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Liang H, Li F, Huang Y, Yu Q, Huang Z, Zeng Q, Chen B, Meng J. FsCGBP, a Cutinase G-Box Binding Protein, Regulates the Growth, Development, and Virulence of Fusarium sacchari, the Pathogen of Sugarcane Pokkah Boeng Disease. J Fungi (Basel) 2024; 10:246. [PMID: 38667917 PMCID: PMC11051240 DOI: 10.3390/jof10040246] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2024] [Revised: 03/08/2024] [Accepted: 03/23/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Fusarium sacchari is a causal agent of sugarcane Pokkah boeng, an important fungal disease that causes a considerable reduction in yield and sugar content in susceptible varieties of sugarcane worldwide. Despite its importance, the fungal factors that regulate the virulence of this pathogen remain largely unknown. In our previous study, mapping of an insertional mutant defect in virulence resulted in the identification of a cutinase G-box binding protein gene, designated FsCGBP, that encodes a C2H2-type transcription factor (TF). FsCGBP was shown to localize in the nuclei, and the transcript level of FsCGBP was significantly upregulated during the infection process or in response to abiotic stresses. Deletion or silencing of FsCGBP resulted in a reduction in mycelial growth, conidial production, and virulence and a delay in conidial germination in the F. sacchari. Cutinase genes FsCUT2, FsCUT3, and FsCUT4 and the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) genes FsHOG1, FsMGV1, and FsGPMK1, which were significantly downregulated in ΔFsCGBP. Except for FsHOG1, all of these genes were found to be transcriptionally activated by FsCGBP using the yeast one-hybrid system in vitro. The deletion of individual cutinase genes did not result in any of the phenotypes exhibited in the ΔFsCGBP mutant, except for cutinase activity. However, disruption of the MAPK pathway upon deletion of FsMGV1 or FsGPMK1 resulted in phenotypes similar to those of the ΔFsCGBP mutant. The above results suggest that FsCGBP functions by regulating the MAPK pathway and cutinase genes, providing new insights into the mechanism of virulence regulation in F. sacchari.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haoming Liang
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-Bioresources, Nanning 530004, China; (H.L.); (F.L.); (Y.H.); (Q.Y.); (Z.H.); (Q.Z.); (B.C.)
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Sugarcane Biology, College of Agriculture, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China
| | - Fang Li
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-Bioresources, Nanning 530004, China; (H.L.); (F.L.); (Y.H.); (Q.Y.); (Z.H.); (Q.Z.); (B.C.)
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Sugarcane Biology, College of Agriculture, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China
| | - Yundan Huang
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-Bioresources, Nanning 530004, China; (H.L.); (F.L.); (Y.H.); (Q.Y.); (Z.H.); (Q.Z.); (B.C.)
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Sugarcane Biology, College of Agriculture, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China
| | - Quan Yu
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-Bioresources, Nanning 530004, China; (H.L.); (F.L.); (Y.H.); (Q.Y.); (Z.H.); (Q.Z.); (B.C.)
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Sugarcane Biology, College of Agriculture, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China
| | - Zhenxin Huang
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-Bioresources, Nanning 530004, China; (H.L.); (F.L.); (Y.H.); (Q.Y.); (Z.H.); (Q.Z.); (B.C.)
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Sugarcane Biology, College of Agriculture, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China
| | - Quan Zeng
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-Bioresources, Nanning 530004, China; (H.L.); (F.L.); (Y.H.); (Q.Y.); (Z.H.); (Q.Z.); (B.C.)
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Sugarcane Biology, College of Agriculture, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China
| | - Baoshan Chen
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-Bioresources, Nanning 530004, China; (H.L.); (F.L.); (Y.H.); (Q.Y.); (Z.H.); (Q.Z.); (B.C.)
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Sugarcane Biology, College of Agriculture, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China
| | - Jiaorong Meng
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-Bioresources, Nanning 530004, China; (H.L.); (F.L.); (Y.H.); (Q.Y.); (Z.H.); (Q.Z.); (B.C.)
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Sugarcane Biology, College of Agriculture, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China
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Gupta A, Kumar M, Zhang B, Tomar M, Walia AK, Choyal P, Saini RP, Potkule J, Burritt DJ, Sheri V, Verma P, Chandran D, Tran LSP. Improvement of qualitative and quantitative traits in cotton under normal and stressed environments using genomics and biotechnological tools: A review. Plant Sci 2024; 340:111937. [PMID: 38043729 DOI: 10.1016/j.plantsci.2023.111937] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2022] [Revised: 10/29/2023] [Accepted: 11/29/2023] [Indexed: 12/05/2023]
Abstract
Due to the increasing demand for high-quality and high fiber-yielding cotton (Gossypium spp.), research into the development of stress-resilient cotton cultivars has acquired greater significance. Various biotic and abiotic stressors greatly affect cotton production and productivity, posing challenges to the future of the textile industry. Moreover, the content and quality of cottonseed oil can also potentially be influenced by future environmental conditions. Apart from conventional methods, genetic engineering has emerged as a potential tool to improve cotton fiber quality and productivity. Identification and modification of genome sequences and the expression levels of yield-related genes using genetic engineering approaches have enabled to increase both the quality and yields of cotton fiber and cottonseed oil. Herein, we evaluate the significance and molecular mechanisms associated with the regulation of cotton agronomic traits under both normal and stressful environmental conditions. In addition, the importance of gossypol, a toxic phenolic compound in cottonseed that can limit consumption by animals and humans, is reviewed and discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aarti Gupta
- Department of Life Sciences, POSTECH Biotech Center, Pohang University of Science and Technology, Pohang, Republic of Korea; Institute of Genomics for Crop Abiotic Stress Tolerance, Department of Plant and Soil Science, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409, USA
| | - Manoj Kumar
- Chemical and Biochemical Processing Division, ICAR-Central Institute for Research on Cotton Technology, Mumbai, India.
| | - Baohong Zhang
- Department of Biology, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27858, USA
| | - Maharishi Tomar
- ICAR - Indian Grassland and Fodder Research Institute, Jhansi, India
| | | | - Prince Choyal
- ICAR - Indian Institute of Soybean Research, Indore 452001, India
| | | | - Jayashree Potkule
- Chemical and Biochemical Processing Division, ICAR-Central Institute for Research on Cotton Technology, Mumbai, India
| | - David J Burritt
- Department of Botany, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Vijay Sheri
- Department of Biology, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27858, USA
| | - Pooja Verma
- ICAR - Central Institute for Cotton Research, Nagpur, India
| | - Deepak Chandran
- Department of Animal Husbandry, Government of Kerala, Palakkad 679335, Kerala, India
| | - Lam-Son Phan Tran
- Institute of Genomics for Crop Abiotic Stress Tolerance, Department of Plant and Soil Science, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409, USA.
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Chen L, Ma X, Sun T, Zhu QH, Feng H, Li Y, Liu F, Zhang X, Sun J, Li Y. VdPT1 Encoding a Neutral Trehalase of Verticillium dahliae Is Required for Growth and Virulence of the Pathogen. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 25:294. [PMID: 38203466 PMCID: PMC10778863 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25010294] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2023] [Revised: 12/12/2023] [Accepted: 12/16/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Verticillum dahliae is a soil-borne phytopathogenic fungus causing destructive Verticillium wilt disease. We previously found a trehalase-encoding gene (VdPT1) in V. dahliae being significantly up-regulated after sensing root exudates from a susceptible cotton variety. In this study, we characterized the function of VdPT1 in the growth and virulence of V. dahliae using its deletion-mutant strains. The VdPT1 deletion mutants (ΔVdPT1) displayed slow colony expansion and mycelial growth, reduced conidial production and germination rate, and decreased mycelial penetration ability and virulence on cotton, but exhibited enhanced stress resistance, suggesting that VdPT1 is involved in the growth, pathogenesis, and stress resistance of V. dahliae. Host-induced silencing of VdPT1 in cotton reduced fungal biomass and enhanced cotton resistance against V. dahliae. Comparative transcriptome analysis between wild-type and mutant identified 1480 up-regulated and 1650 down-regulated genes in the ΔVdPT1 strain. Several down-regulated genes encode plant cell wall-degrading enzymes required for full virulence of V. dahliae to cotton, and down-regulated genes related to carbon metabolism, DNA replication, and amino acid biosynthesis seemed to be responsible for the decreased growth of the ΔVdPT1 strain. In contrast, up-regulation of several genes related to glycerophospholipid metabolism in the ΔVdPT1 strain enhanced the stress resistance of the mutated strain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lihua Chen
- The Key Laboratory of Oasis Eco-Agriculture, Agriculture College, Shihezi University, Shihezi 832000, China; (L.C.); (X.M.); (T.S.); (Y.L.); (F.L.); (X.Z.)
| | - Xiaohu Ma
- The Key Laboratory of Oasis Eco-Agriculture, Agriculture College, Shihezi University, Shihezi 832000, China; (L.C.); (X.M.); (T.S.); (Y.L.); (F.L.); (X.Z.)
| | - Tiange Sun
- The Key Laboratory of Oasis Eco-Agriculture, Agriculture College, Shihezi University, Shihezi 832000, China; (L.C.); (X.M.); (T.S.); (Y.L.); (F.L.); (X.Z.)
| | - Qian-Hao Zhu
- CSIRO Agriculture and Food, GPO Box 1700, Canberra 2601, Australia;
| | - Hongjie Feng
- State Key Laboratory of Cotton Biology, Institute of Cotton Research of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Anyang 455000, China;
| | - Yongtai Li
- The Key Laboratory of Oasis Eco-Agriculture, Agriculture College, Shihezi University, Shihezi 832000, China; (L.C.); (X.M.); (T.S.); (Y.L.); (F.L.); (X.Z.)
| | - Feng Liu
- The Key Laboratory of Oasis Eco-Agriculture, Agriculture College, Shihezi University, Shihezi 832000, China; (L.C.); (X.M.); (T.S.); (Y.L.); (F.L.); (X.Z.)
| | - Xinyu Zhang
- The Key Laboratory of Oasis Eco-Agriculture, Agriculture College, Shihezi University, Shihezi 832000, China; (L.C.); (X.M.); (T.S.); (Y.L.); (F.L.); (X.Z.)
| | - Jie Sun
- The Key Laboratory of Oasis Eco-Agriculture, Agriculture College, Shihezi University, Shihezi 832000, China; (L.C.); (X.M.); (T.S.); (Y.L.); (F.L.); (X.Z.)
| | - Yanjun Li
- The Key Laboratory of Oasis Eco-Agriculture, Agriculture College, Shihezi University, Shihezi 832000, China; (L.C.); (X.M.); (T.S.); (Y.L.); (F.L.); (X.Z.)
