from van West, 2006)
4 Identification and functional analysis of genes involved in electrotaxis, zoospore swimming and encystment processes. Micro-arrays and other genomics tools are used to identify genes involved in these processes. Currently, this project focuses around investigating K+ channels, mechanosensitive channels, and Ca2+-channels from Phytophthora infestans.
5 Oospore formation and other developmental processes in Pythium oligandrum, a mycoparasite of fungi and other oomycetes (Figure 4).
6 Unravelling the mechanism of gene silencing in P. infestans.
Teaching Responsibilities
Eukaryotic Microbiology lectures in course BI25M5 (Microbes, Infection & Immunity)
Molecular Plant Pathology lectures in course AG3816 (Biology and Ecology of Plant Disease)
External Responsibilities
Chair of the Publication Committee of the British Mycological Society
Editorial Board member of Mycological Research
Editorial Board member of Fungal Biology Reviews
Selected Publications
Haas, B., Kamoun, S., Zody, M.C., Jiang, R.H.Y., Handsaker, R.E., Cano, L.M., Grabherr, M., Kodira, C.D., Raffaele, S., Torto-Alalibo, T., Bozkurt, T.O., O'Neill1, K., Ah-Fong, A.M.V., Alvarado, L., Anderson, V.L., Armstrong, M.R., Avrova, A.O., Baxter, L., Beynon, J.I.L., Boevink, P.C., Bos, J.I.B., Broad Institute Genome Sequencing Platform, Bulone, V., Cai, G., Cakir, C., Carrington, J.C., Chawner, M., Costanzo, S., Fahlgren, N., Fugelstad, J., Gilroy, E.M., Gnerre, S., Green, P.J., Grenville-Briggs, L.J., Griffith, J., Gupta, S., Horn, K., Horner, N.R., Hu, C-H., Huitema, E., Jeong, D-H., Jones, A., Jones, J.D.G., Jones, R., Karlsson, E., Lamour, K., Liu, Z., Ma, L-J., D., Marcus, C., McDonald, H., McWalters, J., Meijer, H.J.G., Morgan, W., Morris, P.F., Munro, C.A., Ospina-Giraldo, M., Pinzón, A., Pritchard, L., Ramsahoye, B., Ren, Q., Restrepo, S., Roy, S., Sadanandom, A., Savidor, A., Schornack, S., Schwartz, D.C., Schumann, U.D., Schwessinger, B., Seyer, L., Sharpe, T., Silvar, C., Song, J., Studholme, D.J., Sykes, S., van de Vondervoort, P.J.I., Vipaporn, P., Wawra, S., Weide, R., Win, J., Young, C., Zhou, S., Fry, W., Meyers, B.C., van West, P., Ristaino, J., Govers, F., Birch, P.R.J., Whisson, S.C., Judelson, H.S., & Nusbaum, C. (2009). Genome sequence and analysis of the Irish potato famine pathogen Phytophthora infestans. Nature DOI:10.1038/nature08358.
Birch, P.R.J., Armstrong, M., Bos, J., Boevink, P., Gilroy, E., Taylor, R., Wawra, S., Pritchard, L., Whisson, S.C., and van West, P., Sadanandom, A., & Kamoun, S. (2009). Evidence for the manipulation of ubiquitination-associated host defences by the oomycete plant pathogen Phytophthora infestans. J. Exp. Botany 60, 1133-1140.
Timmusk, S., van West, P., Gow, N.A.R. & Wagner, E.G.H. (2009). Biofilm forming Paenibacillus polymyxa antagonizes oomycete plant pathogens Phytophthora palmivora and Pythium aphanidermatum. J. Appl. Microbiology 106, 1472-1481.
Grouffaud, S., van West, P., Avrova,A.O., Birch, P.R.J. and Whisson, S.C. (2008) Plasmodium falciparum and Hyaloperonospora parasitica effector translocation motifs are functional in Phytophthora infestans. Microbiology154, 3743-3751
Avrova, A.O., Boevink, P.C., Young, V., Grenville-Briggs, L.J., van West, P., Birch, P.R.J., and Whisson, S.C. (2008). A novel Phytophthora infestans haustorium-specific membrane protein is required for infection of potato. Cellular Microbiology 10: 2271-2284
Walker, C.A., Koeppe, M., Grenville-Briggs, L.J., Avrova, A.O., Horner, N.R., McKinnon, A.D., Whisson, S.C., Birch, P.R.J., and van West, P. (2008) A putative DEAD-box RNA-helicase is required for normal zoospore development in the late blight pathogen Phytophthora infestans. Fungal Genetics and Biology 45: 954-962.
