scholarly journals Role of two metacaspases in development and pathogenicity of the Rice Blast fungus, Magnaporthe oryzae

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessie Fernandez ◽  
Victor Lopez ◽  
Lisa Kinch ◽  
Mariel A. Pfeifer ◽  
Hillery Gray ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Death ◽  
Food Security ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Magnaporthe Oryzae ◽  
Rice Blast ◽  
Rice Blast Disease ◽  
Blast Disease ◽  
Complex Life Cycle ◽  
Insight Into

ABSTRACTRice blast disease caused by Magnaporthe oryzae is a devastating disease of cultivated rice worldwide. Infections by this fungus lead to a significant reduction in rice yields and threats to food security. To gain better insight into growth and cell death in M. oryzae during infection, we characterized two predicted M. oryzae metacaspase proteins, MoMca1 and MoMca2. These proteins appear to be functionally redundant and are able to complement the yeast Yca1 homologue. Biochemical analysis revealed that M. oryzae metacaspases exhibited Ca2+ dependent caspase activity in vitro. Deletion of both MoMca1 and MoMca2 in M. oryzae resulted in reduced sporulation, delay in conidial germination and attenuation of disease severity. In addition, the double ΔMomca1mca2 mutant strain showed increased radial growth in the presence of oxidative stress. Interestingly, the ΔMomca1mca2 strain showed an increase accumulation of insoluble aggregates compared to the wild-type strain during vegetative growth. Our findings suggest that MoMca1 and MoMca2 promote the clearance of insoluble aggregates in M. oryzae, demonstrating the important role these metacaspases have in fungal protein homeostasis. Furthermore, these metacaspase proteins may play additional roles, like in regulating stress responses, that would help maintain the fitness of fungal cells required for host infection.IMPORTANCEMagnaporthe oryzae causes rice blast disease that threatens global food security by resulting in the severe loss of rice production every year. A tightly regulated life cycle allows M. oryzae to disarm the host plant immune system during its biotrophic stage before triggering plant cell death in its necrotrophic stage. The ways M. oryzae navigates its complex life cycle remains unclear. This work characterizes two metacaspase proteins with peptidase activity in M. oryzae that are shown to be involved in the regulation of fungal growth and development prior to infection by potentially helping maintain fungal fitness. This study provides new insight into the role of metacaspase proteins in filamentous fungi by illustrating the delays in M. oryzae morphogenesis in the absence of these proteins. Understanding the mechanisms by which M. oryzae morphology and development promote its devastating pathogenicity may lead to the emergence of proper methods for disease control.

scholarly journals Role of Two Metacaspases in Development and Pathogenicity of the Rice Blast Fungus Magnaporthe oryzae

mBio ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessie Fernandez ◽  
Victor Lopez ◽  
Lisa Kinch ◽  
Mariel A. Pfeifer ◽  
Hillery Gray ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Death ◽  
Food Security ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Magnaporthe Oryzae ◽  
Rice Blast ◽  
Rice Blast Disease ◽  
Blast Disease ◽  
Complex Life Cycle ◽  
Content Type

ABSTRACT Rice blast disease caused by Magnaporthe oryzae is a devastating disease of cultivated rice worldwide. Infections by this fungus lead to a significant reduction in rice yields and threats to food security. To gain better insight into growth and cell death in M. oryzae during infection, we characterized two predicted M. oryzae metacaspase proteins, MoMca1 and MoMca2. These proteins appear to be functionally redundant and can complement the yeast Yca1 homologue. Biochemical analysis revealed that M. oryzae metacaspases exhibited Ca2+-dependent caspase activity in vitro. Deletion of both MoMca1 and MoMca2 in M. oryzae resulted in reduced sporulation, delay in conidial germination, and attenuation of disease severity. In addition, the double ΔMomca1mca2 mutant strain showed increased radial growth in the presence of oxidative stress. Interestingly, the ΔMomca1mca2 strain showed an increased accumulation of insoluble aggregates compared to the wild-type strain during vegetative growth. Our findings suggest that MoMca1 and MoMca2 promote the clearance of insoluble aggregates in M. oryzae, demonstrating the important role these metacaspases have in fungal protein homeostasis. Furthermore, these metacaspase proteins may play additional roles, like in regulating stress responses, that would help maintain the fitness of fungal cells required for host infection. IMPORTANCE Magnaporthe oryzae causes rice blast disease that threatens global food security by resulting in the severe loss of rice production every year. A tightly regulated life cycle allows M. oryzae to disarm the host plant immune system during its biotrophic stage before triggering plant cell death in its necrotrophic stage. The ways M. oryzae navigates its complex life cycle remain unclear. This work characterizes two metacaspase proteins with peptidase activity in M. oryzae that are shown to be involved in the regulation of fungal growth and development prior to infection by potentially helping maintain fungal fitness. This study provides new insights into the role of metacaspase proteins in filamentous fungi by illustrating the delays in M. oryzae morphogenesis in the absence of these proteins. Understanding the mechanisms by which M. oryzae morphology and development promote its devastating pathogenicity may lead to the emergence of proper methods for disease control.