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Wang D, Zhao Z, Long Y, Fan R. Protein Kinase C Is Involved in Vegetative Development, Stress Response and Pathogenicity in Verticillium dahliae. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:14266. [PMID: 37762573 PMCID: PMC10531995 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241814266] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2023] [Revised: 08/30/2023] [Accepted: 09/04/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Potato Verticillium wilt, caused by Verticillium dahliae, is a serious soil-borne vascular disease, which restricts the sustainable development of the potato industry, and the pathogenic mechanism of the fungus is complex. Therefore, it is of great significance to explore the important pathogenic factors of V. dahliae to expand the understanding of its pathology. Protein kinase C (PKC) gene is located in the Ca2+ signaling pathway, which is highly conserved in filamentous fungi and involved in the regulation of a variety of biological processes. In the current study, the PKC gene in V. dahliae (VdPKC) was characterized, and its effects on the fungal pathogenicity and tolerance to fungicide stress were further studied. The results showed that the VdPKC positively regulated the growth and development, conidial germination, and production of V. dahliae, which was necessary for the fungus to achieve pathogenicity. It also affected the formation of melanin and microsclerotia and changed the adaptability of V. dahliae to different environmental stresses. In addition, VdPKC altered the tolerance of V. dahliae to different fungicides, which may be a potential target for polyoxin. Therefore, our results strongly suggest that VdPKC gene is necessary for the vegetative growth, stress response, and pathogenicity of V. dahliae.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Rong Fan
- College of Agriculture, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China; (D.W.); (Z.Z.); (Y.L.)
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Yi K, Yan W, Li X, Yang S, Li J, Yin Y, Yuan F, Wang H, Kang Z, Han D, Zeng Q. Identification of Long Intergenic Noncoding RNAs in Rhizoctonia cerealis following Inoculation of Wheat. Microbiol Spectr 2023; 11:e0344922. [PMID: 37036374 PMCID: PMC10269763 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.03449-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2022] [Accepted: 03/12/2023] [Indexed: 04/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Wheat sharp eyespot caused by Rhizoctonia cerealis is primarily a severe threat to worldwide wheat production. Currently, there are no resistant wheat cultivars, and the use of fungicides is the primary method for controlling this disease. Elucidating the mechanisms of R. cerealis pathogenicity can accelerate the pace of the control of this disease. Long intergenic noncoding RNAs (lincRNAs) that function in plant-pathogen interactions might provide a new perspective. We systematically analyzed lincRNAs and identified a total of 1,319 lincRNAs in R. cerealis. We found that lincRNAs are involved in various biological processes, as shown by differential expression analysis and weighted correlation network analysis (WGCNA). Next, one of nine hub lincRNAs in the blue module that was related to infection and growth processes, MSTRG.4380.1, was verified to reduce R. cerealis virulence on wheat by a host-induced gene silencing (HIGS) assay. Following that, RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) analysis revealed that the significantly downregulated genes in the MSTRG.4380.1 knockdown lines were associated mainly with infection-related processes, including hydrolase, transmembrane transporter, and energy metabolism activities. Additionally, 23 novel microRNAs (miRNAs) were discovered during small RNA (sRNA) sequencing (sRNA-Seq) analysis of MSTRG.4380.1 knockdown, and target prediction of miRNAs suggested that MSTRG.4380.1 does not act as a competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA). This study performed the first genome-wide identification of R. cerealis lincRNAs and miRNAs. It confirmed the involvement of a lincRNA in the infection process, providing new insights into the mechanism of R. cerealis infection and offering a new approach for protecting wheat from R. cerealis. IMPORTANCE Rhizoctonia cerealis, the primary causal agent of wheat sharp eyespot, has caused significant losses in worldwide wheat production. Since no resistant wheat cultivars exist, chemical control is the primary method. However, this approach is environmentally unfriendly and costly. RNA interference (RNAi)-mediated pathogenicity gene silencing has been proven to reduce the growth of Rhizoctonia and provides a new perspective for disease control. Recent studies have shown that lincRNAs are involved in various biological processes across species, such as biotic and abiotic stresses. Therefore, verifying the function of lincRNAs in R. cerealis is beneficial for understanding the infection mechanism. In this study, we reveal that lincRNAs could contribute to the virulence of R. cerealis, which provides new insights into controlling this pathogen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ke Yi
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, China
| | - Weiyi Yan
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, China
| | - Xiang Li
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, China
| | - Shuqing Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, China
| | - Jiaqi Li
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, China
| | - Yifan Yin
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, China
| | - Fengping Yuan
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, China
| | - Haiying Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, China
| | - Zhensheng Kang
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, China
| | - Dejun Han
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, China
| | - Qingdong Zeng
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, China
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Umer MJ, Zheng J, Yang M, Batool R, Abro AA, Hou Y, Xu Y, Gebremeskel H, Wang Y, Zhou Z, Cai X, Liu F, Zhang B. Insights to Gossypium defense response against Verticillium dahliae: the Cotton Cancer. Funct Integr Genomics 2023; 23:142. [PMID: 37121989 DOI: 10.1007/s10142-023-01065-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2023] [Revised: 04/15/2023] [Accepted: 04/19/2023] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
The soil-borne pathogen Verticillium dahliae, also referred as "The Cotton Cancer," is responsible for causing Verticillium wilt in cotton crops, a destructive disease with a global impact. To infect cotton plants, the pathogen employs multiple virulence mechanisms such as releasing enzymes that degrade cell walls, activating genes that contribute to virulence, and using protein effectors. Conversely, cotton plants have developed numerous defense mechanisms to combat the impact of V. dahliae. These include strengthening the cell wall by producing lignin and depositing callose, discharging reactive oxygen species, and amassing hormones related to defense. Despite the efforts to develop resistant cultivars, there is still no permanent solution to Verticillium wilt due to a limited understanding of the underlying molecular mechanisms that drive both resistance and pathogenesis is currently prevalent. To address this challenge, cutting-edge technologies such as clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated protein 9 (Cas9), host-induced gene silencing (HIGS), and gene delivery via nano-carriers could be employed as effective alternatives to control the disease. This article intends to present an overview of V. dahliae virulence mechanisms and discuss the different cotton defense mechanisms against Verticillium wilt, including morphophysiological and biochemical responses and signaling pathways including jasmonic acid (JA), salicylic acid (SA), ethylene (ET), and strigolactones (SLs). Additionally, the article highlights the significance of microRNAs (miRNAs), circular RNAs (circRNAs), and long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in gene expression regulation, as well as the different methods employed to identify and functionally validate genes to achieve resistance against this disease. Gaining a more profound understanding of these mechanisms could potentially result in the creation of more efficient strategies for combating Verticillium wilt in cotton crops.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muhammad Jawad Umer
- State Key Laboratory of Cotton Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Anyang, 455000, China
| | - Jie Zheng
- State Key Laboratory of Cotton Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Anyang, 455000, China
- Hainan Yazhou Bay Seed Laboratory, China/National Nanfan, Research Institute of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Sanya, 572025, China
| | - Mengying Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Cotton Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Anyang, 455000, China
- School of Agricultural Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Raufa Batool
- State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Aamir Ali Abro
- State Key Laboratory of Cotton Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Anyang, 455000, China
| | - Yuqing Hou
- State Key Laboratory of Cotton Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Anyang, 455000, China
| | - Yanchao Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Cotton Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Anyang, 455000, China
| | - Haileslassie Gebremeskel
- Mehoni Agricultural Research Center, Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Yuhong Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Cotton Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Anyang, 455000, China
| | - ZhongLi Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Cotton Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Anyang, 455000, China
| | - Xiaoyan Cai
- State Key Laboratory of Cotton Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Anyang, 455000, China
- Hainan Yazhou Bay Seed Laboratory, China/National Nanfan, Research Institute of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Sanya, 572025, China
- Zhengzhou Research Base, State Key Laboratory of Cotton Biology, Zhengzhou University/Institute of Cotton Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Science, Anyang, China
| | - Fang Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Cotton Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Anyang, 455000, China.
- Hainan Yazhou Bay Seed Laboratory, China/National Nanfan, Research Institute of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Sanya, 572025, China.
- School of Agricultural Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China.
- Zhengzhou Research Base, State Key Laboratory of Cotton Biology, Zhengzhou University/Institute of Cotton Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Science, Anyang, China.
| | - Baohong Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Cotton Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Anyang, 455000, China.
- Department of Biology, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, 27858, USA.
