Incidence, Identification, and Mycoparasitic Activity of Clonostachys epichloë, a Hyperparasite of the Fungal Endophyte Epichloë typhina

Endophytic fungi: hidden treasure chest of antimicrobial metabolites interrelationship of endophytes and metabolites

Endophytic fungi comprise host-associated fungal communities which thrive within the tissues of host plants and produce a diverse range of secondary metabolites with various bioactive attributes. The metabolites such as phenols, polyketides, saponins, alkaloids help to mitigate biotic and abiotic stresses, fight against pathogen attacks and enhance the plant immune system. We present an overview of the association of endophytic fungal communities with a plant host and discuss molecular mechanisms induced during their symbiotic interaction. The overview focuses on the secondary metabolites (especially those of terpenoid nature) secreted by endophytic fungi and their respective function. The recent advancement in multi-omics approaches paved the way for identification of these metabolites and their characterization via comparative analysis of extensive omics datasets. This study also elaborates on the role of diverse endophytic fungi associated with key agricultural crops and hence important for sustainability of agriculture.

The fungus Clonostachys epichloë alters the influence of the Epichloë endophyte on seed germination and the biomass of Puccinellia distans grass

The fungal grass endophyte Epichloë typhina (Pers.) Tul. & C. Tul. (Ascomycota: Clavicipitaceae) grows intercellulary in aerial plant parts and reproduces asexually by invading host seeds. In this phase, it enhances seed production and germination, which accelerates its vertical spread. This relationship may be distorted by other seed-born fungi, whose spread is not so directly dependent on the success of the grass. Recently, the fungus Clonostachys epichloë Schroers has been observed on Puccinellia distans (Jacq.) Parl seeds originating from grass clumps infested with stromata, sexual structures of Epichloë typhina that are formed in spring on some host culms, preventing flower and seed development ('choke disease'). C. epichloë shows mycoparasitic activity toward Epichloë stromata by reducing the production of ascospores, which are responsible for horizontal transmission of the fungus. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of seed-borne C. epichloë on seed germination, as well as the size and weight of P. distans seedlings and to examine whether C. epichloë alters the influence of Epichloë in the early developmental stages of P. distans. The results showed that if C. epichloë acts on seeds together with E. typhina endophytes, the seeds were negatively affected due to the elimination of the positive effect of the latter in terms of both seed germination rate and seedling length. At the same time, C. epichloë increased the proportion of E. typhina-untreated germinated seeds. Additionally, only the joint action of the two fungi, E. typhina and C. epichloë, effectively stimulated seedling dry mass; the presence of E. typhina alone was not sufficient to noticeably affect seedling size. Based on the increasing commonality of C. epichloë on Epichloë stromata, as well as its potential to be used in biocontrol of 'choke disease', we should take a closer look at this fungus, not only in terms of its mycoparasitic ability, but also in terms of its cumulative impact on the whole Epichloë-grass system.

Leaf Mycobiome and Mycotoxin Profile of Warm-Season Grasses Structured by Plant Species, Geography, and Apparent Black-Stroma Fungal Structure

Grasses harbor diverse fungi, including some that produce mycotoxins or other secondary metabolites. Recently, Florida cattle farmers reported cattle illness, while the cattle were grazing on warm-season grass pastures, that was not attributable to common causes, such as nutritional imbalances or nitrate toxicity. To understand correlations between grass mycobiome and mycotoxin production, we investigated the mycobiomes associated with five prominent, perennial forage and weed grasses [Paspalum notatum Flügge, Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers., Paspalum nicorae Parodi, Sporobolus indicus (L.) R. Br., and Andropogon virginicus (L.)] collected from six Florida pastures actively grazed by livestock. Black fungal stromata of Myriogenospora and Balansia were observed on P. notatum and S. indicus leaves and were investigated. High-throughput amplicon sequencing was applied to delineate leaf mycobiomes. Mycotoxins from P. notatum leaves were inspected using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Grass species, cultivars, and geographic localities interactively affected fungal community assemblies of asymptomatic leaves. Among the grass species, the greatest fungal richness was detected in the weed S. indicus. The black fungal structures of P. notatum leaves were dominated by the genus Myriogenospora, while those of S. indicus were codominated by the genus Balansia and a hypermycoparasitic fungus of the genus Clonostachys. When comparing mycotoxins detected in P. notatum leaves with and without M. atramentosa, emodin, an anthraquinone, was the only compound which was significantly different (P < 0.05). Understanding the leaf mycobiome and the mycotoxins it may produce in warm-season grasses has important implications for how these associations lead to secondary metabolite production and their subsequent impact on animal health. IMPORTANCE The leaf mycobiome of forage grasses can have a major impact on their mycotoxin contents of forage and subsequently affect livestock health. Despite the importance of the cattle industry in warm-climate regions, such as Florida, studies have been primarily limited to temperate forage systems. Our study provides a holistic view of leaf fungi considering epibiotic, endophytic, and hypermycoparasitic associations with five perennial, warm-season forage and weed grasses. We highlight that plant identity and geographic location interactively affect leaf fungal community composition. Yeasts appeared to be an overlooked fungal group in healthy forage mycobiomes. Furthermore, we detected high emodin quantities in the leaves of a widely planted forage species (P. notatum) whenever epibiotic fungi occurred. Our study demonstrated the importance of identifying fungal communities, ecological roles, and secondary metabolites in perennial, warm-season grasses and their potential for interfering with livestock health.

