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Gutiérrez-Sánchez A, Plasencia J, Monribot-Villanueva JL, Rodríguez-Haas B, Ruíz-May E, Guerrero-Analco JA, Sánchez-Rangel D. Virulence factors of the genus Fusarium with targets in plants. Microbiol Res 2023; 277:127506. [PMID: 37783182 DOI: 10.1016/j.micres.2023.127506] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2023] [Revised: 09/21/2023] [Accepted: 09/21/2023] [Indexed: 10/04/2023]
Abstract
Fusarium spp. comprise various species of filamentous fungi that cause severe diseases in plant crops of both agricultural and forestry interest. These plant pathogens produce a wide range of molecules with diverse chemical structures and biological activities. Genetic functional analyses of some of these compounds have shown their role as virulence factors (VF). However, their mode of action and contributions to the infection process for many of these molecules are still unknown. This review aims to analyze the state of the art in Fusarium VF, emphasizing their biological targets on the plant hosts. It also addresses the current experimental approaches to improve our understanding of their role in virulence and suggests relevant research questions that remain to be answered with a greater focus on species of agroeconomic importance. In this review, a total of 37 confirmed VF are described, including 22 proteinaceous and 15 non-proteinaceous molecules, mainly from Fusarium oxysporum and Fusarium graminearum and, to a lesser extent, in Fusarium verticillioides and Fusarium solani.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angélica Gutiérrez-Sánchez
- Laboratorios de Fitopatología y Biología Molecular, Red de Estudios Moleculares Avanzados, Clúster BioMimic®, Instituto de Ecología, A. C. Xalapa, Veracruz 91073, Mexico; Laboratorio de Química de Productos Naturales, Red de Estudios Moleculares Avanzados, Clúster BioMimic®, Instituto de Ecología, A. C. Xalapa, Veracruz 91073, Mexico
| | - Javier Plasencia
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Facultad de Química, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México 04510, Mexico
| | - Juan L Monribot-Villanueva
- Laboratorio de Química de Productos Naturales, Red de Estudios Moleculares Avanzados, Clúster BioMimic®, Instituto de Ecología, A. C. Xalapa, Veracruz 91073, Mexico
| | - Benjamín Rodríguez-Haas
- Laboratorios de Fitopatología y Biología Molecular, Red de Estudios Moleculares Avanzados, Clúster BioMimic®, Instituto de Ecología, A. C. Xalapa, Veracruz 91073, Mexico
| | - Eliel Ruíz-May
- Laboratorio de Proteómica, Red de Estudios Moleculares Avanzados, Clúster BioMimic®, Instituto de Ecología, A. C. Xalapa, Veracruz 91073, Mexico
| | - José A Guerrero-Analco
- Laboratorio de Química de Productos Naturales, Red de Estudios Moleculares Avanzados, Clúster BioMimic®, Instituto de Ecología, A. C. Xalapa, Veracruz 91073, Mexico.
| | - Diana Sánchez-Rangel
- Laboratorios de Fitopatología y Biología Molecular, Red de Estudios Moleculares Avanzados, Clúster BioMimic®, Instituto de Ecología, A. C. Xalapa, Veracruz 91073, Mexico; Investigador por México - CONAHCyT en la Red de Estudios Moleculares Avanzados del Instituto de Ecología, A. C. (INECOL), Carretera antigua a Coatepec 351, El Haya, Xalapa, Veracruz 91073, Mexico.
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Genome-Wide Identification and Analysis of FKBP Gene Family in Wheat ( Triticum asetivum). Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms232314501. [PMID: 36498828 PMCID: PMC9739119 DOI: 10.3390/ijms232314501] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2022] [Revised: 11/08/2022] [Accepted: 11/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
FK506-binding protein (FKBP) genes have been found to play vital roles in plant development and abiotic stress responses. However, limited information is available about this gene family in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). In this study, a total of 64 FKBP genes were identified in wheat via a genome-wide analysis involving a homologous search of the latest wheat genome data, which was unevenly distributed in 21 chromosomes, encoded 152 to 649 amino acids with molecular weights ranging from 16 kDa to 72 kDa, and was localized in the chloroplast, cytoplasm, nucleus, mitochondria, peroxisome and endoplasmic reticulum. Based on sequence alignment and phylogenetic analysis, 64 TaFKBPs were divided into four different groups or subfamilies, providing evidence of an evolutionary relationship with Aegilops tauschii, Brachypodium distachyon, Triticum dicoccoides, Arabidopsis thaliana and Oryza sativa. Hormone-related, abiotic stress-related and development-related cis-elements were preferentially presented in promoters of TaFKBPs. The expression levels of TaFKBP genes were investigated using transcriptome data from the WheatExp database, which exhibited tissue-specific expression patterns. Moreover, TaFKBPs responded to drought and heat stress, and nine of them were randomly selected for validation by qRT-PCR. Yeast cells expressing TaFKBP19-2B-2 or TaFKBP18-6B showed increased influence on drought stress, indicating their negative roles in drought tolerance. Collectively, our results provide valuable information about the FKBP gene family in wheat and contribute to further characterization of FKBPs during plant development and abiotic stress responses, especially in drought stress.