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Wang G, Wang X, Song J, Wang H, Ruan C, Zhang W, Guo Z, Li W, Guo W. Cotton peroxisome-localized lysophospholipase counteracts the toxic effects of Verticillium dahliae NLP1 and confers wilt resistance. Plant J 2023. [PMID: 37026387 DOI: 10.1111/tpj.16236] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2023] [Accepted: 03/28/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
Plasma membrane represents a critical battleground between plants and attacking microbes. Necrosis-and-ethylene-inducing peptide 1 (Nep1)-like proteins (NLPs), cytolytic toxins produced by some bacterial, fungal and oomycete species, are able to target on lipid membranes by binding eudicot plant-specific sphingolipids (glycosylinositol phosphorylceramide) and form transient small pores, causing membrane leakage and subsequent cell death. NLP-producing phytopathogens are a big threat to agriculture worldwide. However, whether there are R proteins/enzymes that counteract the toxicity of NLPs in plants remains largely unknown. Here we show that cotton produces a peroxisome-localized enzyme lysophospholipase, GhLPL2. Upon Verticillium dahliae attack, GhLPL2 accumulates on the membrane and binds to V. dahliae secreted NLP, VdNLP1, to block its contribution to virulence. A higher level of lysophospholipase in cells is required to neutralize VdNLP1 toxicity and induce immunity-related genes expression, meanwhile maintaining normal growth of cotton plants, revealing the role of GhLPL2 protein in balancing resistance to V. dahliae and growth. Intriguingly, GhLPL2 silencing cotton plants also display high resistance to V. dahliae, but show severe dwarfing phenotype and developmental defects, suggesting GhLPL2 is an essential gene in cotton. GhLPL2 silencing results in lysophosphatidylinositol over-accumulation and decreased glycometabolism, leading to a lack of carbon sources required for plants and pathogens to survive. Furthermore, lysophospholipases from several other crops also interact with VdNLP1, implying that blocking NLP virulence by lysophospholipase may be a common strategy in plants. Our work demonstrates that overexpressing lysophospholipase encoding genes have great potential for breeding crops with high resistance against NLP-producing microbial pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guilin Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics & Germplasm Enhancement and Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
- Engineering Research Center of Ministry of Education for Cotton Germplasm Enhancement and Application, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
| | - Xinyu Wang
- Engineering Research Center of Ministry of Education for Cotton Germplasm Enhancement and Application, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
- College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
| | - Jian Song
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics & Germplasm Enhancement and Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
- Engineering Research Center of Ministry of Education for Cotton Germplasm Enhancement and Application, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
| | - Haitang Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics & Germplasm Enhancement and Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
- Engineering Research Center of Ministry of Education for Cotton Germplasm Enhancement and Application, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
| | - Chaofeng Ruan
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics & Germplasm Enhancement and Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
- Engineering Research Center of Ministry of Education for Cotton Germplasm Enhancement and Application, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
| | - Wenshu Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics & Germplasm Enhancement and Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
- Engineering Research Center of Ministry of Education for Cotton Germplasm Enhancement and Application, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
| | - Zhan Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics & Germplasm Enhancement and Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
- Engineering Research Center of Ministry of Education for Cotton Germplasm Enhancement and Application, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
| | - Weixi Li
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics & Germplasm Enhancement and Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
- Engineering Research Center of Ministry of Education for Cotton Germplasm Enhancement and Application, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
| | - Wangzhen Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics & Germplasm Enhancement and Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
- Engineering Research Center of Ministry of Education for Cotton Germplasm Enhancement and Application, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
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Wang S, Xie X, Che X, Lai W, Ren Y, Fan X, Hu W, Tang M, Chen H. Host- and virus-induced gene silencing of HOG1-MAPK cascade genes in Rhizophagus irregularis inhibit arbuscule development and reduce resistance of plants to drought stress. Plant Biotechnol J 2023; 21:866-883. [PMID: 36609693 PMCID: PMC10037146 DOI: 10.1111/pbi.14006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2022] [Revised: 11/18/2022] [Accepted: 12/24/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi can form beneficial associations with the most terrestrial vascular plant species. AM fungi not only facilitate plant nutrient acquisition but also enhance plant tolerance to various environmental stresses such as drought stress. However, the molecular mechanisms by which AM fungal mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascades mediate the host adaptation to drought stimulus remains to be investigated. Recently, many studies have shown that virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) and host-induced gene silencing (HIGS) strategies are used for functional studies of AM fungi. Here, we identify the three HOG1 (High Osmolarity Glycerol 1)-MAPK cascade genes RiSte11, RiPbs2 and RiHog1 from Rhizophagus irregularis. The expression levels of the three HOG1-MAPK genes are significantly increased in mycorrhizal roots of the plant Astragalus sinicus under severe drought stress. RiHog1 protein was predominantly localized in the nucleus of yeast in response to 1 M sorbitol treatment, and RiPbs2 interacts with RiSte11 or RiHog1 directly by pull-down assay. Importantly, VIGS or HIGS of RiSte11, RiPbs2 or RiHog1 hampers arbuscule development and decreases relative water content in plants during AM symbiosis. Moreover, silencing of HOG1-MAPK cascade genes led to the decreased expression of drought-resistant genes (RiAQPs, RiTPSs, RiNTH1 and Ri14-3-3) in the AM fungal symbiont in response to drought stress. Taken together, this study demonstrates that VIGS or HIGS of AM fungal HOG1-MAPK cascade inhibits arbuscule development and expression of AM fungal drought-resistant genes under drought stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sijia Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro‐Bioresources, Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Guangdong Key Laboratory for Innovative Development and Utilization of Forest Plant Germplasm, College of Forestry and Landscape ArchitectureSouth China Agricultural UniversityGuangzhouChina
| | - Xianan Xie
- State Key Laboratory of Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro‐Bioresources, Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Guangdong Key Laboratory for Innovative Development and Utilization of Forest Plant Germplasm, College of Forestry and Landscape ArchitectureSouth China Agricultural UniversityGuangzhouChina
| | - Xianrong Che
- State Key Laboratory of Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro‐Bioresources, Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Guangdong Key Laboratory for Innovative Development and Utilization of Forest Plant Germplasm, College of Forestry and Landscape ArchitectureSouth China Agricultural UniversityGuangzhouChina
| | - Wenzhen Lai
- State Key Laboratory of Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro‐Bioresources, Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Guangdong Key Laboratory for Innovative Development and Utilization of Forest Plant Germplasm, College of Forestry and Landscape ArchitectureSouth China Agricultural UniversityGuangzhouChina
| | - Ying Ren
- State Key Laboratory of Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro‐Bioresources, Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Guangdong Key Laboratory for Innovative Development and Utilization of Forest Plant Germplasm, College of Forestry and Landscape ArchitectureSouth China Agricultural UniversityGuangzhouChina
| | - Xiaoning Fan
- State Key Laboratory of Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro‐Bioresources, Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Guangdong Key Laboratory for Innovative Development and Utilization of Forest Plant Germplasm, College of Forestry and Landscape ArchitectureSouth China Agricultural UniversityGuangzhouChina
| | - Wentao Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro‐Bioresources, Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Guangdong Key Laboratory for Innovative Development and Utilization of Forest Plant Germplasm, College of Forestry and Landscape ArchitectureSouth China Agricultural UniversityGuangzhouChina
| | - Ming Tang
- State Key Laboratory of Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro‐Bioresources, Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Guangdong Key Laboratory for Innovative Development and Utilization of Forest Plant Germplasm, College of Forestry and Landscape ArchitectureSouth China Agricultural UniversityGuangzhouChina
| | - Hui Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro‐Bioresources, Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Guangdong Key Laboratory for Innovative Development and Utilization of Forest Plant Germplasm, College of Forestry and Landscape ArchitectureSouth China Agricultural UniversityGuangzhouChina
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Chen L, Chen B, Zhu QH, Zhang X, Sun T, Liu F, Yang Y, Sun J, Li Y. Identification of sugar transporter genes and their roles in the pathogenicity of Verticillium dahliae on cotton. Front Plant Sci 2023; 14:1123523. [PMID: 36778686 PMCID: PMC9910176 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1123523] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2022] [Accepted: 01/09/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Verticillium wilt (VW) caused by Verticillium dahliae is a soil-borne vascular fungal disease that severely affects cotton yield and fiber quality. Sugar metabolism plays an important role in the growth and pathogenicity of V. dahliae. However, limited information is known about the sugar transporter genes and their roles in the growth and pathogenicity of V. dahliae. METHOD In this study, genome-wide identification of sugar transporter genes in V. dahliae was conducted and the expression profiles of these genes in response to root exudates from cotton varieties susceptible or resistant to V. dahliae were investigated based on RNA-seq data. Tobacco Rattle Virus-based host-induced gene silencing (TRV-based HIGS) and artificial small interfering RNAs (asiRNAs) were applied to investigate the function of candidate genes involved in the growth and pathogenic process of V. dahliae. RESULTS A total of 65 putative sugar transporter genes were identified and clustered into 8 Clades. Of the 65 sugar transporter genes, 9 were found to be induced only by root exudates from the susceptible variety, including VdST3 and VdST12 that were selected for further functional study. Silencing of VdST3 or VdST12 in host plants by TRV-based HIGS reduced fungal biomass and enhanced cotton resistance against V. dahliae. Additionally, silencing of VdST12 and VdST3 by feeding asiRNAs targeting VdST12 (asiR815 or asiR1436) and VdST3 (asiR201 or asiR1238) inhibited fungal growth, exhibiting significant reduction in hyphae and colony diameter, with a more significant effect observed for the asiRNAs targeting VdST12. The inhibitory effect of asiRNAs on the growth of V. dahliae was enhanced with the increasing concentration of asiRNAs. Silencing of VdST12 by feeding asiR815+asiR1436 significantly decreased the pathogenicity of V. dahliae. DISCUSSION The results suggest that VdST3 and VdST12 are sugar transporter genes required for growth and pathogenicity of V. dahliae and that asiRNA is a valuable tool for functional characterization of V. dahliae genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lihua Chen
- The Key Laboratory of Oasis Eco-agriculture, Agriculture College, Shihezi University, Shihezi, Xinjiang, China
| | - Bin Chen
- The Key Laboratory of Oasis Eco-agriculture, Agriculture College, Shihezi University, Shihezi, Xinjiang, China
| | | | - Xinyu Zhang
- The Key Laboratory of Oasis Eco-agriculture, Agriculture College, Shihezi University, Shihezi, Xinjiang, China
| | - Tiange Sun
- The Key Laboratory of Oasis Eco-agriculture, Agriculture College, Shihezi University, Shihezi, Xinjiang, China
| | - Feng Liu
- The Key Laboratory of Oasis Eco-agriculture, Agriculture College, Shihezi University, Shihezi, Xinjiang, China
| | - Yonglin Yang
- Cotton Research Institute, Shihezi Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shihezi, China
| | - Jie Sun
- The Key Laboratory of Oasis Eco-agriculture, Agriculture College, Shihezi University, Shihezi, Xinjiang, China
| | - Yanjun Li
- The Key Laboratory of Oasis Eco-agriculture, Agriculture College, Shihezi University, Shihezi, Xinjiang, China
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10
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Xu J, Zhang N, Wang K, Xian Q, Dong J, Chen X. Exploring new strategies in diseases resistance of horticultural crops. Front Sustain Food Syst 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fsufs.2022.1021350] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Horticultural crops are susceptible to various biotic stressors including fungi, oomycetes, bacteria, viruses, and root-knot nematodes. These pathogens limit the growth, development, yield, and quality of horticultural crops, and also limit their adaptability and geographic distribution. The continuous cropping model in horticultural facilities exacerbates soil-borne diseases, and severely restricts yield, quality, and productivity. Recent progress in the understanding of mechanisms that confer tolerance to different diseases through innovative strategies including host-induced gene silencing (HIGS), targeting susceptibility genes, and rootstocks grafting applications are reviewed to systematically explore the resistance mechanisms against horticultural plant diseases. Future work should successfully breed resistant varieties using these strategies combined with molecular biologic methods.