scholarly journals Rice Blast Disease (Magnaporthe oryzae): A Menace to Rice Production and Humanity

2020 ◽  
pp. 32-39
Author(s):  
G. O. Agbowuro ◽  
M. S. Afolabi ◽  
E. F. Olamiriki ◽  
S. O. Awoyemi
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
Magnaporthe Oryzae ◽  
Rice Blast ◽  
Disease Incidence ◽  
Rice Production ◽  
Rice Blast Disease ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Blast Disease ◽  
Economic Losses ◽  
Rice Grain

Rice blast disease is one of the major constraints to rice production, threatening food security globally. Rice grain production losses due to the disease leads economic losses to the farmers, and to an increase in global rice price as a result of the supply that is far below the consumer demand. The losses from the disease annually was estimated to feed over 60 million individual. The disease has been studied comprehensively by researchers due to the importance attached to rice and its vast spread and destructiveness across the globe. A good understanding of the pathogen causing the disease, its life cycle and development, epidemiology, symptoms, management strategy will offer a good insight into the disease incidence and give an appropriate and effective decision-making in its management. Different control measures have been adopted managing the disease, including the use of resistant varieties. Integrated disease management strategies coupled with good agronomy practices are required for successful control of rice blast for food security. This review, therefore, examined the fundamentals of rice blast disease (Magnaporthe oryzae) and offered strategies to minimize the disease activities to ensure proper production and increase the supply of rice grains.

scholarly journals Disruption of the Interfacial Membrane Leads to Magnaporthe oryzae Effector Re-location and Lifestyle Switch During Rice Blast Disease

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kiersun Jones ◽  
Jie Zhu ◽  
Cory B. Jenkinson ◽  
Dong Won Kim ◽  
Mariel A. Pfeifer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Death ◽  
Host Cell ◽  
Magnaporthe Oryzae ◽  
Rice Blast ◽  
Rice Blast Disease ◽  
Host Susceptibility ◽  
Blast Disease ◽  
Host Cytoplasm ◽  
Host Cell Death ◽  
Interfacial Membrane

To cause the devastating rice blast disease, the hemibiotrophic fungus Magnaporthe oryzae produces invasive hyphae (IH) that are enclosed in a plant-derived interfacial membrane, known as the extra-invasive hyphal membrane (EIHM), in living rice cells. Little is known about when the EIHM is disrupted and how the disruption contributes to blast disease. Here we show that the disruption of the EIHM correlates with the hyphal growth stage in first-invaded susceptible rice cells. Our approach utilized GFP that was secreted from IH as an EIHM integrity reporter. Secreted GFP (sec-GFP) accumulated in the EIHM compartment but appeared in the host cytoplasm when the integrity of the EIHM was compromised. Live-cell imaging coupled with sec-GFP and various fluorescent reporters revealed that the loss of EIHM integrity preceded shrinkage and eventual rupture of the rice vacuole. The vacuole rupture coincided with host cell death, which was limited to the invaded cell with presumed closure of plasmodesmata. We report that EIHM disruption and host cell death are landmarks that delineate three distinct infection phases (early biotrophic, late biotrophic, and transient necrotrophic phases) within the first-invaded cell before reestablishment of biotrophy in second-invaded cells. M. oryzae effectors exhibited infection phase-specific localizations, including entry of the apoplastic effector Bas4 into the host cytoplasm through the disrupted EIHM during the late biotrophic phase. Understanding how infection phase-specific cellular dynamics are regulated and linked to host susceptibility will offer potential targets that can be exploited to control blast disease.

