Structural modifications induced by Eutypa lata in the xylem of trunk and canes of Vitis vinifera

Eutypa dieback, a devastating disease in grapevines, is caused by the fungal pathogen Eutypa lata, a wood-inhabiting fungus. E. lata acts by degrading wood tissues in the colonisation areas, and produces foliar symptoms. These striking symptoms have been attributed to the production of toxic metabolites by the pathogen, the most widely studied being eutypine. The aims of the study were to compare the effects of E. lata on xylem structure at the site of infection and in remote tissues. In healthy Vitis vinifera, the vessel-associated cells (VACs) in the trunk have a protective layer that covers the entire lignified wall and forms a transfer apparatus in pits located at the VAC / vessel interface. This apparatus occurs similarly in VACs in the basal part of canes but is less developed in the apical part. In the presence of E. lata, which is found only in the trunk and the cordons, the VACs initiated a program of secretory activity that led to the enlargement of the transfer apparatus, which is formed by tightly associated fibrils. This secretory activity was followed by VAC death. Furthermore, the hypertrophy of the transfer apparatus spread according to an acropetal gradient in the canes. Treatment with eutypine also induced the development of the transfer apparatus in VACs of basal and apical parts of canes excised from healthy vines. However, this apparatus was formed by loosely packed fibrils in VACs that were not completely damaged. Therefore, metabolites other than eutypine are expected to be involved in the VAC degeneration observed in infected vines.