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Rouleau N, Levin M. The Multiple Realizability of Sentience in Living Systems and Beyond. eNeuro 2023; 10:ENEURO.0375-23.2023. [PMID: 37963652 PMCID: PMC10646883 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0375-23.2023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2023] [Accepted: 10/23/2023] [Indexed: 11/16/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Nicolas Rouleau
- Department of Health Sciences, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3C5, Canada
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155
- Allen Discovery Center at, Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155
| | - Michael Levin
- Allen Discovery Center at, Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Boston, MA 02215
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2
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Yow AG, Zhang Y, Bansal K, Eacker SM, Sullivan S, Liachko I, Cubeta MA, Rollins JA, Ashrafi H. Genome sequence of Monilinia vaccinii-corymbosi sheds light on mummy berry disease infection of blueberry and mating type. G3-GENES GENOMES GENETICS 2021; 11:6062400. [PMID: 33598705 PMCID: PMC8022979 DOI: 10.1093/g3journal/jkaa052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2020] [Accepted: 10/29/2020] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Mummy berry disease, caused by the fungal pathogen Monilinia vaccinii-corymbosi (Mvc), is one of the most economically important diseases of blueberries in North America. Mvc is capable of inducing two separate blighting stages during its life cycle. Infected fruits are rendered mummified and unmarketable. Genomic data for this pathogen is lacking, but could be useful in understanding the reproductive biology of Mvc and the mechanisms it deploys to facilitate host infection. In this study, PacBio sequencing and Hi-C interaction data were utilized to create a chromosome-scale reference genome for Mvc. The genome comprises nine chromosomes with a total length of 30 Mb, an N50 length of 4.06 Mb, and an average 413X sequence coverage. A total of 9399 gene models were predicted and annotated, and BUSCO analysis revealed that 98% of 1,438 searched conserved eukaryotic genes were present in the predicted gene set. Potential effectors were identified, and the mating-type (MAT) locus was characterized. Biotrophic effectors allow the pathogen to avoid recognition by the host plant and evade or mitigate host defense responses during the early stages of fruit infection. Following locule colonization, necrotizing effectors promote the mummification of host tissues. Potential biotrophic effectors utilized by Mvc include chorismate mutase for reducing host salicylate and necrotrophic effectors include necrosis-inducing proteins and hydrolytic enzymes for macerating host tissue. The MAT locus sequences indicate the potential for homothallism in the reference genome, but a deletion allele of the MAT locus, characterized in a second isolate, indicates heterothallism. Further research is needed to verify the roles of individual effectors in virulence and to determine the role of the MAT locus in outcrossing and population genotypic diversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashley G Yow
- Department of Horticultural Science, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA
| | - Yucheng Zhang
- Department of Plant Pathology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
| | - Kamaldeep Bansal
- Department of Plant Pathology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
| | | | | | | | - Marc A Cubeta
- Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, Center for Integrated Fungal Research, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27606, USA
| | - Jeffrey A Rollins
- Department of Plant Pathology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
| | - Hamid Ashrafi
- Department of Horticultural Science, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA
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Armijos-Jaramillo V, Espinosa N, Vizcaíno K, Santander-Gordón D. A Novel In Silico Method for Molecular Mimicry Detection Finds a Formin with the Potential to Manipulate the Maize Cell Cytoskeleton. MOLECULAR PLANT-MICROBE INTERACTIONS : MPMI 2021; 34:815-825. [PMID: 33755496 DOI: 10.1094/mpmi-11-20-0332-r] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Molecular mimicry is one of the evolutionary strategies that parasites use to manipulate the host metabolism and perform an effective infection. This phenomenon has been observed in several animal and plant pathosystems. Despite the relevance of this mechanism in pathogenesis, little is known about it in fungus-plant interactions. For that reason, we performed