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Tente E, Ereful N, Rodriguez AC, Grant P, O'Sullivan DM, Boyd LA, Gordon A. Reprogramming of the wheat transcriptome in response to infection with Claviceps purpurea, the causal agent of ergot. BMC PLANT BIOLOGY 2021; 21:316. [PMID: 34215204 PMCID: PMC8252325 DOI: 10.1186/s12870-021-03086-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2020] [Accepted: 06/07/2021] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Ergot, caused by the fungal pathogen Claviceps purpurea, infects the female flowers of a range of cereal crops, including wheat. To understand the interaction between C. purpurea and hexaploid wheat we undertook an extensive examination of the reprogramming of the wheat transcriptome in response to C. purpurea infection through floral tissues (i.e. the stigma, transmitting and base ovule tissues of the ovary) and over time. RESULTS C. purpurea hyphae were observed to have grown into and down the stigma at 24 h (H) after inoculation. By 48H hyphae had grown through the transmitting tissue into the base, while by 72H hyphae had surrounded the ovule. By 5 days (D) the ovule had been replaced by fungal tissue. Differential gene expression was first observed at 1H in the stigma tissue. Many of the wheat genes differentially transcribed in response to C. purpurea infection were associated with plant hormones and included the ethylene (ET), auxin, cytokinin, gibberellic acid (GA), salicylic acid and jasmonic acid (JA) biosynthetic and signaling pathways. Hormone-associated genes were first detected in the stigma and base tissues at 24H, but not in the transmitting tissue. Genes associated with GA and JA pathways were seen in the stigma at 24H, while JA and ET-associated genes were identified in the base at 24H. In addition, several defence-related genes were differential expressed in response to C. purpurea infection, including antifungal proteins, endocytosis/exocytosis-related proteins, NBS-LRR class proteins, genes involved in programmed cell death, receptor protein kinases and transcription factors. Of particular interest was the identification of differential expression of wheat genes in the base tissue well before the appearance of fungal hyphae, suggesting that a mobile signal, either pathogen or plant-derived, is delivered to the base prior to colonisation. CONCLUSIONS Multiple host hormone biosynthesis and signalling pathways were significantly perturbed from an early stage in the wheat - C. purpurea interaction. Differential gene expression at the base of the ovary, ahead of arrival of the pathogen, indicated the potential presence of a long-distance signal modifying host gene expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eleni Tente
- NIAB, 93 Lawrence Weaver Road, Cambridge, CB3 0LE, UK
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3EA, UK
| | - Nelzo Ereful
- NIAB, 93 Lawrence Weaver Road, Cambridge, CB3 0LE, UK
- Philippine Genome Center, Plant Physiology Laboratory, Institute of Plant Breeding, University of the Philippines, Los Baños, Laguna, The Philippines
| | | | - Paul Grant
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3EA, UK
- Present Address: Microsoft Research, 21 Station Road, Cambridge, CB1 2FB, UK
| | - Donal M O'Sullivan
- School of Agriculture, Policy and Development, University of Reading, Whiteknights, Reading, RG6 6AR, UK
| | - Lesley A Boyd
- NIAB, 93 Lawrence Weaver Road, Cambridge, CB3 0LE, UK.
