Effect of Osmotic Stress on the Growth, Development and Pathogenicity of Setosphaeria turcica

Osmotic stress is a severe condition frequently encountered by microorganisms; however, there is limited knowledge on the influence of hyperosmotic stress on the growth, development and pathogenicity of phytopathogenic fungi. Here, three osmotic conditions (0.4 M NaCl, 0.4 M KCl, and 0.6 M sorbitol supplemented in potato dextrose agar medium) were used to identify the effect of osmotic stress on the growth, development and pathogenicity of Setosphaeria turcica which is a plant pathogenic fungus and causes northern corn leaf blight disease in maize, sorghum, and related grasses. In osmotic stress, the growth rate of mycelium was decreased, and the number of vesicular structures and flocculent secretion outside the hypha cell wall were significantly increased. The qRT-PCR results showed that the osmotic stress quickly activated the HOG-MAPK pathway, up-regulated the expression of the downstream genes, and these genes were most highly expressed within 30 min of exposure to osmotic stress. Furthermore, the germination rate and the yield of conidia were significantly higher under osmotic stress than in the control. A pathogenicity analysis confirmed that pathogenicity of the conidia which were cultured under osmotic stress was significantly enhanced. By analyzing the knock-out mutants of an osmotic stress responsed gene StFPS1, an aquaglyceroporin downstream of the HOG-MAPK pathway, we found that StFPS1 was involved in the formation of appressorium and penetration peg, which affected the penetration ability of S. turcica. In summary, our work explained the correlation between osmotic stress and growth, development, and pathogenicity in S. turcica.

Physiological races and virulence dynamics of Setosphaeria turcica in Northeast China

Northern corn leaf blight (NCLB), caused by Setosphaeria turcica, is an important foliar disease in corn. Since 2005, the damage from NCLB has increased in Northeast China, probably due to the emergence of new physiological races. In this study, 883 single conidial isolates of S. turcica were obtained from 12 sites across three provinces of Northeast China between 2007 and 2017. The virulence of the isolates was evaluated in five corn lines (B37, B37Ht1, B37Ht2, B37Ht3, B37HtN). Sixteen physiological races (0, 1, 2, 3, N, 12, 13, 1N, 23, 2N, 3N, 123, 12N, 13N, 23N, and 123N) were obtained, depending on their resistance or susceptibility. Three races (0, 1, and 2) were most prevalent, with frequencies of 40.5%, 19.6%, and 11.3% in all isolates, respectively. Races varied across provinces and years. Virulence to more than one Ht resistance genes occurred in 21.5% of isolates, with 8.5% virulent to three or more genes. Overall, 41% of isolates were avirulent to all Ht genes, 36% were virulent to Ht1, 28% to Ht2, 11% to Ht3, and 16% to HtN. Isolates from Heilongjiang had a greater frequency of virulence to Ht2 and Ht3, whereas isolates from Jilin and Liaoning were more frequently virulent to Ht1 and HtN, respectively. The frequency of isolate virulence to Ht2 ranged from 8% in 2009 to a maximum of 29% in 2015, and in 2015, isolates were more virulent to Ht2 than Ht1. This study will help growers to purposefully select commercial hybrids with multiple effective Ht resistance genes, and reduce the utilization of Ht1 and Ht2 genes in the process of corn production to strengthen NCLB control.

Molecular characterization of a novel polymycovirus from the phytopathogenic fungus Setosphaeria turcica

A putative polymycovirus tentatively named Setosphaeria turcica polymycovirus 1 (StPmV1) was discovered from the phytopathogenic fungus Setosphaeria turcica. StPmV1 has a genome comprising 5 double stranded RNAs (dsRNAs). DsRNA1-3 each encodes a protein sharing significant but lower than 64% sequence identity with corresponding proteins from other polymycoviruses. DsRNA4-5 each encodes a protein with a sequence not conserved among polymycoviral proteins. However, the protein encoded by dsRNA4 is rich in proline (P), alanine (A), and serine (S) residues, which is a feature shared by the so-called PAS-rich proteins encoded by all polymycoviruses. Phylogeny reconstruction using the RNA-dependent RNA polymerases (RdRp) of accepted or putative polymycoviruses revealed that StPmV1 is most closely related to Plasmopara viticola lesion associated Polymycovirusmyco 1 (PvaPolymyco1), a putative polymycovirus recovered from the phytopathogenic oomycetes Plasmopara viticola. These data suggest that StPmV1 may represent a novel species of the genus Polymycovirus under the family Polymycoviridae. To our knowledge, this is the first polymycovirus reported from S. turcica.