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11
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Chen X, Li X, Duan Y, Pei Z, Liu H, Yin W, Huang J, Luo C, Chen X, Li G, Xie K, Hsiang T, Zheng L. A secreted fungal subtilase interferes with rice immunity via degradation of SUPPRESSOR OF G2 ALLELE OF skp1. Plant Physiol 2022; 190:1474-1489. [PMID: 35861434 PMCID: PMC9516721 DOI: 10.1093/plphys/kiac334] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2022] [Accepted: 06/24/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Serine protease subtilase, found widely in both eukaryotes and prokaryotes, participates in various biological processes. However, how fungal subtilase regulates plant immunity is a major concern. Here, we identified a secreted fungal subtilase, UvPr1a, from the rice false smut (RFS) fungus Ustilaginoidea virens. We characterized UvPr1a as a virulence effector localized to the plant cytoplasm that inhibits plant cell death induced by Bax. Heterologous expression of UvPr1a in rice (Oryza sativa) enhanced plant susceptibility to rice pathogens. UvPr1a interacted with the important rice protein SUPPRESSOR OF G2 ALLELE OF skp1 (OsSGT1), a positive regulator of innate immunity against multiple rice pathogens, degrading OsSGT1 in a protease activity-dependent manner. Furthermore, host-induced gene silencing of UvPr1a compromised disease resistance of rice plants. Our work reveals a previously uncharacterized fungal virulence strategy in which a fungal pathogen secretes a subtilase to interfere with rice immunity through degradation of OsSGT1, thereby promoting infection. These genetic resources provide tools for introducing RFS resistance and further our understanding of plant-pathogen interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Yuhang Duan
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology/Hubei Key Laboratory of Plant Pathology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Zhangxin Pei
- Wuhan Institute of Landscape Architecture, Wuhan 430081, China
| | - Hao Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology/Hubei Key Laboratory of Plant Pathology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Weixiao Yin
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology/Hubei Key Laboratory of Plant Pathology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Junbin Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology/Hubei Key Laboratory of Plant Pathology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Chaoxi Luo
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology/Hubei Key Laboratory of Plant Pathology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Xiaolin Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology/Hubei Key Laboratory of Plant Pathology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Guotian Li
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology/Hubei Key Laboratory of Plant Pathology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Kabin Xie
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology/Hubei Key Laboratory of Plant Pathology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Tom Hsiang
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of Guelph, Guelph N1G 2W1, Canada
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12
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Ray P, Sahu D, Aminedi R, Chandran D. Concepts and considerations for enhancing RNAi efficiency in phytopathogenic fungi for RNAi-based crop protection using nanocarrier-mediated dsRNA delivery systems. Front Fungal Biol 2022; 3:977502. [PMID: 37746174 PMCID: PMC10512274 DOI: 10.3389/ffunb.2022.977502] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2022] [Accepted: 08/19/2022] [Indexed: 09/26/2023]
Abstract
Existing, emerging, and reemerging strains of phytopathogenic fungi pose a significant threat to agricultural productivity globally. This risk is further exacerbated by the lack of resistance source(s) in plants or a breakdown of resistance by pathogens through co-evolution. In recent years, attenuation of essential pathogen gene(s) via double-stranded (ds) RNA-mediated RNA interference (RNAi) in host plants, a phenomenon known as host-induced gene silencing, has gained significant attention as a way to combat pathogen attack. Yet, due to biosafety concerns regarding transgenics, country-specific GMO legislation has limited the practical application of desirable attributes in plants. The topical application of dsRNA/siRNA targeting essential fungal gene(s) through spray-induced gene silencing (SIGS) on host plants has opened up a transgene-free avenue for crop protection. However, several factors influence the outcome of RNAi, including but not limited to RNAi mechanism in plant/fungi, dsRNA/siRNA uptake efficiency, dsRNA/siRNA design parameters, dsRNA stability and delivery strategy, off-target effects, etc. This review emphasizes the significance of these factors and suggests appropriate measures to consider while designing in silico and in vitro experiments for successful RNAi in open-field conditions. We also highlight prospective nanoparticles as smart delivery vehicles for deploying RNAi molecules in plant systems for long-term crop protection and ecosystem compatibility. Lastly, we provide specific directions for future investigations that focus on blending nanotechnology and RNAi-based fungal control for practical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Poonam Ray
- Laboratory of Plant-Microbe Interactions, Regional Centre for Biotechnology, NCR Biotech Science Cluster, Faridabad, India
| | - Debashish Sahu
- Laboratory of Plant-Microbe Interactions, Regional Centre for Biotechnology, NCR Biotech Science Cluster, Faridabad, India
| | - Raghavendra Aminedi
- Division of Genomic Resources, ICAR-National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources, New Delhi, India
| | - Divya Chandran
- Laboratory of Plant-Microbe Interactions, Regional Centre for Biotechnology, NCR Biotech Science Cluster, Faridabad, India
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Li X, Mu K, Yang S, Wei J, Wang C, Yan W, Yuan F, Wang H, Han D, Kang Z, Zeng Q. Reduction of Rhizoctonia cerealis Infection on Wheat Through Host- and Spray-Induced Gene Silencing of an Orphan Secreted Gene. Mol Plant Microbe Interact 2022; 35:803-813. [PMID: 36102883 DOI: 10.1094/mpmi-04-22-0075-r] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Rhizoctonia cerealis is a soilborne fungus that can cause sharp eyespot in wheat, resulting in massive yield losses found in many countries. Due to the lack of resistant cultivars, fungicides have been widely used to control this pathogen. However, chemical control is not environmentally friendly and is costly. Meanwhile, the lack of genetic transformation tools has hindered the functional characterization of virulence genes. In this study, we attempted to characterize the function of virulence genes by two transient methods, host-induced gene silencing (HIGS) and spray-induced gene silencing (SIGS), which use RNA interference to suppress the pathogenic development. We identified ten secretory orphan genes from the genome. After silencing these ten genes, only the RcOSP1 knocked-down plant significantly inhibited the growth of R. cerealis. We then described RcOSP1 as an effector that could impair wheat biological processes and suppress pathogen-associated molecular pattern-triggered immunity in the infection process. These findings confirm that HIGS and SIGS can be practical tools for researching R. cerealis virulence genes. [Formula: see text] Copyright © 2022 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)
- Xiang Li
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China
| | - Keqing Mu
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China
| | - Shuqing Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China
| | - Jiajing Wei
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China
| | - Congnawei Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China
| | - Weiyi Yan
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China
| | - Fengping Yuan
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China
| | - Haiying Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China
| | - Dejun Han
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China
| | - Zhensheng Kang
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China
- Yangling Seed Industry Innovation Center, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China
| | - Qingdong Zeng
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China
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14
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Chen X, Duan Y, Qiao F, Liu H, Huang J, Luo C, Chen X, Li G, Xie K, Hsiang T, Zheng L. A secreted fungal effector suppresses rice immunity through host histone hypoacetylation. New Phytol 2022; 235:1977-1994. [PMID: 35592995 DOI: 10.1111/nph.18265] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2021] [Accepted: 05/07/2022] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Histone acetylation is a critical epigenetic modification that regulates plant immunity. Fungal pathogens secrete effectors that modulate host immunity and facilitate infection, but whether fungal pathogens have evolved effectors that directly target plant histone acetylation remains unknown. Here, we identified a secreted protein, UvSec117, from the rice false smut fungus, Ustilaginoidea virens, as a key effector that can target the rice histone deacetylase OsHDA701 and negatively regulates rice broad-spectrum resistance against rice pathogens. UvSec117 disrupts host immunity by recruiting OsHDA701 to the nucleus and enhancing OsHDA701-modulated deacetylation, thereby reducing histone H3K9 acetylation levels in rice plants and interfering with defense gene activation. Host-induced gene silencing of UvSec117 promotes rice resistance to U. virens, thus providing an alternative way for developing rice false smut-resistant plants. This is the first direct evidence demonstrating that a fungal effector targets a histone deacetylase to suppress plant immunity. Our data provided insight into a counter-defense mechanism in a plant pathogen that inactivates host defense responses at the epigenetic level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoyang Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Plant Pathology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Yuhang Duan
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Plant Pathology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Fugang Qiao
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Plant Pathology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Hao Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Plant Pathology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Junbin Huang
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Plant Pathology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Chaoxi Luo
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Plant Pathology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Xiaolin Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Plant Pathology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Guotian Li
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Plant Pathology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Kabin Xie
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Plant Pathology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Tom Hsiang
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1, Canada
| | - Lu Zheng
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Plant Pathology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
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15
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Wang M, Dean RA. Host induced gene silencing of Magnaporthe oryzae by targeting pathogenicity and development genes to control rice blast disease. Front Plant Sci 2022; 13:959641. [PMID: 36035704 PMCID: PMC9403838 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.959641] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2022] [Accepted: 07/25/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Rice blast disease caused by the hemi-biotrophic fungus Magnaporthe oryzae is the most destructive disease of rice world-wide. Traditional disease resistance strategies for the control of rice blast disease have not proved durable. HIGS (host induced gene silencing) is being developed as an alternative strategy. Six genes (CRZ1, PMC1, MAGB, LHS1, CYP51A, CYP51B) that play important roles in pathogenicity and development of M. oryzae were chosen for HIGS. HIGS vectors were transformed into rice calli through Agrobacterium-mediated transformation and T0, T1 and T2 generations of transgenic rice plants were generated. Except for PMC1 and LHS1, HIGS transgenic rice plants challenged with M. oryzae showed significantly reduced disease compared with non-silenced control plants. Following infection with M. oryzae of HIGS transgenic plants, expression levels of target genes were reduced as demonstrated by Quantitative RT-PCR. In addition, treating M. oryzae with small RNA derived from the target genes inhibited fungal growth. These findings suggest RNA silencing signals can be transferred from host to an invasive fungus and that HIGS has potential to generate resistant rice against M. oryzae.