Endophytic Microorganisms Associated with Reversion of Silverleaf Disease Symptoms in Apple

Silverleaf is caused by the fungus Chondrostereum purpureum, which produces wood necrosis and foliar silvering in woody plants. Field observations and studies in apple have shown the reversion of foliar symptoms. Because plants were clones and received identical agronomical management, it was hypothesized that reversion is driven by endophytic microbiota. Thus, the objectives of this study were to compare healthy, diseased, and reverted plants with respect to their physiology, endophytic microbial communities, antagonistic ability of their endophytes against C. purpureum, and defense genes expression. Water potential, stomatal conductance, chlorophyll content, and fluorescence were measured. Endophytic bacterial and fungal DNA were analyzed by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis, and community richness and similarity were calculated. Wood cores were collected and bacterial and fungal endophytes were isolated and confronted with C. purpureum-virulent strains in dual-culture assays. Defense genes expression was measured by quantitative PCR. Results indicated that there were no differences in physiological parameters between healthy and reverted plants, except for fluorescence, and both type of plants differed from diseased ones. Bacterial and fungal community richness was similar in healthy and reverted plants and higher than in diseased ones. Endophytes from reverted and healthy plants showed high antagonism to C. purpureum. Furthermore, nonexpressor of pathogenesis-related gene 1 expression was upregulated in reverted plants, whereas phenylalanine ammonia lyase and polygalacturonase-inhibiting protein genes showed higher values in diseased plants. Overall, physiological, molecular, and microbial characteristics were similar between healthy and reverted plants, and both differed from diseased ones. Therefore, reversion of symptoms is associated with changes in the endophytic microbiota, which seems to be a promising source of biological control agents against C. purpureum.

Endophytic Fungi: From Symbiosis to Secondary Metabolite Communications or Vice Versa?

Endophytic fungi (EF) are a group of fascinating host-associated fungal communities that colonize the intercellular or intracellular spaces of host tissues, providing beneficial effects to their hosts while gaining advantages. In recent decades, accumulated research on endophytic fungi has revealed their biodiversity, wide-ranging ecological distribution, and multidimensional interactions with host plants and other microbiomes in the symbiotic continuum. In this review, we highlight the role of secondary metabolites (SMs) as effectors in these multidimensional interactions, and the biosynthesis of SMs in symbiosis via complex gene expression regulation mechanisms in the symbiotic continuum and via the mimicry or alteration of phytochemical production in host plants. Alternative biological applications of SMs in modern medicine, agriculture, and industry and their major classes are also discussed. This review recapitulates an introduction to the research background, progress, and prospects of endophytic biology, and discusses problems and substantive challenges that need further study.

Effects of the Clonostachys epichloë fungal hyperparasite on the symbiotic interaction between Botanophila flies and Epichloë fungus

Botanophila flies are associated with Epichloë fungi in a symbiotic relationship in which the flies benefit from stromata as a food source for both adults and larvae, and the fungus benefits from the transfer of conidia by the flies, resulting in fertilization. Derogations from this pattern indicate that the Epichloë-Botanophila interaction cannot be clearly defined. The situation may be complicated by reports of new elements of the interaction, e.g., Wolbachia bacteria present in Botanophila larvae. The present study investigates the impact of Clonostachys epichloë (Speg.) Schroers, the fungal hyperparasite of Epichloë stromata, on the Botanophila-Epichloë interaction. The interaction between C. epichloë and Botanophila flies associated with Epichloë typhina subsp. clarkii (J.F. White) Leuchtm. & Schardl stromata was studied in the Holcus lanatus L. grass population. C. epichloë was present on 76.5% of stromata, covering on average 44.8 ± 32.1% of its surface and influencing the final perithecial coverage to the same extent as larval feeding. C. epichloë began to appear on stromata much later than the fly eggs and did not affect the preference for Botanophila egg laying. On the other hand, C. epichloë reduced larval hatching success and increased the mortality of the larvae. Clonostachys was responsible for 76.0% of all deaths, overgrowing brood chambers, and its mycelium was present both on and within larvae in all cases. Overall, as a result of the presence of C. epichloë, the number of Botanophila fly offspring decreased by 52.7%. Of the 26 surviving larvae, 10 (38.5%) were affected by C. epichloë, and their weight was significantly lower than that of unaffected larvae. Results show that C. epichloë, a new element of the interaction between E. typhina fungus and Botanophila flies, negatively affects both fungal reproduction and the offspring success of flies. This is the first report on the entomopathogenic activity of C. epichloë against Epichloë-associated Botanophila flies.