an in silico method to select plausible mimicry candidates for the Ustilago maydis-maize interaction. Our methodology used a tripartite sequence comparison between the parasite, the host, and nonparasitic organisms' genomes. Furthermore, we used RNA sequencing information to identify gene coexpression, and we determined subcellular localization to detect potential cases of colocalization in the imitator-imitated pairs. With these approximations, we found a putative extracellular formin in U. maydis with the potential to rearrange the host cell cytoskeleton. In parallel, we detected at least two maize genes involved in the cytoskeleton rearrangement differentially expressed under U. maydis infection; thus, this find increases the expectation for the potential mimicry role of the fungal protein. The use of several sources of data led us to develop a strict and replicable in silico methodology to detect molecular mimicry in pathosystems with enough information available. Furthermore, this is the first time that a genomewide search has been performed to detect molecular mimicry in a U. maydis-maize system. Additionally, to allow the reproducibility of this experiment and the use of this pipeline, we created a Web server called Molecular Mimicry Finder.[Formula: see text] Copyright © 2021 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vinicio Armijos-Jaramillo
- Carrera de Ingeniería en Biotecnología, Facultad de Ingeniería y Ciencias Aplicadas, Universidad de Las Américas, Quito, Ecuador
- Grupo de Bio-Quimioinformática, Universidad de Las Américas, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Nicole Espinosa
- Carrera de Ingeniería en Biotecnología, Facultad de Ingeniería y Ciencias Aplicadas, Universidad de Las Américas, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Karla Vizcaíno
- Carrera de Ingeniería en Biotecnología, Facultad de Ingeniería y Ciencias Aplicadas, Universidad de Las Américas, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Daniela Santander-Gordón
- Carrera de Ingeniería en Biotecnología, Facultad de Ingeniería y Ciencias Aplicadas, Universidad de Las Américas, Quito, Ecuador
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Laraba I, McCormick SP, Vaughan MM, Proctor RH, Busman M, Appell M, O'Donnell K, Felker FC, Catherine Aime M, Wurdack KJ. Pseudoflowers produced by Fusarium xyrophilum on yellow-eyed grass (Xyris spp.) in Guyana: A novel floral mimicry system? Fungal Genet Biol 2020; 144:103466. [PMID: 32956810 DOI: 10.1016/j.fgb.2020.103466] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2020] [Revised: 09/10/2020] [Accepted: 09/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Pseudoflower formation is arguably the rarest outcome of a plant-fungus interaction. Here we report on a novel putative floral mimicry system in which the pseudoflowers are composed entirely of fungal tissues in contrast to modified leaves documented in previous mimicry systems. Pseudoflowers on two perennial Xyris species (yellow-eyed grass, X. setigera and X. surinamensis) collected from savannas in Guyana were produced by Fusarium xyrophilum, a novel Fusarium species. These pseudoflowers mimic Xyris flowers in gross morphology and are ultraviolet reflective. Axenic cultures of F. xyrophilum produced two pigments that had fluorescence emission maxima in light ranges that trichromatic insects are sensitive to and volatiles known to attract insect pollinators. One of the volatiles emitted by F. xyrophilum cultures (i.e., 2-ethylhexanol) was also detected in the head space of X. laxifolia var. iridifolia flowers, a perennial species native to the New World. Results of microscopic and PCR analyses, combined with examination of gross morphology of the pseudoflowers, provide evidence that the fungus had established a systemic infection in both Xyris species, sterilized them and formed fungal pseudoflowers containing both mating type idiomorphs. Fusarium xyrophilum cultures also produced the auxin indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and the cytokinin isopentenyl adenosine (iPR). Field observations revealed that pseudoflowers and Xyris flowers were both visited by bees. Together, the results suggest that F. xyrophilum pseudoflowers are a novel floral mimicry system that attracts insect pollinators, via visual and olfactory cues, into vectoring its conidia, which might facilitate outcrossing of this putatively heterothallic fungus and infection of previously uninfected plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Imane Laraba
- Mycotoxin Prevention and Applied Microbiology Research Unit, National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research, Agricultural Research Service, US Department of Agriculture, Peoria, IL 61604-3999, USA.
