scholarly journals The Presence of the Hairy-Root-Disease-Inducing (Ri) Plasmid in Wheat Endophytic Rhizobia Explains a Pathogen Reservoir Function of Healthy Resistant Plants

2020 ◽  
Vol 86 (17) ◽  
Author(s):  
Byoungwoo Kang ◽  
Taichi Maeshige ◽  
Aya Okamoto ◽  
Yui Kataoka ◽  
Shinji Yamamoto ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT A large number of strains in the Rhizobium radiobacter species complex (biovar 1 Agrobacterium) have been known as causative pathogens for crown gall and hairy root diseases. Strains within this complex were also found as endophytes in many plant species with no symptoms. The aim of this study was to reveal the endophyte variation of this complex and how these endophytic strains differ from pathogenic strains. In this study, we devised a simple but effective screening method by exploiting the high resolution power of mass spectrometry. We screened endophyte isolates from young wheat and barley plants, which are resistant to the diseases, and identified seven isolates from wheat as members of the R. radiobacter species complex. Through further analyses, we assigned five strains to the genomovar (genomic group) G1 and two strains to G7 in R. radiobacter. Notably, these two genomovar groups harbor many known pathogenic strains. In fact, the two G7 endophyte strains showed pathogenicity on tobacco, as well as the virulence prerequisites, including a 200-kbp Ri plasmid. All five G1 strains possessed a 500-kbp plasmid, which is present in well-known crown gall pathogens. These data strongly suggest that healthy wheat plants are reservoirs for pathogenic strains of R. radiobacter. IMPORTANCE Crown gall and hairy root diseases exhibit very wide host-plant ranges that cover gymnosperm and dicot plants. The Rhizobium radiobacter species complex harbors causative agents of the two diseases. Recently, endophyte isolates from many plant species have been assigned to this species complex. We isolated seven endophyte strains belonging to the species complex from wheat plants and revealed their genomovar affiliations and plasmid profile. The significance of this study is the finding of the genomovar correlation between the endophytes and the known pathogens, the presence of a virulence ability in two of the seven endophyte strains, and the high ratio of the pathogenic strains in the endophyte strains. This study therefore provides convincing evidence that could unravel the mechanism that maintains pathogenic agents of this species and sporadically delivers them to susceptible plants.

EDIS ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kamil Duman ◽  
Susannah Da Silva ◽  
Fanny Iriarte ◽  
Barron Riddle ◽  
Gary Knox ◽  
...  

Rhizobium radiobacter (also known as Agrobacterium tumefaciens), has been reported to be found on more than 600 different plant species worldwide including many common vegetables, weeds, deciduous and evergreen trees and shrubs. This document discusses the biology, symptom expression, and management of this bacterium.


mSphere ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gregory A. DeIulio ◽  
Li Guo ◽  
Yong Zhang ◽  
Jonathan M. Goldberg ◽  
H. Corby Kistler ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTTheFusarium oxysporumspecies complex (FOSC) is a group of soilborne pathogens causing severe disease in more than 100 plant hosts, while individual strains exhibit strong host specificity. Both chromosome transfer and comparative genomics experiments have demonstrated that lineage-specific (LS) chromosomes contribute to the host-specific pathogenicity. However, little is known about the functional importance of genes encoded in these LS chromosomes. Focusing on signaling transduction, this study compared the kinomes of 12F. oxysporumisolates, including both plant and human pathogens and 1 nonpathogenic biocontrol strain, with 7 additional publicly available ascomycete genomes. Overall,F. oxysporumkinomes are the largest, facilitated in part by the acquisitions of the LS chromosomes. The comparative study identified 99 kinases that are present in almost all examined fungal genomes, forming the core signaling network of ascomycete fungi. Compared to the conserved ascomycete kinome, the expansion of theF. oxysporumkinome occurs in several kinase families such as histidine kinases that are involved in environmental signal sensing and target of rapamycin (TOR) kinase that mediates cellular responses. Comparative kinome analysis suggests a convergent evolution that shapes individualF. oxysporumisolates with an enhanced and unique capacity for environmental perception and associated downstream responses.IMPORTANCEIsolates ofFusarium oxysporumare adapted to survive a wide range of host and nonhost conditions. In addition,F. oxysporumwas recently recognized as the top emerging opportunistic fungal pathogen infecting immunocompromised humans. The sensory and response networks of these fungi undoubtedly play a fundamental role in establishing the adaptability of this group. We have examined the kinomes of 12F. oxysporumisolates and highlighted kinase families that distinguishF. oxysporumfrom other fungi, as well as different isolates from one another. The amplification of kinases involved in environmental signal relay and regulating downstream cellular responses clearly setsFusariumapart from otherAscomycetes. Although the functions of many of these kinases are still unclear, their specific proliferation highlights them as a result of the evolutionary forces that have shaped this species complex and clearly marks them as targets for exploitation in order to combat disease.