| | - Anna Gordon
- NIAB, 93 Lawrence Weaver Road, Cambridge, CB3 0LE, UK
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Tini F, Beccari G, Marconi G, Porceddu A, Sulyok M, Gardiner DM, Albertini E, Covarelli L. Identification of Putative Virulence Genes by DNA Methylation Studies in the Cereal Pathogen Fusarium graminearum. Cells 2021; 10:cells10051192. [PMID: 34068122 PMCID: PMC8152758 DOI: 10.3390/cells10051192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2021] [Revised: 05/03/2021] [Accepted: 05/10/2021] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
DNA methylation mediates organisms’ adaptations to environmental changes in a wide range of species. We investigated if a such a strategy is also adopted by Fusarium graminearum in regulating virulence toward its natural hosts. A virulent strain of this fungus was consecutively sub-cultured for 50 times (once a week) on potato dextrose agar. To assess the effect of subculturing on virulence, wheat seedlings and heads (cv. A416) were inoculated with subcultures (SC) 1, 23, and 50. SC50 was also used to re-infect (three times) wheat heads (SC50×3) to restore virulence. In vitro conidia production, colonies growth and secondary metabolites production were also determined for SC1, SC23, SC50, and SC50×3. Seedling stem base and head assays revealed a virulence decline of all subcultures, whereas virulence was restored in SC50×3. The same trend was observed in conidia production. The DNA isolated from SC50 and SC50×3 was subject to a methylation content-sensitive enzyme and double-digest, restriction-site-associated DNA technique (ddRAD-MCSeEd). DNA methylation analysis indicated 1024 genes, whose methylation levels changed in response to the inoculation on a healthy host after subculturing. Several of these genes are already known to be involved in virulence by functional analysis. These results demonstrate that the physiological shifts following sub-culturing have an impact on genomic DNA methylation levels and suggest that the ddRAD-MCSeEd approach can be an important tool for detecting genes potentially related to fungal virulence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesco Tini
- Department of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences, University of Perugia, Borgo XX Giugno, 74, 06121 Perugia, Italy; (F.T.); (G.B.); (E.A.); (L.C.)
| | - Giovanni Beccari
- Department of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences, University of Perugia, Borgo XX Giugno, 74, 06121 Perugia, Italy; (F.T.); (G.B.); (E.A.); (L.C.)
| | - Gianpiero Marconi
- Department of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences, University of Perugia, Borgo XX Giugno, 74, 06121 Perugia, Italy; (F.T.); (G.B.); (E.A.); (L.C.)
- Correspondence:
| | - Andrea Porceddu
- Department of Agriculture, University of Sassari, Viale Italia, 39a, 07100 Sassari, Italy;
| | - Micheal Sulyok
- Department of Agrobiotechnology (IFA-Tulln), University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU), Konrad Lorenz Strasse, 20, A-3430 Tulln, Austria;
| | - Donald M. Gardiner
- Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Agriculture and Food, 306 Carmody Road, St Lucia, QLD 4067, Australia;
| | - Emidio Albertini
- Department of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences, University of Perugia, Borgo XX Giugno, 74, 06121 Perugia, Italy; (F.T.); (G.B.); (E.A.); (L.C.)
| | - Lorenzo Covarelli
- Department of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences, University of Perugia, Borgo XX Giugno, 74, 06121 Perugia, Italy; (F.T.); (G.B.); (E.A.); (L.C.)
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Yang B, Wang Y, Tian M, Dai K, Zheng W, Liu Z, Yang S, Liu X, Shi D, Zhang H, Wang Y, Ye W, Wang Y. Fg12 ribonuclease secretion contributes to Fusarium graminearum virulence and induces plant cell death. JOURNAL OF INTEGRATIVE PLANT BIOLOGY 2021; 63:365-377. [PMID: 32725938 DOI: 10.1111/jipb.12997] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2020] [Accepted: 07/28/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Filamentous fungal pathogens secrete effectors that modulate host immunity and facilitate infection. Fusarium graminearum is an important plant pathogen responsible for various devastating diseases. However, little is known about the function of effector proteins secreted by F. graminearum. Herein, we identified several effector candidates in the F. graminearum secretome. Among them, the secreted ribonuclease Fg12 was highly upregulated during the early stages of F. graminearum infection in soybean; its deletion compromised the virulence of F. graminearum. Transient expression of Fg12 in Nicotiana benthamiana induced cell death in a light-dependent manner. Fg12 possessed ribonuclease (RNase) activity, degrading total RNA. The enzymatic activity of Fg12 was required for its cell death-promoting effects. Importantly, the ability of Fg12 to induce cell death was independent of BAK1/SOBIR1, and treatment of soybean with recombinant Fg12 protein induced resistance to various pathogens, including F. graminearum and Phytophthora sojae. Overall, our results provide evidence that RNase effectors not only contribute to pathogen virulence but also induce plant cell death.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bo Yang
- Department of Plant Pathology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
- The Key Laboratory of Plant Immunity, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
| | - Yuyin Wang
- Department of Plant Pathology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
- The Key Laboratory of Plant Immunity, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
| | - Mengjun Tian
- Department of Plant Pathology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
- The Key Laboratory of Plant Immunity, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
| | - Kaixin Dai
- Department of Plant Pathology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
- The Key Laboratory of Plant Immunity, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
| | - Wenyue Zheng
- Department of Plant Pathology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