| | - Susan P McCormick
- Mycotoxin Prevention and Applied Microbiology Research Unit, National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research, Agricultural Research Service, US Department of Agriculture, Peoria, IL 61604-3999, USA
| | - Martha M Vaughan
- Mycotoxin Prevention and Applied Microbiology Research Unit, National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research, Agricultural Research Service, US Department of Agriculture, Peoria, IL 61604-3999, USA
| | - Robert H Proctor
- Mycotoxin Prevention and Applied Microbiology Research Unit, National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research, Agricultural Research Service, US Department of Agriculture, Peoria, IL 61604-3999, USA
| | - Mark Busman
- Mycotoxin Prevention and Applied Microbiology Research Unit, National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research, Agricultural Research Service, US Department of Agriculture, Peoria, IL 61604-3999, USA
| | - Michael Appell
- Mycotoxin Prevention and Applied Microbiology Research Unit, National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research, Agricultural Research Service, US Department of Agriculture, Peoria, IL 61604-3999, USA
| | - Kerry O'Donnell
- Mycotoxin Prevention and Applied Microbiology Research Unit, National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research, Agricultural Research Service, US Department of Agriculture, Peoria, IL 61604-3999, USA
| | - Frederick C Felker
- Functional Food Research Unit, National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research, Agricultural Research Service, US Department of Agriculture, Peoria, IL 61604-3999, USA
| | - M Catherine Aime
- Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907-2054, USA
| | - Kenneth J Wurdack
- Department of Botany, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20013-2012, USA
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Noman A, Aqeel M, Qasim M, Haider I, Lou Y. Plant-insect-microbe interaction: A love triangle between enemies in ecosystem. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2020; 699:134181. [PMID: 31520944 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.134181] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2019] [Revised: 08/28/2019] [Accepted: 08/28/2019] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
In natural ecosystems, plants interact with biotic components such as microbes, insects, animals and other plants as well. Generally, researchers have focused on each interaction separately, which condenses the significance of the interaction. This limited presentation of the facts masks the collective role of constantly interacting organisms in complex communities disturbing not only plant responses but also the response of organisms for each other in natural ecological settings. Beneficial microorganisms interact with insect herbivores, their predators and pollinators in a bidirectional way through the plant. Fascinatingly, insects employ diverse tactics to protect themselves from parasites or predators. Influences of microbial and insects attack on plants can bring changes in info-chemical frameworks and play a role in the food chain also. After insect herbivory and microbial pathogenesis, plants exhibit intense morpho-physiological and chemical reprogramming that leads to repellence/attraction of attacking organism or its natural enemy. The characterization of such interactions in different ecosystems is receiving due consideration, and underlying molecular and physiological mechanisms must be the point of concentration to unveil the evolution of multifaceted multitrophic interactions. Therefore, we have focused this phenomenon in a more realistic setting by integrating ecology and physiology to portray these multidimensional interfaces. We have shown, in this article, physiological trajectories in plant-microbe and insect relationship and their ecological relevance in nature. We focus and discuss microbial pathogenesis in plants, induced defense and the corresponding behavior of herbivore insects and vice-versa. It is hoped that this review will stimulate interest and zeal in microbes mediated plant-insect interactions along with their ecological consequences and encourage scientists to accept the challenges in this field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ali Noman
- Institute of Insect Sciences, College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, PR China; Department of Botany, Government College University, Faisalabad 38040, Pakistan.
| | - Muhammad Aqeel
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-ecosystems, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, Gansu, PR China
| | - Muhammad Qasim
- Institute of Insect Sciences, College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, PR China
| | - Ijaz Haider
- Institute of Insect Sciences, College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, PR China; Department of Entomology, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad 38040, Pakistan
| | - Yonggen Lou
- Institute of Insect Sciences, College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, PR China.
