scholarly journals Comparative genome analysis of plant ascomycete fungal pathogens with different lifestyles reveals distinctive virulence strategies

BMC Genomics ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yansu Wang ◽  
Jie Wu ◽  
Jiacheng Yan ◽  
Ming Guo ◽  
Lei Xu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fungal Pathogens ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Plant Cell Wall ◽  
Gene Clusters ◽  
Genome Comparison ◽  
Gene Gain ◽  
Natural Ecosystems ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Biotrophic Pathogens ◽  
Plant Cell Wall Degradation

Abstract Background Pathogens have evolved diverse lifestyles and adopted pivotal new roles in both natural ecosystems and human environments. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying their adaptation to new lifestyles are obscure. Comparative genomics was adopted to determine distinct strategies of plant ascomycete fungal pathogens with different lifestyles and to elucidate their distinctive virulence strategies. Results We found that plant ascomycete biotrophs exhibited lower gene gain and loss events and loss of CAZyme-encoding genes involved in plant cell wall degradation and biosynthesis gene clusters for the production of secondary metabolites in the genome. Comparison with the candidate effectome detected distinctive variations between plant biotrophic pathogens and other groups (including human, necrotrophic and hemibiotrophic pathogens). The results revealed the biotroph-specific and lifestyle-conserved candidate effector families. These data have been configured in web-based genome browser applications for public display (http://lab.malab.cn/soft/PFPG). This resource allows researchers to profile the genome, proteome, secretome and effectome of plant fungal pathogens. Conclusions Our findings demonstrated different genome evolution strategies of plant fungal pathogens with different lifestyles and explored their lifestyle-conserved and specific candidate effectors. It will provide a new basis for discovering the novel effectors and their pathogenic mechanisms.

scholarly journals Deacetylation of Fungal Exopolysaccharide Mediates Adhesion and Biofilm Formation

mBio ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark J. Lee ◽  
Alexander M. Geller ◽  
Natalie C. Bamford ◽  
Hong Liu ◽  
Fabrice N. Gravelat ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Biofilm Formation ◽  
Fungal Pathogens ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Pathogenic Fungi ◽  
Gene Clusters ◽  
Biosynthetic Gene Cluster ◽  
Bacterial Biofilm ◽  
Invasive Infection ◽  
Biosynthetic Gene ◽  
Adhesive Properties

ABSTRACTThe moldAspergillus fumigatuscauses invasive infection in immunocompromised patients. Recently, galactosaminogalactan (GAG), an exopolysaccharide composed of galactose andN-acetylgalactosamine (GalNAc), was identified as a virulence factor required for biofilm formation. The molecular mechanisms underlying GAG biosynthesis and GAG-mediated biofilm formation were unknown. We identified a cluster of five coregulated genes that were dysregulated in GAG-deficient mutants and whose gene products share functional similarity with proteins that mediate the synthesis of the bacterial biofilm exopolysaccharide poly-(β1-6)-N-acetyl-d-glucosamine (PNAG). Bioinformatic analyses suggested that the GAG cluster geneagd3encodes a protein containing a deacetylase domain. Because deacetylation ofN-acetylglucosamine residues is critical for the function of PNAG, we investigated the role of GAG deacetylation in fungal biofilm formation. Agd3 was found to mediate deacetylation of GalNAc residues within GAG and render the polysaccharide polycationic. As with PNAG, deacetylation is required for the adherence of GAG to hyphae and for biofilm formation. Growth of the Δagd3mutant in the presence of culture supernatants of the GAG-deficient Δuge3mutant rescued the biofilm defect of the Δagd3mutant and restored the adhesive properties of GAG, suggesting that deacetylation is an extracellular process. The GAG biosynthetic gene cluster is present in the genomes of members of thePezizomycotinasubphylum of theAscomycotaincluding a number of plant-pathogenic fungi and a single basidiomycete species,Trichosporon asahii, likely a result of recent horizontal gene transfer. The current study demonstrates that the production of cationic, deacetylated exopolysaccharides is a strategy used by both fungi and bacteria for biofilm formation.IMPORTANCEThis study sheds light on the biosynthetic pathways governing the synthesis of galactosaminogalactan (GAG), which plays a key role inA. fumigatusvirulence and biofilm formation. We find that bacteria and fungi use similar strategies to synthesize adhesive biofilm exopolysaccharides. The presence of orthologs of the GAG biosynthetic gene clusters in multiple fungi suggests that this exopolysaccharide may also be important in the virulence of other fungal pathogens. Further, these studies establish a molecular mechanism of adhesion in which GAG interacts via charge-charge interactions to bind to both fungal hyphae and other substrates. Finally, the importance of deacetylation in the synthesis of functional GAG and the extracellular localization of this process suggest that inhibition of deacetylation may be an attractive target for the development of novel antifungal therapies.