- The Key Laboratory of Plant Immunity, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
| | - Zehan Liu
- Department of Plant Pathology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
- The Key Laboratory of Plant Immunity, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
| | - Sen Yang
- Department of Plant Pathology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
- The Key Laboratory of Plant Immunity, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
| | - Xinyu Liu
- Department of Plant Pathology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
- The Key Laboratory of Plant Immunity, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
| | - Dongya Shi
- Department of Plant Pathology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
- The Key Laboratory of Plant Immunity, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
| | - Haifeng Zhang
- Department of Plant Pathology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
- The Key Laboratory of Plant Immunity, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
| | - Yan Wang
- Department of Plant Pathology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
- The Key Laboratory of Plant Immunity, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
| | - Wenwu Ye
- Department of Plant Pathology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
- The Key Laboratory of Plant Immunity, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
| | - Yuanchao Wang
- Department of Plant Pathology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
- The Key Laboratory of Plant Immunity, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
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Fabre F, Urbach S, Roche S, Langin T, Bonhomme L. Proteomics-Based Data Integration of Wheat Cultivars Facing Fusarium graminearum Strains Revealed a Core-Responsive Pattern Controlling Fusarium Head Blight. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2021; 12:644810. [PMID: 34135919 PMCID: PMC8201412 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2021.644810] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2020] [Accepted: 04/07/2021] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Fusarium head blight (FHB), mainly occurring upon Fusarium graminearum infection in a wide variety of small-grain cereals, is supposed to be controlled by a range of processes diverted by the fungal pathogen, the so-called susceptibility factors. As a mean to provide relevant information about the molecular events involved in FHB susceptibility in bread wheat, we studied an extensive proteome of more than 7,900 identified wheat proteins in three cultivars of contrasting susceptibilities during their interaction with three F. graminearum strains of different aggressiveness. No cultivar-specific proteins discriminated the three wheat genotypes, demonstrating the establishment of a core proteome regardless of unequivocal FHB susceptibility differences. Quantitative protein analysis revealed that most of the FHB-induced molecular adjustments were shared by wheat cultivars and occurred independently of the F. graminearum strain aggressiveness. Although subtle abundance changes evidenced genotype-dependent responses to FHB, cultivar distinction was found to be mainly due to basal abundance differences, especially regarding the chloroplast functions. Integrating these data with previous proteome mapping of the three F. graminearum strains facing the three same wheat cultivars, we demonstrated strong correlations between the wheat protein abundance changes and the adjustments of fungal proteins supposed to interfere with host molecular functions. Together, these results provide a resourceful dataset that expands our understanding of the specific molecular events taking place during the wheat-F. graminearum interaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francis Fabre
- Université Clermont Auvergne, INRAE, UMR 1095 Génétique Diversité Ecophysiologie des Céréales, Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Serge Urbach
- Institut de Génomique Fonctionnelle, Université de Montpellier, CNRS, INSERM, Montpellier, France
| | - Sylvie Roche
- INRAE, Unité Experimentale 1375, Phénotypage au Champ des Céréales (PHACC), Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Thierry Langin
- Université Clermont Auvergne, INRAE, UMR 1095 Génétique Diversité Ecophysiologie des Céréales, Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Ludovic Bonhomme
- Université Clermont Auvergne, INRAE, UMR 1095 Génétique Diversité Ecophysiologie des Céréales, Clermont-Ferrand, France
- *Correspondence: Ludovic Bonhomme,
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Fabre F, Rocher F, Alouane T, Langin T, Bonhomme L. Searching for FHB Resistances in Bread Wheat: Susceptibility at the Crossroad. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2020; 11:731. [PMID: 32595664 PMCID: PMC7300258 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2020.00731] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2020] [Accepted: 05/07/2020] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
Fusarium head blight (FHB), primarily caused by Fusarium graminearum, is one of the most devastating fungal wheat diseases. During the past decades, many efforts have been deployed to dissect FHB resistance, investigating both the wheat responses to infection and, more recently, the fungal determinants of pathogenicity. Although no total resistance has been identified so far, they demonstrated that some plant functions and the expression of specific genes are needed to promote FHB. Associated with the increasing list of F. graminearum effectors able to divert plant molecular processes, this fact strongly argues for a functional link between susceptibility-related factors and the fate of this disease in wheat. In this review, we gather more recent data concerning the involvement of plant and fungal genes and the functions and mechanisms in the development of FHB susceptibility, and we discuss the possibility to use them to diversify the current sources of FHB resistance.