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6
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Klaps J, Lievens B, Álvarez-Pérez S. Towards a better understanding of the role of nectar-inhabiting yeasts in plant-animal interactions. Fungal Biol Biotechnol 2020; 7:1. [PMID: 31921433 PMCID: PMC6947986 DOI: 10.1186/s40694-019-0091-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2019] [Accepted: 12/26/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Flowers offer a wide variety of substrates suitable for fungal growth. However, the mycological study of flowers has only recently begun to be systematically addressed from an ecological point of view. Most research on the topic carried out during the last decade has focused on studying the prevalence and diversity of flower-inhabiting yeasts, describing new species retrieved from floral parts and animal pollinators, and the use of select nectar yeasts as model systems to test ecological hypotheses. In this primer article, we summarize the current state of the art in floral nectar mycology and provide an overview of some research areas that, in our view, still require further attention, such as the influence of fungal volatile organic compounds on the foraging behavior of pollinators and other floral visitors, the analysis of the direct and indirect effects of nectar-inhabiting fungi on the fitness of plants and animals, and the nature and consequences of fungal-bacterial interactions taking place within flowers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joon Klaps
- Department of Microbial and Molecular Systems (M2S), Laboratory for Process Microbial Ecology and Bioinspirational Management (PME & BIM), KU Leuven, Willem De Croylaan 46, Leuven, 3001 Belgium
| | - Bart Lievens
- Department of Microbial and Molecular Systems (M2S), Laboratory for Process Microbial Ecology and Bioinspirational Management (PME & BIM), KU Leuven, Willem De Croylaan 46, Leuven, 3001 Belgium
| | - Sergio Álvarez-Pérez
- Department of Microbial and Molecular Systems (M2S), Laboratory for Process Microbial Ecology and Bioinspirational Management (PME & BIM), KU Leuven, Willem De Croylaan 46, Leuven, 3001 Belgium
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7
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Laraba I, Kim HS, Proctor RH, Busman M, O'Donnell K, Felker FC, Aime MC, Koch RA, Wurdack KJ. Fusarium xyrophilum, sp. nov., a member of the Fusarium fujikuroi species complex recovered from pseudoflowers on yellow-eyed grass ( Xyris spp.) from Guyana. Mycologia 2019; 112:39-51. [PMID: 31825746 DOI: 10.1080/00275514.2019.1668991] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
We report on the discovery and characterization of a novel Fusarium species that produced yellow-orange pseudoflowers on Xyris spp. (yellow-eyed grass; Xyridaceae) growing in the savannas of the Pakaraima Mountains of western Guyana. The petaloid fungal structures produced on infected plants mimic host flowers in gross morphology. Molecular phylogenetic analyses of full-length RPB1 (RNA polymerase largest subunit), RPB2 (RNA polymerase second largest subunit), and TEF1 (elongation factor 1-α) DNA sequences mined from genome sequences resolved the fungus, described herein as F. xyrophilum, sp. nov., as sister to F. pseudocircinatum within the African clade of the F. fujikuroi species complex. Results of a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay for mating type idiomorph revealed that single-conidial isolates of F. xyrophilum had only one of the MAT idiomorphs (MAT1-1 or MAT1-2), which suggests that the fungus may have a heterothallic sexual reproductive mode. BLASTn searches of whole-genome sequence of three strains of F. xyrophilum indicated that it has the genetic potential to produce secondary metabolites, including phytohormones, pigments, and mycotoxins. However, a polyketide-derived pigment, 8-O-methylbostrycoidin, was the only metabolite detected in cracked maize kernel cultures. When grown on carnation leaf agar, F. xyrophilum is phenotypically distinct from other described Fusarium species in that it produces aseptate microconidia on erect indeterminate synnemata that are up to 2 mm tall and it does not produce multiseptate macroconidia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Imane Laraba
- Mycotoxin Prevention and Applied Microbiology Research Unit, National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research, Agricultural Research Service, US Department of Agriculture, Peoria, Illinois 61604-3999
| | - Hye-Seon Kim
- Mycotoxin Prevention and Applied Microbiology Research Unit, National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research, Agricultural Research Service, US Department of Agriculture, Peoria, Illinois 61604-3999
| | - Robert H Proctor
- Mycotoxin Prevention and Applied Microbiology Research Unit, National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research, Agricultural Research Service, US Department of Agriculture, Peoria, Illinois 61604-3999
| | - Mark Busman
- Mycotoxin Prevention and Applied Microbiology Research Unit, National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research, Agricultural Research Service, US Department of Agriculture, Peoria, Illinois 61604-3999
| | - Kerry O'Donnell
- Mycotoxin Prevention and Applied Microbiology Research Unit, National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research, Agricultural Research Service, US Department of Agriculture, Peoria, Illinois 61604-3999
| | - Frederick C Felker
- Functional Food Research Unit, National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research, Agricultural Research Service, US Department of Agriculture, Peoria, Illinois 61604-3999
| | - M Catherine Aime
- Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907-2054
| | - Rachel A Koch
- Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907-2054
| | - Kenneth J Wurdack
- Department of Botany, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20013-2012
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8
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Franco FP, Moura DS, Vivanco JM, Silva-Filho MC. Plant–insect–pathogen interactions: a naturally complex ménage à trois. Curr Opin Microbiol 2017; 37:54-60. [DOI: 10.1016/j.mib.2017.04.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2017] [Accepted: 04/17/2017] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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Burchhardt KM, Cubeta MA. Population Structure of the Blueberry Pathogen Monilinia vaccinii-corymbosi in the United States. PHYTOPATHOLOGY 2015; 105:533-541. [PMID: 25338172 DOI: 10.1094/phyto-03-14-0074-r] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