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Mathur P, Roy S, Subba R, Rai B. Understanding the Various Strategies for the Management of Fungal Pathogens in Crop Plants in the Current Scenario. Fungal Biol 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/978-981-16-8877-5_25] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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17
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Ding Y, Chen Y, Yan B, Liao H, Dong M, Meng X, Wan H, Qian W. Host-Induced Gene Silencing of a Multifunction Gene Sscnd1 Enhances Plant Resistance Against Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:693334. [PMID: 34690946 PMCID: PMC8531507 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.693334] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2021] [Accepted: 09/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Sclerotinia sclerotiorum is a devastating necrotrophic fungal pathogen and has a substantial economic impact on crop production worldwide. Magnaporthe appressoria-specific (MAS) proteins have been suggested to be involved in the appressorium formation in Magnaporthe oryzae. Sscnd1, an MAS homolog gene, is highly induced at the early infection stage of S. sclerotiorum. Knock-down the expression of Sscnd1 gene severely reduced the virulence of S. sclerotiorum on intact rapeseed leaves, and their virulence was partially restored on wounded leaves. The Sscnd1 gene-silenced strains exhibited a defect in compound appressorium formation and cell integrity. The instantaneous silencing of Sscnd1 by tobacco rattle virus (TRV)-mediated host-induced gene silencing (HIGS) resulted in a significant reduction in disease development in tobacco. Three transgenic HIGS Arabidopsis lines displayed high levels of resistance to S. sclerotiorum and decreased Sscnd1 expression. Production of specific Sscnd1 siRNA in transgenic HIGS Arabidopsis lines was confirmed by stem-loop qRT-PCR. This study revealed that the compound appressorium-related gene Sscnd1 is required for cell integrity and full virulence in S. sclerotiorum and that Sclerotinia stem rot can be controlled by expressing the silencing constructs of Sscnd1 in host plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yijuan Ding
- College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China.,Engineering Research Center of South Upland Agriculture, Ministry of Education, Chongqing, China
| | - Yangui Chen
- College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China.,Engineering Research Center of South Upland Agriculture, Ministry of Education, Chongqing, China
| | - Baoqin Yan
- College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China.,Engineering Research Center of South Upland Agriculture, Ministry of Education, Chongqing, China
| | - Hongmei Liao
- College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China.,Engineering Research Center of South Upland Agriculture, Ministry of Education, Chongqing, China
| | - Mengquan Dong
- College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China.,Engineering Research Center of South Upland Agriculture, Ministry of Education, Chongqing, China
| | - Xinran Meng
- College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China.,Engineering Research Center of South Upland Agriculture, Ministry of Education, Chongqing, China
| | - Huafang Wan
- College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China.,Engineering Research Center of South Upland Agriculture, Ministry of Education, Chongqing, China
| | - Wei Qian
- College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China.,Engineering Research Center of South Upland Agriculture, Ministry of Education, Chongqing, China
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Zhang S, Zhu P, Cao B, Ma S, Li R, Wang X, Zhao A. An APSES Transcription Factor Xbp1 Is Required for Sclerotial Development, Appressoria Formation, and Pathogenicity in Ciboria shiraiana. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:739686. [PMID: 34646256 PMCID: PMC8503677 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.739686] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2021] [Accepted: 08/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Sclerotinia diseases are important plant fungal diseases that, causes huge economic worldwide losses every year. Ciboria shiraiana is the main pathogen that results in mulberry sclerotia diseases. Sclerotia and appressoria play important roles in long-term pathogen survival and in host infection during life and disease cycles. However, the molecular mechanisms of sclerotial development and appressoria formation in C. shiraiana have not been well studied. Here, an Asm1p, Phd1p, Sok2p, Efg1p and StuAp (APSES)-type transcription factor in C. shiraiana, CsXbp1, involved in sclerotial development and appressoria formation was functionally characterized. Bioinformatics analyses showed that CsXbp1 contained an APSES-type DNA binding domain. The expression levels of CsXbp1 were higher in sclerotia and during later stages of infection. Compared with wild-type strains, hyphal growth was slower, the number and weight of sclerotia were reduced significantly, and appressoria formation was obviously delayed in CsXbp1 RNA interference (RNAi) strains. Moreover, the CsXbp1 RNAi strains showed weakened pathogenicity owing to compound appressoria defects. Tobacco rattle virus-mediated host-induced gene silencing enabled Nicotiana benthamiana to increase its resistance to C. shiraiana by reducing the CsXbp1 transcripts level. Thus, CsXbp1 plays vital roles in sclerotial formation, appressoria formation, and pathogenicity in C. shiraiana. This study provides new insights into the infection mechanisms of C. shiraiana and plant resistance breeding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuai Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Panpan Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China.,Key Laboratory of Biorheological Science and Technology, Ministry of Education, Chongqing University, Chongqing, China
| | - Boning Cao
- State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China.,College of Life Sciences, Xinyang Normal University, Xinyang, China
| | - Shuyu Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Ruolan Li
- State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Xie Wang
- Institute of Agricultural Resources and Environment, Sichuan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Sichuan, China
| | - Aichun Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
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19
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Zhang Y, Chen B, Sun Z, Liu Z, Cui Y, Ke H, Wang Z, Wu L, Zhang G, Wang G, Li Z, Yang J, Wu J, Shi R, Liu S, Wang X, Ma Z. A large-scale genomic association analysis identifies a fragment in Dt11 chromosome conferring cotton Verticillium wilt resistance. Plant Biotechnol J 2021; 19:2126-2138. [PMID: 34160879 PMCID: PMC8486238 DOI: 10.1111/pbi.13650] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2020] [Revised: 06/01/2021] [Accepted: 06/14/2021] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
Verticillium wilt (VW) is a destructive disease that results in great losses in cotton yield and quality. Identifying genetic variation that enhances crop disease resistance is a primary objective in plant breeding. Here we reported a GWAS of cotton VW resistance in a natural-variation population, challenged by different pathogenicity stains and different environments, and found 382 SNPs significantly associated with VW resistance. The associated signal repeatedly peaked in chromosome Dt11 (68 798 494-69 212 808) containing 13 core elite alleles undescribed previously. The core SNPs can make the disease reaction type from susceptible to tolerant or resistant in accessions with alternate genotype compared to reference genotype. Of the genes associated with the Dt11 signal, 25 genes differentially expressed upon Verticillium dahliae stress, with 21 genes verified in VW resistance via gene knockdown and/or overexpression experiments. We firstly discovered that a gene cluster of L-type lectin-domain containing receptor kinase (GhLecRKs-V.9) played an important role in VW resistance. These results proved that the associated Dt11 region was a major genetic locus responsible for VW resistance. The frequency of the core elite alleles (FEA) in modern varieties was significantly higher than the early/middle varieties (12.55% vs 4.29%), indicating that the FEA increased during artificial selection breeding. The current developmental resistant cultivars, JND23 and JND24, had fixed these core elite alleles during breeding without yield penalty. These findings unprecedentedly provided genomic variations and promising alleles for promoting cotton VW resistance improvement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of North China Crop Improvement and RegulationKey Laboratory for Crop Germplasm Resources of HebeiHebei Agricultural UniversityBaodingChina
| | - Bin Chen
- State Key Laboratory of North China Crop Improvement and RegulationKey Laboratory for Crop Germplasm Resources of HebeiHebei Agricultural UniversityBaodingChina
| | - Zhengwen Sun
- State Key Laboratory of North China Crop Improvement and RegulationKey Laboratory for Crop Germplasm Resources of HebeiHebei Agricultural UniversityBaodingChina
| | - Zhengwen Liu
- State Key Laboratory of North China Crop Improvement and RegulationKey Laboratory for Crop Germplasm Resources of HebeiHebei Agricultural UniversityBaodingChina
| | - Yanru Cui
- State Key Laboratory of North China Crop Improvement and RegulationKey Laboratory for Crop Germplasm Resources of HebeiHebei Agricultural UniversityBaodingChina
| | - Huifeng Ke
- State Key Laboratory of North China Crop Improvement and RegulationKey Laboratory for Crop Germplasm Resources of HebeiHebei Agricultural UniversityBaodingChina
| | - Zhicheng Wang
- State Key Laboratory of North China Crop Improvement and RegulationKey Laboratory for Crop Germplasm Resources of HebeiHebei Agricultural UniversityBaodingChina
| | - Liqiang Wu
- State Key Laboratory of North China Crop Improvement and RegulationKey Laboratory for Crop Germplasm Resources of HebeiHebei Agricultural UniversityBaodingChina
| | - Guiyin Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of North China Crop Improvement and RegulationKey Laboratory for Crop Germplasm Resources of HebeiHebei Agricultural UniversityBaodingChina
| | - Guoning Wang
- State Key Laboratory of North China Crop Improvement and RegulationKey Laboratory for Crop Germplasm Resources of HebeiHebei Agricultural UniversityBaodingChina
| | - Zhikun Li
- State Key Laboratory of North China Crop Improvement and RegulationKey Laboratory for Crop Germplasm Resources of HebeiHebei Agricultural UniversityBaodingChina
| | - Jun Yang
- State Key Laboratory of North China Crop Improvement and RegulationKey Laboratory for Crop Germplasm Resources of HebeiHebei Agricultural UniversityBaodingChina
| | - Jinhua Wu
- State Key Laboratory of North China Crop Improvement and RegulationKey Laboratory for Crop Germplasm Resources of HebeiHebei Agricultural UniversityBaodingChina
| | - Rongkang Shi
- State Key Laboratory of North China Crop Improvement and RegulationKey Laboratory for Crop Germplasm Resources of HebeiHebei Agricultural UniversityBaodingChina
| | - Song Liu
- State Key Laboratory of North China Crop Improvement and RegulationKey Laboratory for Crop Germplasm Resources of HebeiHebei Agricultural UniversityBaodingChina
| | - Xingfen Wang
- State Key Laboratory of North China Crop Improvement and RegulationKey Laboratory for Crop Germplasm Resources of HebeiHebei Agricultural UniversityBaodingChina
| | - Zhiying Ma
- State Key Laboratory of North China Crop Improvement and RegulationKey Laboratory for Crop Germplasm Resources of HebeiHebei Agricultural UniversityBaodingChina
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20
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Qiao L, Lan C, Capriotti L, Ah-Fong A, Nino Sanchez J, Hamby R, Heller J, Zhao H, Glass NL, Judelson HS, Mezzetti B, Niu D, Jin H. Spray-induced gene silencing for disease control is dependent on the efficiency of pathogen RNA uptake. Plant Biotechnol J 2021; 19:1756-1768. [PMID: 33774895 DOI: 10.1101/2021.02.01.429265] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2020] [Revised: 03/01/2021] [Accepted: 03/06/2021] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Recent discoveries show that fungi can take up environmental RNA, which can then silence fungal genes through environmental RNA interference. This discovery prompted the development of Spray-Induced Gene Silencing (SIGS) for plant disease management. In this study, we aimed to determine the efficacy of SIGS across a variety of eukaryotic microbes. We first examined the efficiency of RNA uptake in multiple pathogenic and non-pathogenic fungi, and an oomycete pathogen. We observed efficient double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) uptake in the fungal plant pathogens Botrytis cinerea, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, Rhizoctonia solani, Aspergillus niger and Verticillium dahliae, but no uptake in Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, and weak uptake in a beneficial fungus, Trichoderma virens. For the oomycete plant pathogen, Phytophthora infestans, RNA uptake was limited and varied across different cell types and developmental stages. Topical application of dsRNA targeting virulence-related genes in pathogens with high RNA uptake efficiency significantly inhibited plant disease symptoms, whereas the application of dsRNA in pathogens with low RNA uptake efficiency did not suppress infection. Our results have revealed that dsRNA uptake efficiencies vary across eukaryotic microbe species and cell types. The success of SIGS for plant disease management can largely be determined by the pathogen's RNA uptake efficiency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lulu Qiao