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Castiblanco V, Marulanda JJ, Würschum T, Miedaner T. Candidate gene based association mapping in Fusarium culmorum for field quantitative pathogenicity and mycotoxin production in wheat. BMC Genet 2017; 18:49. [PMID: 28525967 PMCID: PMC5438566 DOI: 10.1186/s12863-017-0511-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2016] [Accepted: 05/08/2017] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Quantitative traits are common in nature, but quantitative pathogenicity has received only little attention in phytopathology. In this study, we used 100 Fusarium culmorum isolates collected from natural field environments to assess their variation for two quantitative traits, aggressiveness and deoxynivalenol (DON) production on wheat plants grown in four different field environments (location-year combinations). Seventeen Fusarium graminearum pathogenicity candidate genes were assessed for their effect on the aggressiveness and DON production of F. culmorum under field conditions. Results For both traits, genotypic variance among isolates was high and significant while the isolate-by-environment interaction was also significant, amounting to approximately half of the genotypic variance. Among the studied candidate genes, the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) HOG1 was found to be significantly associated with aggressiveness and deoxynivalenol (DON) production, explaining 10.29 and 6.05% of the genotypic variance, respectively. Conclusions To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of a protein kinase regulator explaining differences in field aggressiveness and mycotoxin production among individuals from natural populations of a plant pathogen. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12863-017-0511-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valheria Castiblanco
- State Plant Breeding Institute, University of Hohenheim, 70593, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Jose J Marulanda
- Institute of Plant Breeding, Seed Science and Population Genetics, University of Hohenheim, 79593, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Tobias Würschum
- State Plant Breeding Institute, University of Hohenheim, 70593, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Thomas Miedaner
- State Plant Breeding Institute, University of Hohenheim, 70593, Stuttgart, Germany.
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Ma W, Kilaru S, Collins C, Courbot M, Steinberg G. Libraries for two-hybrid screening of yeast and hyphal growth forms in Zymoseptoria tritici. Fungal Genet Biol 2016; 79:94-101. [PMID: 26092795 PMCID: PMC4502458 DOI: 10.1016/j.fgb.2015.03.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2015] [Revised: 03/12/2015] [Accepted: 03/21/2015] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Pathogenic fungi are constantly emerging resistance to anti-fungal treatments. Therefore, identification of new fungicide targets is important. Good candidates are essential fungal proteins and their regulators. An efficient way to reveal the molecular environment of an essential protein is the search for interacting factors. Here, we establish three yeast two-hybrid libraries, covering yeast and hyphal stages of the wheat pathogen Zymoseptoria tritici. No detectable genomic DNA was present in any of the 3 libraries. Random amplification revealed that the libraries include cDNA fragments of up to 2000bp, suggesting that small-to-medium sized proteins are represented therein. Indeed, full-length cDNAs of five proteins were found in all libraries. The full-length cDNA of large chitin synthase gene mcs1 (5742bp with introns; 5568bp without introns) could not be amplified, but its 5' and 3' regions were represented, suggesting that even larger genes are covered in all libraries. Finally, we tested for the expected interaction of the autophagy proteins ZtAtg4 and ZtAtg8 in Z. tritici, and then used ZtAtg4 to screen one of the two-hybrid libraries. Indeed, we found ZtAtg8 as a positive interaction partner, confirming that interacting proteins can be identified. Thus, these molecular tools promise to be useful in identifying novel fungicide target proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- W Ma
- Biosciences, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4QD, UK
| | - S Kilaru
- Biosciences, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4QD, UK.
| | - C Collins
- Shannon Applied Biotechnology Centre, Limerick Institute of Technology, Moylish Park, Limerick, Ireland(2)
| | - M Courbot
- Syngenta Crop Protection AG, Schaffhauserstrasse, 4332 Stein, Switzerland
| | - G Steinberg
- Biosciences, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4QD, UK.
