The Use of Arabidopsis to Study Interactions between Parasitic Angiosperms and Their Plant Hosts

Ditylenchus dipsaci, the stem nematode, is a migratory endoparasite of over 500 species of angiosperms. The main method of D. dipsaci control is crop rotation, but the presence of morphologically indistinguishable host races with different host preferences makes rotation generally ineffective. Therefore, a sensitive, rapid, reliable, as well as cost effective technique is needed for identification of D. dipsaci in biological samples. This study describes the development of species-specific pairs of PCR oligonucleotides for detection and identification of the D. dipsaci stem nematode in various plant hosts. Designed DIT-2 primer pair specifically amplified a fragment of 325 bp, while DIT-5 primer pair always produced a fragment of 245 bp in all D. dipsaci isolates. Two developed SCAR primer pairs were further tested using template DNA extracted from a collection of twelve healthy plant hosts; no amplification was however observed. The developed PCR protocol has proved to be quite sensitive and able to specifically detect D. dipsaci in artificially infested plant tissues.

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Interrogating Plant-Microbe Interactions with Chemical Tools: Click Chemistry Reagents for Metabolic Labeling and Activity-Based Probes

Molecules ◽

10.3390/molecules26010243 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 26 (1) ◽

pp. 243

Author(s):

Vivian S. Lin

Keyword(s):

Plant Growth ◽

Immune Responses ◽

Click Chemistry ◽

Chemical Biology ◽

Molecular Mechanisms ◽

Metabolic Labeling ◽

Beneficial Microbes ◽

Plant Hosts ◽

Microbe Interactions ◽

Growth Metabolism

Continued expansion of the chemical biology toolbox presents many new and diverse opportunities to interrogate the fundamental molecular mechanisms driving complex plant–microbe interactions. This review will examine metabolic labeling with click chemistry reagents and activity-based probes for investigating the impacts of plant-associated microbes on plant growth, metabolism, and immune responses. While the majority of the studies reviewed here used chemical biology approaches to examine the effects of pathogens on plants, chemical biology will also be invaluable in future efforts to investigate mutualistic associations between beneficial microbes and their plant hosts.

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Morphological and phylogenetic resolution of Arthrinium from medicinal plants in Yunnan, including A. cordylines and A. pseudomarii spp. nov.

Mycotaxon ◽

10.5248/136.183 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 136 (1) ◽

pp. 183-199

Author(s):

Tong-Zheng Chen ◽

Yan Zhang ◽

Xiao-Bing Ming ◽

Qian Zhang ◽

Hui Long ◽

...

Keyword(s):

New Species ◽

Medicinal Plants ◽

Medicinal Plant ◽

Yunnan Province ◽

Sequence Analyses ◽

Two New Species ◽

Plant Hosts ◽

Phylogenetic Resolution

Twenty-one strains of Arthrinium were cultured from leaf samples of ten medicinal plant hosts in Yunnan Province, China. Morphological and multi-locus ITS+TUB+TEF1 sequence analyses revealed that the strains represented two previously described species (A. paraphaeospermum and A. rasikravindrae) and two new species: Arthrinium cordylines, which produces subglobose conidia that are shorter and wider than A. aureum but larger than A. hydei, and Arthrinium pseudomarii, which produces subglobose to ellipsoid conidia narrower than A. hispanicum, A. marii, and A. mediterranei.

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Growth of the Mite Mononychellus tanajoa (Acari: Tetranychidae) on Alternative Plant Hosts in Northeastern Brazil

Florida Entomologist ◽

10.2307/3495907 ◽

1995 ◽

Vol 78 (2) ◽

pp. 350 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

G. J. De Moraes ◽

A. N. Moreira ◽

I. Delalibera

Keyword(s):

Mononychellus Tanajoa ◽

Northeastern Brazil ◽

Plant Hosts

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The Enhanced Expression of Cruzipain-Like Molecules in the Phytoflagellate Phytomonas serpens Recovered From the Invertebrate and Plant Hosts

Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology ◽

10.3389/fcimb.2021.819133 ◽

2022 ◽

Vol 11 ◽

Author(s):

Simone S. C. Oliveira ◽

Camila G. R. Elias ◽

Felipe A. Dias ◽

Angela H. Lopes ◽

Claudia M. d’Avila-Levy ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Life Cycle ◽