scholarly journals Mechanisms Underlying the Rhizosphere-To-Rhizoplane Enrichment of Cellvibrio Unveiled by Genome-Centric Metagenomics and Metatranscriptomics

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 583
Author(s):  
Yunzeng Zhang ◽  
Jin Xu ◽  
Entao Wang ◽  
Nian Wang
Keyword(s):  
Plant Cell ◽  
Cell Walls ◽  
Plant Cell Wall ◽  
Iron Acquisition ◽  
Root Surface ◽  
Gene Gain ◽  
Plant Cell Walls ◽  
Genes Encoding ◽  
Enhanced Expression ◽  
Plant Cell Wall Degradation

Maintaining integrity of the plant cell walls is critical for plant health, however, our previous study showed that Cellvibrio, which is recognized by its robust ability to degrade plant cell walls, was enriched from the citrus rhizosphere to the rhizoplane (i.e., the root surface). Here we investigated the mechanisms underlying the rhizosphere-to-rhizoplane enrichment of Cellvibrio through genome-centric metagenomics and metatranscriptomics analyses. We recovered a near-complete metagenome-assembled genome representing a potentially novel species of Cellvibrio, herein designated Bin79, with genome size of 5.71 Mb across 11 scaffolds. Differential gene expression analysis demonstrated that plant cell wall degradation genes were repressed, whereas genes encoding chitin-degrading enzymes were induced in the rhizoplane compared with the rhizosphere. Enhanced expression of multi-drug efflux genes and iron acquisition- and storage-associated genes in the rhizoplane indicated mechanisms by which Bin79 competes with other microbes. In addition, genes involved in repelling plant immune responses were significantly activated in the rhizoplane. Comparative genomics analyses with five related Cellvibrio strains showed the importance of gene gain events for the rhizoplane adaptation of Bin79. Overall, this study characterizes a novel Cellvibrio strain and indicates the mechanisms involved in its adaptation to the rhizoplane from meta-omics data without cultivation.

scholarly journals A multi-omics analysis of the grapevine pathogen Lasiodiplodia theobromae reveals that temperature affects the expression of virulence- and pathogenicity-related genes

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Carina Félix ◽  
Rodrigo Meneses ◽  
Micael F. M. Gonçalves ◽  
Laurentijn Tilleman ◽  
Ana S. Duarte ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Wall ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Plant Cell Wall ◽  
Illumina Miseq ◽  
Molecular Profile ◽  
Lasiodiplodia Theobromae ◽  
Virulence Protein ◽  
Plant Cell Wall Degradation ◽  
Effects Of Temperature ◽  
Velvet Complex

Abstract Lasiodiplodia theobromae (Botryosphaeriaceae, Ascomycota) is a plant pathogen and human opportunist whose pathogenicity is modulated by temperature. The molecular effects of temperature on L. theobromae are mostly unknown, so we used a multi-omics approach to understand how temperature affects the molecular mechanisms of pathogenicity. The genome of L. theobromae LA-SOL3 was sequenced (Illumina MiSeq) and annotated. Furthermore, the transcriptome (Illumina TruSeq) and proteome (Orbitrap LC-MS/MS) of LA-SOL3 grown at 25 °C and 37 °C were analysed. Proteins related to pathogenicity (plant cell wall degradation, toxin synthesis, mitogen-activated kinases pathway and proteins involved in the velvet complex) were more abundant when the fungus grew at 25 °C. At 37 °C, proteins related to pathogenicity were less abundant than at 25 °C, while proteins related to cell wall organisation were more abundant. On the other hand, virulence factors involved in human pathogenesis, such as the SSD1 virulence protein, were expressed only at 37 °C. Taken together, our results showed that this species presents a typical phytopathogenic molecular profile that is compatible with a hemibiotrophic lifestyle. We showed that L. theobromae is equipped with the pathogenesis toolbox that enables it to infect not only plants but also animals.