Microconidia: Understanding Its Role in the Fungus Magnaporthe oryzae Inciting Rice Blast Disease

2021 ◽  
pp. 143-150
Author(s):  
Ganesan Prakash ◽  
Asharani Patel ◽  
Ish Prakash ◽  
Kuleshwar Prasad Sahu ◽  
Rajashekara Hosahatti ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Magnaporthe Oryzae ◽  
Rice Blast ◽  
Rice Blast Disease ◽  
Blast Disease

Morphological and molecular characterization of Magnaporthe oryzae causing rice blast disease in Odisha

2018 ◽  
Vol 55 (3) ◽  
pp. 467 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chinmayee Sahu ◽  
Manoj Kumar Yadav ◽  
Gayatree Panda ◽  
S Aravindan ◽  
Ngangkham Umakanta ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Characterization ◽  
Magnaporthe Oryzae ◽  
Rice Blast ◽  
Rice Blast Disease ◽  
Blast Disease ◽  
Morphological And Molecular Characterization

scholarly journals Effector-Mediated Suppression of Chitin-Triggered Immunity by Magnaporthe oryzae Is Necessary for Rice Blast Disease

2012 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 322-335 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas A. Mentlak ◽  
Anja Kombrink ◽  
Tomonori Shinya ◽  
Lauren S. Ryder ◽  
Ippei Otomo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Magnaporthe Oryzae ◽  
Rice Blast ◽  
Rice Blast Disease ◽  
Blast Disease

scholarly journals Equol, a Clinically Important Metabolite, Inhibits the Development and Pathogenicity of Magnaporthe oryzae, the Causal Agent of Rice Blast Disease

Molecules ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 22 (10) ◽  
pp. 1799 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiaoyu Wang ◽  
Ling Li ◽  
Yeshi Yin ◽  
Zhuokan Gu ◽  
Rongyao Chai ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Magnaporthe Oryzae ◽  
Rice Blast ◽  
Causal Agent ◽  
Rice Blast Disease ◽  
Blast Disease

scholarly journals Transcriptomic and Ultrastructural Analyses of Pyricularia Oryzae Treated With Fungicidal Peptaibol Analogs of Trichoderma Trichogin

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luca Sella ◽  
Rakshita Govind ◽  
Rocco Caracciolo ◽  
Alessandra Quarantin ◽  
Van V. Vu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Death ◽  
Cell Wall ◽  
Rice Blast ◽  
Fungal Spores ◽  
Molecular Data ◽  
Pyricularia Oryzae ◽  
Rice Blast Disease ◽  
Autophagic Cell Death ◽  
Blast Disease ◽  
Promising Alternative

Eco-friendly analogs of Trichogin GA IV, a short peptaibol produced by Trichoderma longibrachiatum, were assayed against Pyricularia oryzae, the causal agent of rice blast disease. In vitro and in vivo screenings allowed us to identify six peptides able to reduce by about 70% rice blast symptoms. One of the most active peptides was selected for further studies. Microscopy analyses highlighted that the treated fungal spores could not germinate and the fluorescein-labeled peptide localized on the spore cell wall and in the agglutinated cytoplasm. Transcriptomic analysis was carried out on P. oryzae mycelium 3 h after the peptide treatment. We identified 1,410 differentially expressed genes, two-thirds of which upregulated. Among these, we found genes involved in oxidative stress response, detoxification, autophagic cell death, cell wall biogenesis, degradation and remodeling, melanin and fatty acid biosynthesis, and ion efflux transporters. Molecular data suggest that the trichogin analogs cause cell wall and membrane damages and induce autophagic cell death. Ultrastructure observations on treated conidia and hyphae confirmed the molecular data. In conclusion, these selected peptides seem to be promising alternative molecules for developing effective bio-pesticides able to control rice blast disease.

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