- College of Plant Protection, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Crop Diseases and Pests (Ministry of Education), Nanjing, China
- Department of Microbiology & Plant Pathology, Center for Plant Cell Biology, Institute for Integrative Genome Biology, University of California, Riverside, CA, USA
| | - Chi Lan
- College of Plant Protection, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Crop Diseases and Pests (Ministry of Education), Nanjing, China
| | - Luca Capriotti
- Department of Microbiology & Plant Pathology, Center for Plant Cell Biology, Institute for Integrative Genome Biology, University of California, Riverside, CA, USA
- Department of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences, Marche Polytechnic University, Ancona, Italy
| | - Audrey Ah-Fong
- Department of Microbiology & Plant Pathology, Center for Plant Cell Biology, Institute for Integrative Genome Biology, University of California, Riverside, CA, USA
| | - Jonatan Nino Sanchez
- Department of Microbiology & Plant Pathology, Center for Plant Cell Biology, Institute for Integrative Genome Biology, University of California, Riverside, CA, USA
| | - Rachael Hamby
- Department of Microbiology & Plant Pathology, Center for Plant Cell Biology, Institute for Integrative Genome Biology, University of California, Riverside, CA, USA
| | - Jens Heller
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology Division, The Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Hongwei Zhao
- College of Plant Protection, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Crop Diseases and Pests (Ministry of Education), Nanjing, China
| | - N Louise Glass
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology Division, The Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Howard S Judelson
- Department of Microbiology & Plant Pathology, Center for Plant Cell Biology, Institute for Integrative Genome Biology, University of California, Riverside, CA, USA
| | - Bruno Mezzetti
- Department of Microbiology & Plant Pathology, Center for Plant Cell Biology, Institute for Integrative Genome Biology, University of California, Riverside, CA, USA
- Department of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences, Marche Polytechnic University, Ancona, Italy
| | - Dongdong Niu
- College of Plant Protection, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Crop Diseases and Pests (Ministry of Education), Nanjing, China
- Department of Microbiology & Plant Pathology, Center for Plant Cell Biology, Institute for Integrative Genome Biology, University of California, Riverside, CA, USA
| | - Hailing Jin
- Department of Microbiology & Plant Pathology, Center for Plant Cell Biology, Institute for Integrative Genome Biology, University of California, Riverside, CA, USA
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21
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Qiao L, Lan C, Capriotti L, Ah‐Fong A, Nino Sanchez J, Hamby R, Heller J, Zhao H, Glass NL, Judelson HS, Mezzetti B, Niu D, Jin H. Spray-induced gene silencing for disease control is dependent on the efficiency of pathogen RNA uptake. Plant Biotechnol J 2021; 19:1756-1768. [PMID: 33774895 PMCID: PMC8428832 DOI: 10.1111/pbi.13589] [Citation(s) in RCA: 97] [Impact Index Per Article: 32.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2020] [Revised: 03/01/2021] [Accepted: 03/06/2021] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Recent discoveries show that fungi can take up environmental RNA, which can then silence fungal genes through environmental RNA interference. This discovery prompted the development of Spray-Induced Gene Silencing (SIGS) for plant disease management. In this study, we aimed to determine the efficacy of SIGS across a variety of eukaryotic microbes. We first examined the efficiency of RNA uptake in multiple pathogenic and non-pathogenic fungi, and an oomycete pathogen. We observed efficient double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) uptake in the fungal plant pathogens Botrytis cinerea, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, Rhizoctonia solani, Aspergillus niger and Verticillium dahliae, but no uptake in Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, and weak uptake in a beneficial fungus, Trichoderma virens. For the oomycete plant pathogen, Phytophthora infestans, RNA uptake was limited and varied across different cell types and developmental stages. Topical application of dsRNA targeting virulence-related genes in pathogens with high RNA uptake efficiency significantly inhibited plant disease symptoms, whereas the application of dsRNA in pathogens with low RNA uptake efficiency did not suppress infection. Our results have revealed that dsRNA uptake efficiencies vary across eukaryotic microbe species and cell types. The success of SIGS for plant disease management can largely be determined by the pathogen's RNA uptake efficiency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lulu Qiao
- College of Plant ProtectionNanjing Agricultural UniversityNanjingChina
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Crop Diseases and Pests (Ministry of Education)NanjingChina
- Department of Microbiology & Plant PathologyCenter for Plant Cell BiologyInstitute for Integrative Genome BiologyUniversity of CaliforniaRiversideCAUSA
| | - Chi Lan
- College of Plant ProtectionNanjing Agricultural UniversityNanjingChina
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Crop Diseases and Pests (Ministry of Education)NanjingChina
| | - Luca Capriotti
- Department of Microbiology & Plant PathologyCenter for Plant Cell BiologyInstitute for Integrative Genome BiologyUniversity of CaliforniaRiversideCAUSA
- Department of Agricultural, Food and Environmental SciencesMarche Polytechnic UniversityAnconaItaly
| | - Audrey Ah‐Fong
- Department of Microbiology & Plant PathologyCenter for Plant Cell BiologyInstitute for Integrative Genome BiologyUniversity of CaliforniaRiversideCAUSA
| | - Jonatan Nino Sanchez
- Department of Microbiology & Plant PathologyCenter for Plant Cell BiologyInstitute for Integrative Genome BiologyUniversity of CaliforniaRiversideCAUSA
| | - Rachael Hamby
- Department of Microbiology & Plant PathologyCenter for Plant Cell BiologyInstitute for Integrative Genome BiologyUniversity of CaliforniaRiversideCAUSA
| | - Jens Heller
- Department of Plant and Microbial BiologyUniversity of CaliforniaBerkeleyCAUSA
- Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology DivisionThe Lawrence Berkeley National LaboratoryBerkeleyCAUSA
| | - Hongwei Zhao
- College of Plant ProtectionNanjing Agricultural UniversityNanjingChina
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Crop Diseases and Pests (Ministry of Education)NanjingChina
| | - N. Louise Glass
- Department of Plant and Microbial BiologyUniversity of CaliforniaBerkeleyCAUSA
- Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology DivisionThe Lawrence Berkeley National LaboratoryBerkeleyCAUSA
| | - Howard S. Judelson
- Department of Microbiology & Plant PathologyCenter for Plant Cell BiologyInstitute for Integrative Genome BiologyUniversity of CaliforniaRiversideCAUSA
| | - Bruno Mezzetti
- Department of Microbiology & Plant PathologyCenter for Plant Cell BiologyInstitute for Integrative Genome BiologyUniversity of CaliforniaRiversideCAUSA
- Department of Agricultural, Food and Environmental SciencesMarche Polytechnic UniversityAnconaItaly
| | - Dongdong Niu
- College of Plant ProtectionNanjing Agricultural UniversityNanjingChina
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Crop Diseases and Pests (Ministry of Education)NanjingChina
- Department of Microbiology & Plant PathologyCenter for Plant Cell BiologyInstitute for Integrative Genome BiologyUniversity of CaliforniaRiversideCAUSA
| | - Hailing Jin
- Department of Microbiology & Plant PathologyCenter for Plant Cell BiologyInstitute for Integrative Genome BiologyUniversity of CaliforniaRiversideCAUSA
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22
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Xiong D, Yu L, Shan H, Tian C. CcPmk1 is a regulator of pathogenicity in Cytospora chrysosperma and can be used as a potential target for disease control. Mol Plant Pathol 2021; 22:710-726. [PMID: 33835616 PMCID: PMC8126189 DOI: 10.1111/mpp.13059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2020] [Revised: 03/07/2021] [Accepted: 03/09/2021] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
Fus3/Kss1, also known as Pmk1 in several pathogenic fungi, is a component of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signalling pathway that functions as a regulator in fungal development, stress response, mating, and pathogenicity. Cytospora chrysosperma, a notorious woody plant-pathogenic fungus, causes canker disease in many species, and its Pmk1 homolog, CcPmk1, is required for fungal development and pathogenicity. However, the global regulation network of CcPmk1 is still unclear. In this study, we compared transcriptional analysis between a CcPmk1 deletion mutant and the wild type during the simulated infection process. A subset of transcription factor genes and putative effector genes were significantly down-regulated in the CcPmk1 deletion mutant, which might be important for fungal pathogenicity. Additionally, many tandem genes were found to be regulated by CcPmk1. Eleven out of 68 core secondary metabolism biosynthesis genes and several gene clusters were significantly down-regulated in the CcPmk1 deletion mutant. GO annotation of down-regulated genes showed that the ribosome biosynthesis-related processes were over-represented in the CcPmk1 deletion mutant. Comparison of the CcPmk1-regulated genes with the Pmk1-regulated genes from Magnaporthe oryzae revealed only a few overlapping regulated genes in both CcPmk1 and Pmk1, while the enrichment GO terms in the ribosome biosynthesis-related processes were also found. Subsequently, we calculated that in vitro feeding artificial small interference RNAs of CcPmk1 could silence the target gene, resulting in inhibited fungal growth. Furthermore, silencing of BcPmk1 in Botrytis cinerea with conserved CcPmk1 and BcPmk1 fragments could significantly compromise fungal virulence using the virus-induced gene silencing system in Nicotiana benthamiana. These results suggest that CcPmk1 functions as a regulator of pathogenicity and can potentially be designed as a target for broad-spectrum disease control, but unintended effects on nonpathogenic fungi need to be avoided.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dianguang Xiong
- The Key Laboratory for Silviculture and Conservation of Ministry of EducationCollege of ForestryBeijing Forestry UniversityBeijingChina
- Beijing Key Laboratory for Forest Pest ControlBeijing Forestry UniversityBeijingChina
| | - Lu Yu
- The Key Laboratory for Silviculture and Conservation of Ministry of EducationCollege of ForestryBeijing Forestry UniversityBeijingChina
| | - Huimin Shan
- The Key Laboratory for Silviculture and Conservation of Ministry of EducationCollege of ForestryBeijing Forestry UniversityBeijingChina
| | - Chengming Tian
- The Key Laboratory for Silviculture and Conservation of Ministry of EducationCollege of ForestryBeijing Forestry UniversityBeijingChina
- Beijing Key Laboratory for Forest Pest ControlBeijing Forestry UniversityBeijingChina
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23
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Chen X, Pei Z, Li P, Li X, Duan Y, Liu H, Chen X, Zheng L, Luo C, Huang J. Quantitative Proteomics Analysis Reveals the Function of the Putative Ester Cyclase UvEC1 in the Pathogenicity of the Rice False Smut Fungus Ustilaginoidea virens. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:4069. [PMID: 33920773 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22084069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2021] [Revised: 04/13/2021] [Accepted: 04/13/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Rice false smut is a fungal disease distributed worldwide and caused by Ustilaginoidea virens. In this study, we identified a putative ester cyclase (named as UvEC1) as being significantly upregulated during U. virens infection. UvEC1 contained a SnoaL-like polyketide cyclase domain, but the functions of ketone cyclases such as SnoaL in plant fungal pathogens remain unclear. Deletion of UvEC1 caused defects in vegetative growth and conidiation. UvEC1 was also required for response to hyperosmotic and oxidative stresses and for maintenance of cell wall integrity. Importantly, ΔUvEC1 mutants exhibited reduced virulence. We performed a tandem mass tag (TMT)-based quantitative proteomic analysis to identify differentially accumulating proteins (DAPs) between the ΔUvEC1-1 mutant and the wild-type isolate HWD-2. Proteomics data revealed that UvEC1 has a variety of effects on metabolism, protein localization, catalytic activity, binding, toxin biosynthesis and the spliceosome. Taken together, our findings suggest that UvEC1 is critical for the development and virulence of U. virens.