scholarly journals Broad substrate-specific phosphorylation events are associated with the initial stage of plant cell wall recognition in Neurospora crassa

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Augusta Crivelente Horta ◽  
Nils Thieme ◽  
Yuqian Gao ◽  
Kristin E. Burnum-Johnson ◽  
Carrie D. Nicora ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Wall ◽  
Neurospora Crassa ◽  
Plant Cell ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Map Kinases ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Plant Cell Wall ◽  
High Specificity ◽  
Cell Wall Degradation ◽  
Plant Cell Wall Degradation

AbstractFungal plant cell wall degradation processes are governed by complex regulatory mechanisms, allowing the organisms to adapt their metabolic program with high specificity to the available substrates. While the uptake of representative plant cell wall mono- and disaccharides is known to induce specific transcriptional and translational responses, the processes related to early signal reception and transduction remain largely unkown. A fast and reversible way of signal transmission are post-translational protein modifications, such as phosphorylations, which could initiate rapid adaptations of the fungal metabolism to a new condition. To elucidate how changes in the initial substrate recognition phase of Neurospora crassa affect the global phosphorylation pattern, phospho-proteomics was performed after a short (2 minutes) induction period with several plant cell wall-related mono- and disaccharides. The MS/MS-based peptide analysis revealed large-scale substrate-specific protein phosphorylation and de-phosphorylations. Using the proteins identified by MS/MS, a protein-protein-interaction (PPI) network was constructed. The variance in phosphorylation of a large number of kinases, phosphatases and transcription factors indicate the participation of many known signaling pathways, including circadian responses, two-component regulatory systems, MAP kinases as well as the cAMP-dependent and heterotrimeric G-protein pathways. Adenylate cyclase, a key component of the cAMP pathway, was identified as a potential hub for carbon source-specific differential protein interactions. In addition, four phosphorylated F-Box proteins were identified, two of which, Fbx-19 and Fbx-22, were found to be involved in carbon catabolite repression responses. Overall, these results provide unprecedented and detailed insights into a so far less well known stage of the fungal response to environmental cues and allow to better elucidate the molecular mechanisms of sensory perception and signal transduction during plant cell wall degradation.

scholarly journals Plant Cell Wall Degradation by Saprophytic Bacillus subtilis Strains: Gene Clusters Responsible for Rhamnogalacturonan Depolymerization

2007 ◽  
Vol 73 (12) ◽  
pp. 3803-3813 ◽  
Author(s):  
Akihito Ochiai ◽  
Takafumi Itoh ◽  
Akiko Kawamata ◽  
Wataru Hashimoto ◽  
Kousaku Murata
Keyword(s):  
Cell Wall ◽  
Bacillus Subtilis ◽  
Carbon Source ◽  
Plant Cell ◽  
Plant Cell Wall ◽  
Main Chain ◽  
Gene Clusters ◽  
Type I ◽  
Cell Wall Degradation ◽  
Plant Cell Wall Degradation