The fungus Monilinia vaccinii-corymbosi causes disease of blueberry (Vaccinium section Cyanococcus) shoots, flowers, and fruit. The objective of our research was to examine the population biology and genetics of M. vaccinii-corymbosi in the United States. A total of 480 samples of M. vaccinii-corymbosi were collected from 18 blueberry fields in 10 states; one field in Georgia, Massachusetts, Maine, Michigan, Mississippi, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, and Washington and nine fields in North Carolina. Analysis with 10 microsatellite markers revealed 247 unique multilocus haplotypes (MLHs), with 244 MLHs detected within 11 fields in the Northeast, Northwest, Midwest, and Southeast and three MLHs detected within seven fields in the Southeast United States. Genetic similarity and low genetic diversity of M. vaccinii-corymbosi isolates from the seven fields in the Southeast United States suggested the presence of an expansive, self-fertile population. Tests for linkage disequilibrium within 10 fields that contained ≥12 MLHs supported random mating in six fields and possible inbreeding and/or self-fertilization in four fields. Analysis of molecular variance, discriminate analysis of principal components, and Bayesian cluster analysis provided evidence for population structure and restricted gene flow among fields. This research represents the first comprehensive investigation of the genetic diversity and structure of field populations of M. vaccinii-corymbosi.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathleen M Burchhardt
- Department of Plant Pathology, North Carolina State University, Campus Box 7567, Raleigh 27695-001
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10
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Tranter C, LeFevre L, Evison SE, Hughes WO. Threat detection: contextual recognition and response to parasites by ants. Behav Ecol 2014. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/aru203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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11
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Fungal volatile organic compounds: A review with emphasis on their biotechnological potential. FUNGAL BIOL REV 2012. [DOI: 10.1016/j.fbr.2012.07.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 295] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
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12
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Tabata J, De Moraes CM, Mescher MC. Olfactory cues from plants infected by powdery mildew guide foraging by a mycophagous ladybird beetle. PLoS One 2011; 6:e23799. [PMID: 21876772 PMCID: PMC3158101 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0023799] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2011] [Accepted: 07/25/2011] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Powdery mildews (Erysiphales) are economically important plant pathogens that attack many agricultural crops. Conventional management strategies involving fungicide application face challenges, including the evolution of resistance and concerns over impacts on non-target organisms, that call for investigation of more sustainable alternatives. Mycophagous ladybird beetles (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) feed on powdery mildew and have considerable potential as biological control agents; however, the foraging ecology and behavior of these beetles is not well understood. Here we document the olfactory cues presented by squash plants (Cucurbita moschata) infected by powdery mildew (Podosphaera sp.) and the behavioral responses of twenty-spotted ladybird beetles (Psyllobora vigintimaculata) to these cues. Volatile analyses through gas chromatography revealed a number of volatile compounds characteristic of infected plants, including 3-octanol and its analogues 1-octen-3-ol and 3-octanone. These compounds are typical "moldy" odorants previously reported in volatiles collected from other fungi. In addition, infected plants exhibited elevated emissions of several compounds also observed in collections from healthy leaves, including linalool and benzyl alcohol, which are reported to have anti-fungal properties. In Y-tube choice assays, P. vigintimaculata beetles displayed a significant preference for the odors of infected plants compared to those of healthy plants. Moreover, beetles exhibited strong attraction to one individual compound, 1-octen-3-ol, which was the most abundant of the characteristic fungal compounds identified. These results enhance our understanding of the olfactory cues that guide foraging by mycophagous insects and may facilitate the development of integrated disease-management strategies informed by an understanding of underlying ecological mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun Tabata
- Department of Entomology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, United States of America
- Biodiversity Division, National Institute for Agro-Environmental Sciences, Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan
| | - Consuelo M. De Moraes
- Department of Entomology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Mark C. Mescher
- Department of Entomology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, United States of America
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Vereecken NJ, McNeil JN. Cheaters and liars: chemical mimicry at its finestThe present review is one in the special series of reviews on animal-plant interactions.In memory of Jan Tengö (1939–2010), who made exceptional contributions to our understanding of the chemical ecology of solitary bees, including chemical mimicry. CAN J ZOOL 2010. [DOI: 10.1139/z10-040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Chemical mimicry is an essential part of certain interspecific interactions, where the outcome for both species may depend on the degree to which the original signals are mimicked. In this review, we discuss a number of specific cases relating to pollination and obtaining nutrient resources that we believe exemplify recent advances in our understanding of chemical mimicry. Subsequently, we suggest avenues for future ecological and chemical research that should allow us to gain further insight into the evolution of chemical mimicry.