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24
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Jiang Z, Zhao Q, Bai R, Yu R, Diao P, Yan T, Duan H, Ma X, Zhou Z, Fan Y, Wuriyanghan H. Host sunflower-induced silencing of parasitism-related genes confers resistance to invading Orobanche cumana. Plant Physiol 2021; 185:424-440. [PMID: 33721890 PMCID: PMC8133596 DOI: 10.1093/plphys/kiaa018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2020] [Accepted: 09/08/2020] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Orobanche cumana is a holoparasitic plant that attaches to host-plant roots and seriously reduces the yield of sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.). Effective control methods are lacking with only a few known sources of genetic resistance. In this study, a seed-soak agroinoculation (SSA) method was established, and recombinant tobacco rattle virus vectors were constructed to express RNA interference (RNAi) inducers to cause virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) in sunflower. A host target gene HaTubulin was systemically silenced in both leaf and root tissues by the SSA-VIGS approach. Trans-species silencing of O. cumana genes were confirmed for 10 out of 11 target genes with silencing efficiency of 23.43%-92.67%. Knockdown of target OcQR1, OcCKX5, and OcWRI1 genes reduced the haustoria number, and silencing of OcEXPA6 caused further phenotypic abnormalities such as shorter tubercles and necrosis. Overexpression of OcEXPA6 caused retarded root growth in alfalfa (Medicago sativa). The results demonstrate that these genes play an important role in the processes of O. cumana parasitism. High-throughput small RNA (sRNA) sequencing and bioinformatics analyses unveiled the distinct features of target gene-derived siRNAs in O. cumana such as siRNA transitivity, strand polarity, hotspot region, and 21/22-nt siRNA predominance, the latter of which was confirmed by Northern blot experiments. The possible RNAi mechanism is also discussed by analyzing RNAi machinery genes in O. cumana. Taken together, we established an efficient host-induced gene silencing technology for both functional genetics studies and potential control of O. cumana. The ease and effectiveness of this strategy could potentially be useful for other species provided they are amenable to SSA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhengqiang Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Forage and Endemic Crop Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot 010070, P. R. China
| | - Qiqi Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Forage and Endemic Crop Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot 010070, P. R. China
| | - Runyao Bai
- Key Laboratory of Forage and Endemic Crop Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot 010070, P. R. China
| | - Ruonan Yu
- Key Laboratory of Forage and Endemic Crop Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot 010070, P. R. China
| | - Pengfei Diao
- Key Laboratory of Forage and Endemic Crop Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot 010070, P. R. China
| | - Ting Yan
- Key Laboratory of Forage and Endemic Crop Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot 010070, P. R. China
| | - Huimin Duan
- Key Laboratory of Forage and Endemic Crop Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot 010070, P. R. China
| | - Xuesong Ma
- Key Laboratory of Forage and Endemic Crop Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot 010070, P. R. China
| | - Zikai Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Forage and Endemic Crop Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot 010070, P. R. China
| | - Yanyan Fan
- Key Laboratory of Forage and Endemic Crop Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot 010070, P. R. China
| | - Hada Wuriyanghan
- Key Laboratory of Forage and Endemic Crop Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot 010070, P. R. China
- Author for communication:
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25
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Sarmiento-Villamil JL, García-Pedrajas NE, Cañizares MC, García-Pedrajas MD. Molecular Mechanisms Controlling the Disease Cycle in the Vascular Pathogen Verticillium dahliae Characterized Through Forward Genetics and Transcriptomics. Mol Plant Microbe Interact 2020; 33:825-841. [PMID: 32154756 DOI: 10.1094/mpmi-08-19-0228-r] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
The soil-borne pathogen Verticillium dahliae has a worldwide distribution and a plethora of hosts of agronomic value. Molecular analysis of virulence processes can identify targets for disease control. In this work, we compared the global gene transcription profile of random T-DNA insertion mutant strain D-10-8F, which exhibits reduced virulence and alterations in microsclerotium formation and polar growth, with that of the wild-type strain. Three genes identified as differentially expressed were selected for functional characterization. To produce deletion mutants, we developed an updated version of one-step construction of Agrobacterium-recombination-ready plasmids (OSCAR) that included the negative selection marker HSVtk (herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase gene) to prevent ectopic integration of the deletion constructs. Deletion of VdRGS1 (VDAG_00683), encoding a regulator of G protein signaling (RGS) protein and highly upregulated in the wild type versus D-10-8F, resulted in phenotypic alterations in development and virulence that were indistinguishable from those of the random T-DNA insertion mutant. In contrast, deletion of the other two genes selected, vrg1 (VDAG_07039) and vvs1 (VDAG_01858), showed that they do not play major roles in morphogenesis or virulence in V. dahliae. Taken together the results presented here on the transcriptomic analysis and phenotypic characterization of D-10-8F and ∆VdRGS1 strains provide evidence that variations in G protein signaling control the progression of the disease cycle in V. dahliae. We propose that G protein-mediated signals induce the expression of multiple virulence factors during biotrophic growth, whereas massive production of microsclerotia at late stages of infection requires repression of G protein signaling via upregulation of VdRGS1 activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jorge L Sarmiento-Villamil
- Instituto de Hortofruticultura Subtropical y Mediterránea "La Mayora"- Universidad de Málaga - Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (IHSM-UMA-CSIC), Estación Experimental "La Mayora", 29750 Algarrobo-Costa, Málaga, Spain
- Centre d'étude de la forêt (CEF) and Institut de biologie intégrative et des systèmes (IBIS), Université Laval, Québec QC G1V 0A6, Canada
| | - Nicolás E García-Pedrajas
- Department of Computing and Numerical Analysis, C2 Building 3rd Floor, Campus Universitario de Rabanales, 14071 Córdoba, Spain
| | - M Carmen Cañizares
- Instituto de Hortofruticultura Subtropical y Mediterránea "La Mayora"- Universidad de Málaga - Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (IHSM-UMA-CSIC), Estación Experimental "La Mayora", 29750 Algarrobo-Costa, Málaga, Spain
| | - María D García-Pedrajas
- Instituto de Hortofruticultura Subtropical y Mediterránea "La Mayora"- Universidad de Málaga - Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (IHSM-UMA-CSIC), Estación Experimental "La Mayora", 29750 Algarrobo-Costa, Málaga, Spain
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Wei C, Qin T, Li Y, Wang W, Dong T, Wang Q. Host-induced gene silencing of the acetolactate synthases VdILV2 and VdILV6 confers resistance to Verticillium wilt in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.). Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2020; 524:392-397. [PMID: 32005518 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2020.01.126] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2020] [Accepted: 01/23/2020] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Cotton Verticillium wilt caused by Verticillium dahliae (V. dahliae) is one of the most destructive fungal diseases and is difficult to control. However, resistant germplasm resources are scarce in cotton. Many studies have shown that host-induced gene silencing (HIGS) is a practical and effective technology in crop disease prevention by silencing virulence genes of pathogens. Acetolactate synthase (ALS) contains a catalytic subunit ILV2 and a regulatory subunit ILV6, which catalyzes the first common step reaction in branched-chain amino acid (BCAA) biosynthesis. We identified two acetolactate synthases, VdILV2 and VdILV6, which are homologs of ILV2 and ILV6, respectively, in Magnaporthe oryzae. To characterize the function of VdILV2 and VdILV6 in V. dahliae, we suppressed their expression in the strong pathogenic isolate Vd991 by using HIGS technology. VdILV2- or VdILV6-silenced V. dahliae had a dramatic reduction in pathogenicity. The results indicated that VdILV2 and VdILV6 are involved in the pathogenicity of V. dahliae. HIGS of VdILV2 or VdILV6 provides a novel fungicide target and an effective control to resist Verticillium wilt caused by V. dahliae.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chunyan Wei
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Modern Biological Breeding of Henan Province, Henan Key Laboratory Molecular Ecology and Germplasm Innovation of Cotton and Wheat, School of Life Science and Technology, Henan Institute of Science and Technology, Henan, Xinxiang, 453003, China.
| | - Tengfei Qin
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Modern Biological Breeding of Henan Province, Henan Key Laboratory Molecular Ecology and Germplasm Innovation of Cotton and Wheat, School of Life Science and Technology, Henan Institute of Science and Technology, Henan, Xinxiang, 453003, China.
| | - Yuqing Li
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Modern Biological Breeding of Henan Province, Henan Key Laboratory Molecular Ecology and Germplasm Innovation of Cotton and Wheat, School of Life Science and Technology, Henan Institute of Science and Technology, Henan, Xinxiang, 453003, China.
| | - Weipeng Wang
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Modern Biological Breeding of Henan Province, Henan Key Laboratory Molecular Ecology and Germplasm Innovation of Cotton and Wheat, School of Life Science and Technology, Henan Institute of Science and Technology, Henan, Xinxiang, 453003, China.
| | - Tao Dong
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Modern Biological Breeding of Henan Province, Henan Key Laboratory Molecular Ecology and Germplasm Innovation of Cotton and Wheat, School of Life Science and Technology, Henan Institute of Science and Technology, Henan, Xinxiang, 453003, China.
| | - Qinglian Wang
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Modern Biological Breeding of Henan Province, Henan Key Laboratory Molecular Ecology and Germplasm Innovation of Cotton and Wheat, School of Life Science and Technology, Henan Institute of Science and Technology, Henan, Xinxiang, 453003, China.