ABSTRACT Plant cell wall degradation is a premier event when Bacillus subtilis, a typical saprophytic bacterium, invades plants. Here we show the degradation system of rhamnogalacturonan type I (RG-I), a component of pectin from the plant cell wall, in B. subtilis strain 168. Strain 168 cells showed a significant growth on plant cell wall polysaccharides such as pectin, polygalacturonan, and RG-I as a carbon source. DNA microarray analysis indicated that three gene clusters (yesOPQRSTUVWXYZ, ytePQRST, and ybcMOPST-ybdABDE) are inducibly expressed in strain 168 cells grown on RG-I. Cells of an industrially important bacterium, B. subtilis strain natto, fermenting soybeans also express the gene cluster including the yes series during the assimilation of soybean used as a carbon source. Among proteins encoded in the yes cluster, YesW and YesX were found to be novel types of RG lyases releasing disaccharide from RG-I. Genetic and enzymatic properties of YesW and YesX suggest that strain 168 cells secrete YesW, which catalyzes the initial cleavage of the RG-I main chain, and the resultant oligosaccharides are converted to disaccharides through the extracellular exotype YesX reaction. The disaccharide is finally degraded into its constituent monosaccharides through the reaction of intracellular unsaturated galacturonyl hydrolases YesR and YteR. This enzymatic route for RG-I degradation in strain 168 differs significantly from that in plant-pathogenic fungus Aspergillus aculeatus. This is, to our knowledge, the first report on the bacterial system for complete RG-I main chain degradation.

scholarly journals Abundant secreted hydrolytic enzymes and secondary metabolite gene clusters in genomes of the Botryosphaeriaceae reflect their role as important plant pathogens

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
JH Nagel ◽  
MJ Wingfield ◽  
B Slippers
Keyword(s):  
Secondary Metabolite ◽  
Plant Pathogens ◽  
Plant Cell Wall ◽  
Hydrolytic Enzymes ◽  
Gene Clusters ◽  
Comparative Genomic ◽  
Biosynthetic Gene ◽  
Plant Interactions ◽  
Biosynthetic Gene Clusters ◽  
Plant Cell Wall Degradation

AbstractThe Botryosphaeriaceae are important plant pathogens, but unique in their ability to establish asymptomatic infections that persist for extended periods in a latent state. In this study, we used comparative analyses to consider elements that might shed light on the genetic basis of the interactions of these fungi with their plant hosts. For this purpose, we characterised secreted hydrolytic enzymes, secondary metabolite biosynthetic gene clusters and considered general trends in genomic architecture using all available Botryosphaeriaceae genomes, and selected Dothideomycetes genomes. The Botryosphaeriaceae genomes were rich in carbohydrate-active enzymes (CAZymes), proteases, lipases and secondary metabolic biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) compared to other Dothideomycete genomes. The genomes of Botryosphaeria, Macrophomina, Lasiodiplodia and Neofusicoccum, in particular, had gene expansions of the major constituents of the secretome, notably CAZymes involved in plant cell wall degradation. The Botryosphaeriaceae genomes were shown to have moderate to high GC contents and most had low levels of repetitive DNA. The genomes were not compartmentalized based on gene and repeat densities, but genes of secreted enzymes were slightly more abundant in gene-sparse regions. The abundance of secreted hydrolytic enzymes and secondary metabolite BGCs in the genomes of Botryosphaeria, Macrophomina, Lasiodiplodia, and Neofusicoccum were similar to those in necrotrophic plant pathogens, but also endophytes of woody plants. The results provide a foundation for future comparative genomic analyses and hypothesis to explore the mechanisms underlying Botryosphaeriaceae host-plant interactions.

scholarly journals A Metabolic Choreography of Maize Plants Treated with a Humic Substance-Based Biostimulant under Normal and Starved Conditions

Metabolites ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 403
Author(s):  
Kgalaletso Othibeng ◽  
Lerato Nephali ◽  
Anza-Tshilidzi Ramabulana ◽  
Paul Steenkamp ◽  
Daniel Petras ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Humic Substance ◽  
Metabolic Networks ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Plant Cell Wall ◽  
Growth Promotion ◽  
Redox Homeostasis ◽  
Metabolic Reprogramming ◽  
Sustainable Food ◽  
Crop Development ◽  
Maize Plants