2017 ◽  
Vol 61 (12) ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Bernal-Martínez ◽  
H. Gil ◽  
O. Rivero-Menéndez ◽  
S. Gago ◽  
M. Cuenca-Estrella ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT The global emergence of azole-resistant Aspergillus fumigatus strains is a growing public health concern. Different patterns of azole resistance are linked to mutations in cyp51A. Therefore, accurate characterization of the mechanisms underlying azole resistance is critical to guide selection of the most appropriate antifungal agent for patients with aspergillosis. This study describes a new sequencing-free molecular screening tool for early detection of the most frequent mutations known to be associated with azole resistance in A. fumigatus. PCRs targeting cyp51A mutations at positions G54, Y121, G448, and M220 and targeting different tandem repeats (TRs) in the promoter region were designed. All PCRs were performed simultaneously, using the same cycling conditions. Amplicons were then distinguished using a high-resolution melting assay. For standardization, 30 well-characterized azole-resistant A. fumigatus strains were used, yielding melting curve clusters for different resistance mechanisms for each target and allowing detection of the most frequent azole resistance mutations, i.e., G54E, G54V, G54R, G54W, Y121F, M220V, M220I, M220T, M220K, and G448S, and the tandem repeats TR34, TR46, and TR53. Validation of the method was performed using a blind panel of 80 A. fumigatus azole-susceptible or azole-resistant strains. All strains included in the blind panel were properly classified as susceptible or resistant with the developed method. The implementation of this screening method can reduce the time needed for the detection of azole-resistant A. fumigatus isolates and therefore facilitate selection of the best antifungal therapy in patients with aspergillosis.


2018 ◽  
Vol 101 (2) ◽  
pp. 445-445 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rafaela C. F. Borges ◽  
Maurício Rossato ◽  
Greecy Mirian R. Albuquerque ◽  
Maria A. Ferreira ◽  
Ana C. M. Brasileiro ◽  
...  

2018 ◽  
Vol 63 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Espinel-Ingroff ◽  
J. Turnidge ◽  
A. Alastruey-Izquierdo ◽  
F. Botterel ◽  
E. Canton ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Although the Sensititre Yeast-One (SYO) and Etest methods are widely utilized, interpretive criteria are not available for triazole susceptibility testing of Candida or Aspergillus species. We collected fluconazole, itraconazole, posaconazole, and voriconazole SYO and Etest MICs from 39 laboratories representing all continents for (method/agent-dependent) 11,171 Candida albicans, 215 C. dubliniensis, 4,418 C. glabrata species complex, 157 C. guilliermondii (Meyerozyma guilliermondii), 676 C. krusei (Pichia kudriavzevii), 298 C. lusitaniae (Clavispora lusitaniae), 911 C. parapsilosis sensu stricto, 3,691 C. parapsilosis species complex, 36 C. metapsilosis, 110 C. orthopsilosis, 1,854 C. tropicalis, 244 Saccharomyces cerevisiae, 1,409 Aspergillus fumigatus, 389 A. flavus, 130 A. nidulans, 233 A. niger, and 302 A. terreus complex isolates. SYO/Etest MICs for 282 confirmed non-wild-type (non-WT) isolates were included: ERG11 (C. albicans), ERG11 and MRR1 (C. parapsilosis), cyp51A (A. fumigatus), and CDR2 and CDR1 overexpression (C. albicans and C. glabrata, respectively). Interlaboratory modal agreement was superior by SYO for yeast species and by the Etest for Aspergillus spp. Distributions fulfilling CLSI criteria for epidemiological cutoff value (ECV) definition were pooled, and we proposed SYO ECVs for S. cerevisiae and 9 yeast and 3 Aspergillus species and Etest ECVs for 5 yeast and 4 Aspergillus species. The posaconazole SYO ECV of 0.06 µg/ml for C. albicans and the Etest itraconazole ECV of 2 µg/ml for A. fumigatus were the best predictors of non-WT isolates. These findings support the need for method-dependent ECVs, as, overall, the SYO appears to perform better for susceptibility testing of yeast species and the Etest appears to perform better for susceptibility testing of Aspergillus spp. Further evaluations should be conducted with more Candida mutants.


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