Tomato Fruit ◽

Protozoan Parasite ◽

Etiologic Agent ◽

Oncopeltus Fasciatus ◽

Tomato Extract ◽

Cysteine Peptidases ◽

Plant Hosts ◽

Enhanced Expression ◽

Important Virulence Factor

Phytomonas serpens is a protozoan parasite that alternates its life cycle between two hosts: an invertebrate vector and the tomato fruit. This phytoflagellate is able to synthesize proteins displaying similarity to the cysteine peptidase named cruzipain, an important virulence factor from Trypanosoma cruzi, the etiologic agent of Chagas disease. Herein, the growth of P. serpens in complex medium (BHI) supplemented with natural tomato extract (NTE) resulted in the increased expression of cysteine peptidases, as verified by the hydrolysis of the fluorogenic substrate Z-Phe-Arg-AMC and by gelatin-SDS-PAGE. Phytoflagellates showed no changes in morphology, morphometry and viability, but the proliferation was slightly reduced when cultivated in the presence of NTE. The enhanced proteolytic activity was accompanied by a significant increase in the expression of cruzipain-like molecules, as verified by flow cytometry using anti-cruzipain antibodies. In parallel, parasites incubated under chemically defined conditions (PBS supplemented with glucose) and added of different concentration of NTE revealed an augmentation in the production of cruzipain-like molecules in a typically dose-dependent way. Similarly, P. serpens recovered from the infection of mature tomatoes showed an increase in the expression of molecules homologous to cruzipain; however, cells showed a smaller size compared to parasites grown in BHI medium. Furthermore, phytoflagellates incubated with dissected salivary glands from Oncopeltus fasciatus or recovered from the hemolymph of infected insects also showed a strong enhance in the expression of cruzipain-like molecules that is more relevant in the hemolymph. Collectively, our results showed that cysteine peptidases displaying similarities to cruzipain are more expressed during the life cycle of the phytoflagellate P. serpens both in the invertebrate and plant hosts.

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A mutualism without honeydew: what benefits forMelissotarsus emeryiants and armored scale insects (Diaspididae)?

PeerJ ◽

10.7717/peerj.3599 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 5 ◽

pp. e3599 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Christian Peeters ◽

Imre Foldi ◽

Danièle Matile-Ferrero ◽

Brian L. Fisher

Keyword(s):

Building Material ◽

Malpighian Tubules ◽

Host Tree ◽

Scale Insects ◽

Suitable Host ◽

Free Living ◽

Armored Scale ◽

Plant Hosts ◽

Armoured Scale Insects ◽

Harmful Effects

Mutualisms between ants and sap-sucking insects generally involve clear benefits for both partners: the ants provide protection in exchange for honeydew. However, a single ant genus associates with armoured scale insects (Diaspididae) that do not excrete honeydew. We studied three colonies ofMelissotarsus emeryiants from two localities in Mozambique. Vast numbers of the diaspididMorganella conspicuaoccupied galleries dug by the ants under the bark of living trees. Unlike free-livingM. conspicuaand other diaspidids,M. conspicualiving with ants are known to lack shields, likely because they gain protection against enemies and desiccation. Nevertheless, we documented the occurrence of rare individuals with shields inside ant galleries, indicating that their glands continue to secrete wax and proteins as building material. This is likely to constitute a significant portion of the ants’ diet, in addition to diaspidid exuviae and excretions from the Malpighian tubules. Indeed,Melissotarsusworkers cannot walk outside the galleries due to modified middle legs, forcing them to obtain all nourishment within the tree.Melissotarsusfounding queens, however, must locate a suitable host tree while flying, and acquire diaspidid crawlers. This mutualism involves ants that are highly specialised to chew through living wood, and diaspidids that can also live freely outside the bark. It is extremely widespread in Africa and Madagascar, recorded from 20 tree families, and harmful effects on plant hosts require rapid study.

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Ecology of endomycorrhizae of Trisetum flavescens (L.) P. Beauv. and Alopecurus platensis L., and the intensity of soil cultivation

Acta Mycologica ◽

10.5586/am.1977.015 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 13 (1) ◽

pp. 179-190 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

V. Mejstřik

Keyword(s):

Food Resources ◽

Soil Cultivation ◽

Plant Hosts ◽

Mycorrhizal Development ◽

Soil Influence

Our study on the dependence of the mode and degree of cultivation of the grassland on the rate of mycorrhizal development in the species Alopecurus pratensis and Trisetum flavescens suggests that the degree of cultivation, and mainly the amount of available food resources in the soil, influence the development of the endophyte in the roots of the plant hosts.

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