Humic substance (HS)-based biostimulants show potentials as sustainable strategies for improved crop development and stress resilience. However, cellular and molecular mechanisms governing the agronomically observed effects of HS on plants remain enigmatic. Here, we report a global metabolic reprogramming of maize leaves induced by a humic biostimulant under normal and nutrient starvation conditions. This reconfiguration of the maize metabolism spanned chemical constellations, as revealed by molecular networking approaches. Plant growth and development under normal conditions were characterized by key differential metabolic changes such as increased levels of amino acids, oxylipins and the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) intermediate, isocitric acid. Furthermore, under starvation, the humic biostimulant significantly impacted pathways that are involved in stress-alleviating mechanisms such as redox homeostasis, strengthening of the plant cell wall, osmoregulation, energy production and membrane remodelling. Thus, this study reveals that the humic biostimulant induces a remodelling of inter-compartmental metabolic networks in maize, subsequently readjusting the plant physiology towards growth promotion and stress alleviation. Such insights contribute to ongoing efforts in elucidating modes of action of biostimulants, generating fundamental scientific knowledge that is necessary for development of the biostimulant industry, for sustainable food security.

scholarly journals Discovery of LPMO activity on hemicelluloses shows the importance of oxidative processes in plant cell wall degradation

2014 ◽  
Vol 111 (17) ◽  
pp. 6287-6292 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. W. Agger ◽  
T. Isaksen ◽  
A. Varnai ◽  
S. Vidal-Melgosa ◽  
W. G. T. Willats ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Wall ◽  
Plant Cell ◽  
Plant Cell Wall ◽  
Cell Wall Degradation ◽  
Oxidative Processes ◽  
Plant Cell Wall Degradation

scholarly journals Random Mutagenesis of Clostridium cellulolyticum by Using a Tn1545 Derivative

2010 ◽  
Vol 76 (13) ◽  
pp. 4546-4549 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean-Charles Blouzard ◽  
Odile Valette ◽  
Chantal Tardif ◽  
Pascale de Philip
Keyword(s):  
Cell Wall ◽  
Metabolic Engineering ◽  
Plant Cell ◽  
Plant Cell Wall ◽  
Random Mutagenesis ◽  
Cell Wall Degradation ◽  
Clostridium Cellulolyticum ◽  
Plant Cell Wall Degradation ◽  
Random Insertion

ABSTRACT Further understanding of the plant cell wall degradation system of Clostridium cellulolyticum and the possibility of metabolic engineering in this species highlight the need for a means of random mutagenesis. Here, we report the construction of a Tn1545-derived delivery tool which allows monocopy random insertion within the genome.

scholarly journals Comparative Proteomics Reveals the Potential Targets of BcNoxR, a Putative Regulatory Subunit of NADPH Oxidase of Botrytis cinerea

2016 ◽  
Vol 29 (12) ◽  
pp. 990-1003 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hua Li ◽  
Zhanquan Zhang ◽  
Chang He ◽  
Guozheng Qin ◽  
Shiping Tian
Keyword(s):  
Nadph Oxidase ◽  
Botrytis Cinerea ◽  
Proteomic Analysis ◽  
Fungal Pathogens ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction ◽  
Tomato Fruit ◽  
Polymerase Chain Reaction Analysis ◽  
Regulatory Subunit ◽  
Wild Type

The NADPH oxidase (NOX) complex has been shown to play a crucial role in stress response and in the virulence of various fungal pathogens. The underlying molecular mechanisms of NOX, however, remain largely unknown. In the present study, a comparative proteomic analysis compared changes in protein abundance in wild-type Botrytis cinerea and ΔbcnoxR mutants in which the regulatory subunit of NOX was deleted. The ΔbcnoxR mutants exhibited reduced growth, sporulation, and impaired virulence. A total of 60 proteins, representing 49 individual genes, were identified in ΔbcnoxR mutants that exhibited significant differences in abundance relative to wild-type. Reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis demonstrated that the differences in transcript levels for 36 of the genes encoding the identified proteins were in agreement with the proteomic analysis, while the remainder exhibited reverse levels. Functional analysis of four proteins that decreased abundance in the ΔbcnoxR mutants indicated that 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase (BcPGD) played a role in the growth and sporulation of B. cinerea. The Δbcpgd mutants also displayed impaired virulence on various hosts, such as apple, strawberry, and tomato fruit. These results suggest that NOX can influence the expression of BcPGD, which has an impact on growth, sporulation, and virulence of B. cinerea.

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