Grenville-Briggs, L.J., Anderson, V.L., Fugelstad, J., Bruce, C.R., Avrova, A., Williams, A., Wawra, S., Whisson, S.C., Birch, P.R.J., Bulone, V., and van West, P. (2008). Cellulose synthesis in Phytophthora infestans is required for normal appressorium formation and successful infection of potato. The Plant Cell 20: 720-738.
van West, P., Shepherd, S., Walker, C.A., Li, S., Appiah, A.A., Grenville-Briggs, L.J., Govers, F, and Gow, N.A.R. (2008). Internuclear gene silencing in Phytophthora infestans is established via heterochromatin formation. Microbiology 54: 1482-1490.
Judelson, H.S., Ah-Fong, A.M.V., Aux, G., Avrova, A.O., Bruce, C.R., Cakir, C., da Cunha, L., Grenville-Briggs, L.J., Latijnhouwers, M., Ligterink, W., Meijer, H.J.G., Roberts, S., Thurber, C., S. Whisson, S.C., Birch, P.R.J., Govers, F., Kamoun, S.,
van West, P. and Windass, J. (2008). Gene expression profiling during asexual development of the late blight pathogen Phytophthora infestans reveals a highly dynamic transcriptome. Molecular Plant Microbe Interactions. 21: 433-447.
Phillips, A.J., Anderson, V.L., Robertson, E.J., Secombes, C.J. and van West, P. (2008). New insights into animal pathogenic oomycetes. Trends in Microbiology. 16: 13-19
Whisson, S.C., Boevink, P.C., Moleleki, L., Avrova, A.O., Morales, J.G., Gilroy, E.M., Armstrong, M.R., Grouffaud, S., van West, P., Chapman, S., Hein, I., Toth, I.K., Pritchard, L., and Birch, P.R.J. (2007). A translocation signal for delivery of oomycete effector proteins into host plant cells. Nature 450:115-118.
Walker C.L. and van West, P. (2007). Zoospore development in the Oomycetes. Fungal Biology Reviews 21:10-18.
van West, P. (2006). Saprolegnia parasitica, an oomycete pathogen with a fishy appetite; new challenges for an old problem. Mycologist 20: 99-104.
Bruce, C.R., van West, P. and Grenville-Briggs L.J. (2006). Proteomic studies of plant pathogenic oomycetes and fungi. In: Microbial Proteomics - Functional biology of whole organisms. Ed: I. Humphery-Smith. pp. 271-283.
Torto-Alalibo,T., Tian,M., Gajendran,K., Waugh, M.E., van West, P., and Kamoun, S. (2005). Expressed sequence tags from the oomycete fish pathogen Saprolegnia parasitica reveals putative virulence factors. BioMedCentral Microbiology 5:46 on line.
Whisson, S.C., Avrova, A., van West, P., and Jones, J.T. (2005). A method for double-stranded RNA mediated transient gene silencing in Phytophthora infestans. Molecular Plant Pathology. 6, 153-163.
Appiah, A.A., van West, P., Gow, N.A.R. (2005). The role of potassium ions in zoospore motility of plant pathogenic Oomycetes. Fungal Genetics and Biology 42, 213–223
Grenville-Briggs, L.J., and van West, P. (2005). The biotrophic stages of oomycete-plant interactions. In: Advances in Applied Microbiology. Volume 57. (Eds.: Allen I Laskin, Joan W. Bennett and Geoffrey M. Gadd). pp. 217-243.
Grenville-Briggs, L.J., Avrova, A., Bruce, C.R., Williams, A., Birch, P.R.J., and van West, P. (2005). Elevated Amino Acid Biosynthesis in Phytophthora infestans During Appressorium Formation and Potato Infection. Fungal Genetics and Biology 42, 244–256.
Randall,T.A., Dwyer, R.A., Huitema, E., Beyer, K., Cvitanich, C., Kelkar, H., Gates, K., Roberts, S., Yatzkan, E., Gaffney, T., Law, M., Testa, A., Torto, T., Zhang, M., Zheng, L., Binder, A., Birch, P.R.J., Gisi, U., Govers, F., Gow, N., Mauch, F., van West, P., Waugh, M., Yu, J., Boller, T., Kamoun, S., Lam, S.T., Judelson,H.S. (2005). Large scale gene discovery in the oomycete pathogen Phytophthora infestans. Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions, 18, 229-243.
van West, P., and Vleeshouwers, V.G.A.A. (2004). The Phytophthora infestans -host interaction. In: Plant Pathogen Interactions. Ed.: N.J. Talbot. Blackwell Scientific Publishers. Chapter 9. pp. 219-242.
Latijnhouwers, M., Ligterink, W., Vleeshouwers, V.G.A.A., van West, P., and Govers, F. (2004). A Ga-subunit controls zoospore motility, appressoria formation, and virulence in the potato late blight pathogen Phytophthora infestans. Molecular Microbiology 51, 925-936.
Grenville, L.J., Taylor, C.R., Williams, A., Avrova, A., Birch, P.R.J., and van West, P. (2003). Functional characterisation of appressoria specific proteins from Phytophthora infestans. 11th International Congress on Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions. St. Petersburg.