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Falloon K, Juvvadi PR, Richards AD, Vargas-Muñiz JM, Renshaw H, Steinbach WJ. Characterization of the FKBP12-Encoding Genes in Aspergillus fumigatus. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0137869. [PMID: 26366742 PMCID: PMC4569257 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0137869] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2015] [Accepted: 08/22/2015] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Invasive aspergillosis, largely caused by Aspergillus fumigatus, is responsible for a growing number of deaths among immunosuppressed patients. Immunosuppressants such as FK506 (tacrolimus) that target calcineurin have shown promise for antifungal drug development. FK506-binding proteins (FKBPs) form a complex with calcineurin in the presence of FK506 (FKBP12-FK506) and inhibit calcineurin activity. Research on FKBPs in fungi is limited, and none of the FKBPs have been previously characterized in A. fumigatus. We identified four orthologous genes of FKBP12, the human FK506 binding partner, in A. fumigatus and designated them fkbp12-1, fkbp12-2, fkbp12-3, and fkbp12-4. Deletional analysis of the four genes revealed that the Δfkbp12-1 strain was resistant to FK506, indicating FKBP12-1 as the key mediator of FK506-binding to calcineurin. The endogenously expressed FKBP12-1-EGFP fusion protein localized to the cytoplasm and nuclei under normal growth conditions but also to the hyphal septa following FK506 treatment, revealing its interaction with calcineurin. The FKBP12-1-EGFP fusion protein didn’t localize at the septa in the presence of FK506 in the cnaA deletion background, confirming its interaction with calcineurin. Testing of all deletion strains in the Galleria mellonella model of aspergillosis suggested that these proteins don’t play an important role in virulence. While the Δfkbp12-2 and Δfkbp12-3 strains didn’t show any discernable phenotype, the Δfkbp12-4 strain displayed slight growth defect under normal growth conditions and inhibition of the caspofungin-mediated “paradoxical growth effect” at higher concentrations of the antifungal caspofungin. Together, these results indicate that while only FKBP12-1 is the bona fide binding partner of FK506, leading to the inhibition of calcineurin in A. fumigatus, FKBP12-4 may play a role in basal growth and the caspofungin-mediated paradoxical growth response. Exploitation of differences between A. fumigatus FKBP12-1 and human FKBP12 will be critical for the generation of fungal-specific FK506 analogs to inhibit fungal calcineurin and treat invasive fungal disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katie Falloon
- Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, United States of America
| | - Praveen R. Juvvadi
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, United States of America
| | - Amber D. Richards
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, United States of America
| | - José M. Vargas-Muñiz
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, United States of America
| | - Hilary Renshaw
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, United States of America
| | - William J. Steinbach
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, United States of America
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Plant immunophilins: a review of their structure-function relationship. Biochim Biophys Acta Gen Subj 2014; 1850:2145-58. [PMID: 25529299 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbagen.2014.12.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2014] [Revised: 12/13/2014] [Accepted: 12/15/2014] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Originally discovered as receptors for immunosuppressive drugs, immunophilins consist of two major groups, FK506 binding proteins (FKBPs) and cyclosporin A binding proteins (cyclophilins, CYPs). Many members in both FKBP and CYP families are peptidyl prolyl isomerases that are involved in protein folding processes, though they share little sequence homology. It is not surprising to find immunophilins in all organisms examined so far, including viruses, bacteria, fungi, plants and animals, as protein folding represents a common process in all living systems. SCOPE OF REVIEW Studies on plant immunophilins have revealed new functions beyond protein folding and new structural properties beyond that of typical PPIases. This review focuses on the structural and functional diversity of plant FKBPs and CYPs. MAJOR CONCLUSIONS The differences in sequence, structure as well as subcellular localization, have added on to the diversity of this family of molecular chaperones. In particular, the large number of immunophilins present in the thylakoid lumen of the photosynthetic organelle, promises to deliver insights into the regulation of photosynthesis, a unique feature of plant systems. However, very little structural information and functional data are available for plant immunophilins. GENERAL SIGNIFICANCE Studies on the structure and function of plant immunophilins are important in understanding their role in plant biology. By reviewing the structural and functional properties of some immunophilins that represent the emerging area of research in plant biology, we hope to increase the interest of researchers in pursuing further research in this area. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled Proline-directed Foldases: Cell Signaling Catalysts and Drug Targets.
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