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Affiliation(s)
- N. J. Vereecken
- Evolutionary Biology and Ecology, Free University of Brussels/Université Libre de Bruxelles, avenue FD Roosevelt 50 CP 160/12, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
- Department of Biology, The University of Western Ontario, London ON N6A 5B7, Canada
- Institute of Systematic Botany, University of Zürich, Zollikerstrasse 107, CH-8008 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - J. N. McNeil
- Evolutionary Biology and Ecology, Free University of Brussels/Université Libre de Bruxelles, avenue FD Roosevelt 50 CP 160/12, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
- Department of Biology, The University of Western Ontario, London ON N6A 5B7, Canada
- Institute of Systematic Botany, University of Zürich, Zollikerstrasse 107, CH-8008 Zürich, Switzerland
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14
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Trombik T, Jasinski M, Crouzet J, Boutry M. Identification of a cluster IV pleiotropic drug resistance transporter gene expressed in the style of Nicotiana plumbaginifolia. PLANT MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2008; 66:165-75. [PMID: 18034327 DOI: 10.1007/s11103-007-9260-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2007] [Accepted: 11/05/2007] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
ATP-binding cassette transporters of the pleiotropic drug resistance (PDR) subfamily are composed of five clusters. We have cloned a gene, NpPDR2, belonging to the still uncharacterized cluster IV from Nicotiana plumbaginifolia. NpPDR2 transcripts were found in the roots and mature flowers. In the latter, NpPDR2 expression was restricted to the style and only after pollination. A 1.5-kb genomic sequence containing the putative NpPDR2 transcription promoter was fused to the beta-glucuronidase reporter gene. The GUS expression pattern confirmed the RT-PCR results that NpPDR2 was expressed in roots and the flower style and showed that it was localized around the conductive tissues. Unlike other PDR genes, NpPDR2 expression was not induced in leaf tissues by none of the hormones typically involved in biotic and abiotic stress response. Moreover, unlike NpPDR1 known to be involved in biotic stress response, NpPDR2 expression was not induced in the style upon Botrytis cinerea infection. In N. plumbaginifolia plants in which NpPDR2 expression was prevented by RNA interference, no unusual phenotype was observed, including at the flowering stage, which suggests that NpPDR2 is not essential in the reproductive process under the tested conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomasz Trombik
- Institut des Sciences de la Vie, Université catholique de Louvain, Croix du Sud 5-15, 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
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Abstract
The ability to infect host flowers offers important ecological benefits to plant-parasitic fungi; not surprisingly, therefore, numerous fungal species from a wide range of taxonomic groups have adopted a life style that involves flower infection. Although flower-infecting fungi are very diverse, they can be classified readily into three major groups: opportunistic, unspecialized pathogens causing necrotic symptoms such as blossom blights (group 1), and specialist flower pathogens which infect inflorescences either through the gynoecium (group 2) or systemically through the apical meristem (group 3). This three-tier system is supported by life history attributes such as host range, mode of spore transmission, degree of host sterilization as a result of infection, and whether or not the fungus undergoes an obligate sexual cycle, produces resting spores in affected inflorescences, and is r- or K-selected. Across the three groups, the flower as an infection court poses important challenges for disease management. Ecologically and evolutionarily, terms and concepts borrowed from the study of venereal (sexually transmitted) diseases of animals do not adequately capture the range of strategies employed by fungi that infect flowers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Henry K Ngugi
- Department of Plant Pathology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602, USA.
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