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Su X, Lu G, Li X, Rehman L, Liu W, Sun G, Guo H, Wang G, Cheng H. Host-Induced Gene Silencing of an Adenylate Kinase Gene Involved in Fungal Energy Metabolism Improves Plant Resistance to Verticillium dahliae. Biomolecules 2020; 10:E127. [PMID: 31940882 PMCID: PMC7023357 DOI: 10.3390/biom10010127] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2019] [Revised: 01/10/2020] [Accepted: 01/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Verticillium wilt, caused by the ascomycete fungus Verticillium dahliae (Vd), is a devastating disease of numerous plant species. However, the pathogenicity/virulence-related genes in this fungus, which may be potential targets for improving plant resistance, remain poorly elucidated. For the study of these genes in Vd, we used a well-established host-induced gene silencing (HIGS) approach and identified 16 candidate genes, including a putative adenylate kinase gene (VdAK). Transiently VdAK-silenced plants developed milder wilt symptoms than control plants did. VdAK-knockout mutants were more sensitive to abiotic stresses and had reduced germination and virulence on host plants. Transgenic Nicotiana benthamiana and Arabidopsis thaliana plants that overexpressed VdAK dsRNAs had improved Vd resistance than the wild-type. RT-qPCR results showed that VdAK was also crucial for energy metabolism. Importantly, in an analysis of total small RNAs from Vd strains isolated from the transgenic plants, a small interfering RNA (siRNA) targeting VdAK was identified in transgenic N. benthamiana. Our results demonstrate that HIGS is a promising strategy for efficiently screening pathogenicity/virulence-related genes of Vd and that VdAK is a potential target to control this fungus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaofeng Su
- Biotechnology Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China; (X.S.); (G.L.); (X.L.); (L.R.); (G.S.); (H.G.)
| | - Guoqing Lu
- Biotechnology Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China; (X.S.); (G.L.); (X.L.); (L.R.); (G.S.); (H.G.)
| | - Xiaokang Li
- Biotechnology Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China; (X.S.); (G.L.); (X.L.); (L.R.); (G.S.); (H.G.)
| | - Latifur Rehman
- Biotechnology Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China; (X.S.); (G.L.); (X.L.); (L.R.); (G.S.); (H.G.)
- Department of Biotechnology, University of Swabi, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 23561, Pakistan
| | - Wende Liu
- State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, China;
| | - Guoqing Sun
- Biotechnology Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China; (X.S.); (G.L.); (X.L.); (L.R.); (G.S.); (H.G.)
| | - Huiming Guo
- Biotechnology Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China; (X.S.); (G.L.); (X.L.); (L.R.); (G.S.); (H.G.)
| | - Guoliang Wang
- State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, China;
- Department of Plant Pathology, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - Hongmei Cheng
- Biotechnology Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China; (X.S.); (G.L.); (X.L.); (L.R.); (G.S.); (H.G.)
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28
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Huang CY, Wang H, Hu P, Hamby R, Jin H. Small RNAs - Big Players in Plant-Microbe Interactions. Cell Host Microbe 2019; 26:173-182. [PMID: 31415750 DOI: 10.1016/j.chom.2019.07.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 135] [Impact Index Per Article: 27.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2019] [Revised: 07/25/2019] [Accepted: 07/29/2019] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Eukaryotic small RNAs (sRNAs) are short non-coding regulatory molecules that induce RNA interference (RNAi). During microbial infection, host RNAi machinery is highly regulated and contributes to reprogramming gene expression and balancing plant immunity and growth. While most sRNAs function endogenously, some can travel across organismal boundaries between hosts and microbes and silence genes in trans in interacting organisms, a mechanism called "cross-kingdom RNAi." During the co-evolutionary arms race between fungi and plants, some fungi developed a novel virulence mechanism, sending sRNAs as effector molecules into plant cells to silence plant immunity genes, whereas plants also transport sRNAs, mainly using extracellular vesicles, into the pathogens to suppress virulence-related genes. In this Review, we highlight recent discoveries on these key roles of sRNAs and RNAi machinery. Understanding the molecular mechanisms of sRNA biogenesis, trafficking, and RNAi machinery will help us develop innovative strategies for crop protection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chien-Yu Huang
- Department of Microbiology and Plant Pathology, Center for Plant Cell Biology, Institute for Integrative Genome Biology, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521, USA
| | - Huan Wang
- Department of Microbiology and Plant Pathology, Center for Plant Cell Biology, Institute for Integrative Genome Biology, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521, USA
| | - Po Hu
- Department of Microbiology and Plant Pathology, Center for Plant Cell Biology, Institute for Integrative Genome Biology, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521, USA
| | - Rachael Hamby
- Department of Microbiology and Plant Pathology, Center for Plant Cell Biology, Institute for Integrative Genome Biology, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521, USA
| | - Hailing Jin
- Department of Microbiology and Plant Pathology, Center for Plant Cell Biology, Institute for Integrative Genome Biology, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521, USA.
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29
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Xiong F, Liu M, Zhuo F, Yin H, Deng K, Feng S, Liu Y, Luo X, Feng L, Zhang S, Li Z, Ren M. Host-induced gene silencing of BcTOR in Botrytis cinerea enhances plant resistance to grey mould. Mol Plant Pathol 2019; 20:1722-1739. [PMID: 31622007 PMCID: PMC6859489 DOI: 10.1111/mpp.12873] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
Botrytis cinerea is the causal agent of grey mould for more than 200 plant species, including economically important vegetables, fruits and crops, which leads to economic losses worldwide. Target of rapamycin (TOR) acts a master regulator to control cell growth and proliferation by integrating nutrient, energy and growth factors in eukaryotic species, but little is known about whether TOR can function as a practicable target in the control of plant fungal pathogens. Here, we characterize TOR signalling of B. cinerea in the regulation of growth and pathogenicity as well as its potential value in genetic engineering for crop protection by bioinformatics analysis, pharmacological assays, biochemistry and genetics approaches. The results show that conserved TOR signalling occurs, and a functional FK506-binding protein 12 kD (FKBP12) mediates the interaction between rapamycin and B. cinerea TOR (BcTOR). RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) analysis revealed that BcTOR displayed conserved functions, particularly in controlling growth and metabolism. Furthermore, pathogenicity assay showed that BcTOR inhibition efficiently reduces the infection of B. cinerea in plant leaves of Arabidopsis and potato or tomato fruits. Additionally, transgenic plants expressing double-stranded RNA of BcTOR through the host-induced gene silencing method could produce abundant small RNAs targeting BcTOR, and significantly block the occurrence of grey mould in potato and tomato. Taken together, our results suggest that BcTOR is an efficient target for genetic engineering in control of grey mould, and also a potential and promising target applied in the biocontrol of plant fungal pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fangjie Xiong
- School of Life SciencesChongqing UniversityChongqing401331China
- Key Laboratory of Plant Hormone and Developmental Regulation of ChongqingChongqing401331China
| | - Mei Liu
- School of Life SciencesChongqing UniversityChongqing401331China
- Key Laboratory of Plant Hormone and Developmental Regulation of ChongqingChongqing401331China
| | - Fengping Zhuo
- School of Life SciencesChongqing UniversityChongqing401331China
- Key Laboratory of Plant Hormone and Developmental Regulation of ChongqingChongqing401331China
- School of Chemistry and Chemical EngineeringChongqing University of Science and TechnologyChongqing401331China
| | - Huan Yin
- School of Life SciencesChongqing UniversityChongqing401331China
- Key Laboratory of Plant Hormone and Developmental Regulation of ChongqingChongqing401331China
| | - Kexuan Deng
- School of Life SciencesChongqing UniversityChongqing401331China
- Key Laboratory of Plant Hormone and Developmental Regulation of ChongqingChongqing401331China
| | - Shun Feng
- School of Life SciencesChongqing UniversityChongqing401331China
- Key Laboratory of Plant Hormone and Developmental Regulation of ChongqingChongqing401331China
| | - Yudong Liu
- School of Life SciencesChongqing UniversityChongqing401331China
- Key Laboratory of Plant Hormone and Developmental Regulation of ChongqingChongqing401331China
| | - Xiumei Luo
- School of Life SciencesChongqing UniversityChongqing401331China
- Key Laboratory of Plant Hormone and Developmental Regulation of ChongqingChongqing401331China
| | - Li Feng
- School of Life SciencesChongqing UniversityChongqing401331China
- Key Laboratory of Plant Hormone and Developmental Regulation of ChongqingChongqing401331China
| | - Shumin Zhang
- School of Life SciencesChongqing UniversityChongqing401331China
- Key Laboratory of Plant Hormone and Developmental Regulation of ChongqingChongqing401331China
| | - Zhengguo Li
- School of Life SciencesChongqing UniversityChongqing401331China
- Key Laboratory of Plant Hormone and Developmental Regulation of ChongqingChongqing401331China
| | - Maozhi Ren
- School of Life SciencesChongqing UniversityChongqing401331China
- Key Laboratory of Plant Hormone and Developmental Regulation of ChongqingChongqing401331China
- Institute of Urban AgricultureChinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences/National Chengdu Agricultural Science and Technology CenterChengdu610000China
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30
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Zeng J, Gupta VK, Jiang Y, Yang B, Gong L, Zhu H. Cross-Kingdom Small RNAs Among Animals, Plants and Microbes. Cells 2019; 8:E371. [PMID: 31018602 DOI: 10.3390/cells8040371] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2019] [Revised: 04/12/2019] [Accepted: 04/20/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Small RNAs (sRNAs), a class of regulatory non-coding RNAs around 20~30-nt long, including small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) and microRNAs (miRNAs), are critical regulators of gene expression. Recently, accumulating evidence indicates that sRNAs can be transferred not only within cells and tissues of individual organisms, but also across different eukaryotic species, serving as a bond connecting the animal, plant, and microbial worlds. In this review, we summarize the results from recent studies on cross-kingdom sRNA communication. We not only review the horizontal transfer of sRNAs among animals, plants and microbes, but also discuss the mechanism of RNA interference (RNAi) signal transmission via cross-kingdom sRNAs. We also compare the advantages of host-induced gene silencing (HIGS) and spray-induced gene silencing (SIGS) technology and look forward to their applicable prospects in controlling fungal diseases.
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