Shepherd, S.J., van West, P., Gow, N.A.R. (2003). Proteomic analysis of asexual development of Phytophthora palmivora. Mycological Research 107, 395-400.
van West, P., Appiah, A.A., and Gow N.A.R. (2003). Advances in research on root pathogenic oomycetes. Physiological & Molecular Plant Pathology 62, 99-113.
Torto, T.A., Li, S., Styer, A., Huitema, E., Testa, A., Gow, N.A.R., van West, P., and Kamoun, S. (2003). EST mining and functional expression assays identify extra-cellular signal proteins from the plant pathogen Phytophthora. Genome Research 13, 1675–1685.
van West, P., Morris, B.M., Reid, B., Appiah, A.A., Osborne, M.C., Campbell, T.A., Shepherd, S.J., and Gow, N.A.R. (2002). Oomycete plant pathogens use electric fields to target roots. Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions 15, 790-798.
van 't Klooster, J.W., van den Berg-Velthuis, G.C.M., van West, P., and Govers, F. (2000). Tef1, a Phytophthora infestans gene encoding translation elongation factor 1a. Gene 249, 145-151.
Kamoun, S., Dong, S., Huitema, E., Torto, G.A., van West, P., Vleeshouwers, V.G.A.A., and Govers, F. (2000). Dissection of nonhost resistance of Nicotiana to Phytophthora infestans. 9th International Congress on Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions. (Eds. P.J.G.M. de Wit, T. Bisseling, W. Stiekema) Amsterdam. pp. 180-185.
Gow, N.A.R., Campbell, T.A., Morris, B.M., Osborne, M.C., Reid, B., Shepherd, S.J., and van West, P. (1999). Signals and interactions between phytopathogenic zoospores and plant roots. In: Microbial Signalling and Communication. (Eds. R. England, G. Hobbs, N. Bainton and D. McL. Roberts). Society for General Microbiology, Symposium 57. Cambridge University Press. pp. 285-305.
van West, P. (1999). Molecular tools to unravel the role of genes from Phytophthora infestans. PhD-thesis. Wageningen Agricultural University and the Graduate School of Experimental Plant Sciences. ISBN 90-5808-173-7. pp. 1-160.
van West, P., Kamoun, S., van 't Klooster, J.W., and Govers, F. (1999). Internuclear gene silencing in Phytophthora infestans. Molecular Cell 3, 339-348.
van West, P., Kamoun, S., van 't Klooster, J.W., and Govers, F. (1999). Ric1, a stress induced gene of the potato late blight pathogen Phytophthora infestans. Current Genetics 36, 310-315.
van West, P., Reid, B., Campbell, T.A., Sandrock, R.W., Fry, W.E., Kamoun, S., and Gow, N.A.R. (1999). Green fluorescent protein (GFP) as a reporter gene for the plant pathogenic oomycete Phytophthora palmivora. FEMS Microbiology Letters 178, 71-80.
Kamoun, S., van West, P., Vleeshouwers, V.G.A.A., de Groot, K.E., and Govers, F. (1998a). Resistance of Nicotiana benthamiana to Phytophthora infestans is mediated by the recognition of the elicitor protein INF1. The Plant Cell 10, 1413-1426.
Kamoun, S., van West, P., and Govers, F. (1998b). Quantification of late blight resistance of potato using transgenic Phytophthora infestans expressing b-glucuronidase. European Journal of Plant Pathology 104, 521-525.
van West, P., de Jong, A.J., Judelson, H.S., Emons, A.M.C., and Govers, F. (1998). The ipiO gene of Phytophthora infestans is highly expressed in invading hyphae during infection. Fungal Genetics and Biology 23, 126-138.
Kamoun, S., van West, P., de Jong, A.J., de Groot, K.E., Vleeshouwers, V.G.A.A., and Govers, F. (1998c). A gene encoding a protein elicitor of Phytophthora infestans is down-regulated during infection of potato. Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions 10, 13-20.
Pieterse, C.M.J., van West, P., Verbakel, H.M., Brasse, P.W.H.M., van den Berg Velthuis, G.C.M., and Govers, F. (1994). Structure and genomic organization of the ipiB and ipiO gene clusters of Phytophthora infestans. Gene 138, 67-77.
Edited books
Exploitation of Fungi. (2007). Symposium of the British Mycological Society Manchester 2005. no. 26. Edited by Geoff Robson, Pieter van West, and Geoff Gadd. Cambridge University Press. 345 p.
Stress in Yeasts and Filamentous Fungi. (2008). British Mycological Society Symposia Series 2006. no. 27. Edited by Simon V. Avery, Malcolm Stratford and Pieter van West. Academic Press, Elsevier. 311 p.
Ecology of Saprotrophic Basidiomycetes. (2008). British Mycological Society Symposia Series 2007. no. 28. Edited by Lynne Boddy, Juliet C. Frankland and Pieter van West. Academic Press, Elsevier. 372 p.