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Wang W, Wang H, Zhang Z, Li W, Yin X, Long Y. Dual RNA sequencing during Trichoderma harzianum-Phytophthora capsici interaction reveals multiple biological processes involved in the inhibition and highlights the cell wall as a potential target. PEST MANAGEMENT SCIENCE 2024. [PMID: 38742618 DOI: 10.1002/ps.8160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2024] [Revised: 04/24/2024] [Accepted: 04/25/2024] [Indexed: 05/16/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Phytophthora capsici is a destructive oomycete pathogen, causing huge economic losses for agricultural production. The genus Trichoderma represents one of the most extensively researched categories of biocontrol agents, encompassing a diverse array of effective strains. The commercial biocontrol agent Trichoderma harzianum strain T-22 exhibits pronounced biocontrol effects against many plant pathogens, but its activity against P. capsici is not known. RESULTS T. harzianum T-22 significantly inhibited the growth of P. capsici mycelia and the culture filtrate of T-22 induced lysis of P. capsici zoospores. Electron microscopic analyses indicated that T-22 significantly modulated the ultrastructural composition of P. capsici, with a severe impact on the cell wall integrity. Dual RNA sequencing revealed multiple biological processes involved in the inhibition during the interaction between these two microorganisms. In particular, a marked upregulation of genes was identified in T. harzianum that are implicated in cell wall degradation or disruption. Concurrently, the presence of T. harzianum appeared to potentiate the susceptibility of P. capsici to cell wall biosynthesis inhibitors such as mandipropamid and dimethomorph. Further investigations showed that mandipropamid and dimethomorph could strongly inhibit the growth and development of P. capsici but had no impact on T. harzianum even at high concentrations, demonstrating the feasibility of combining T. harzianum and these cell wall synthesis inhibitors to combat P. capsici. CONCLUSION These findings provided enhanced insights into the biocontrol mechanisms against P. capsici with T. harzianum and evidenced compatibility between specific biological and chemical control strategies. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weizhen Wang
- Institute of Crop Protection, College of Agriculture, Guizhou University, Guiyang, People's Republic of China
| | - Haidong Wang
- Institute of Crop Protection, College of Agriculture, Guizhou University, Guiyang, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhuzhu Zhang
- Institute of Crop Protection, College of Agriculture, Guizhou University, Guiyang, People's Republic of China
| | - Wenzhi Li
- Institute of Crop Protection, College of Agriculture, Guizhou University, Guiyang, People's Republic of China
| | - Xianhui Yin
- Institute of Crop Protection, College of Agriculture, Guizhou University, Guiyang, People's Republic of China
| | - Youhua Long
- Institute of Crop Protection, College of Agriculture, Guizhou University, Guiyang, People's Republic of China
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Vink JNA, Hayhurst M, Gerth ML. Harnessing CRISPR-Cas for oomycete genome editing. Trends Microbiol 2023; 31:947-958. [PMID: 37127441 DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2023.03.017] [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: 10/20/2022] [Revised: 03/08/2023] [Accepted: 03/29/2023] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Oomycetes are a group of microorganisms that include pathogens responsible for devastating diseases in plants and animals worldwide. Despite their importance, the development of genome editing techniques for oomycetes has progressed more slowly than for model microorganisms. Here, we review recent breakthroughs in clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-Cas technologies that are expanding the genome editing toolbox for oomycetes - from the original Cas9 study to Cas12a editing, ribonucleoprotein (RNP) delivery, and complementation. We also discuss some of the challenges to applying CRISPR-Cas in oomycetes and potential ways to overcome them. Advances in CRISPR-Cas technologies are being used to illuminate the biology of oomycetes, which ultimately can guide the development of tools for managing oomycete diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jochem N A Vink
- School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington 6012, New Zealand
| | - Max Hayhurst
- School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington 6012, New Zealand
| | - Monica L Gerth
- School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington 6012, New Zealand; Bioprotection Aotearoa National Centre of Research Excellence, New Zealand.
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Sterol-Sensing Domain (SSD)-Containing Proteins in Sterol Auxotrophic Phytophthora capsici Mediate Sterol Signaling and Play a Role in Asexual Reproduction and Pathogenicity. Microbiol Spectr 2023; 11:e0379722. [PMID: 36629430 PMCID: PMC9927452 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.03797-22] [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] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Phytophthora species are devastating filamentous plant pathogens that belong to oomycetes, a group of microorganisms similar to fungi in morphology but phylogenetically distinct. They are sterol auxotrophic, but nevertheless exploit exogenous sterols for growth and development. However, as for now the mechanisms underlying sterol utilization in Phytophthora are unknown. In this study, we identified four genes in Phytophthora capsici that encode proteins containing a sterol-sensing domain (SSD), a protein domain of around 180 amino acids comprising five transmembrane segments and known to feature in sterol signaling in animals. Using a modified CRISPR/Cas9 system, we successfully knocked out the four genes named PcSCP1 to PcSCP4 (for P. capsici SSD-containing protein 1 to 4), either individually or sequentially, thereby creating single, double, triple, and quadruple knockout transformants. Results showed that knocking out just one of the four PcSCPs was not sufficient to block sterol signaling. However, the quadruple "all-four" PcSCPs knockout transformants no longer responded to sterol treatment in asexual reproduction, in contrast to wild-type P. capsici that produced zoospores under sterol treatment. Apparently, the four PcSCPs play a key role in sterol signaling in P. capsici with functional redundancy. Transcriptome analysis indicated that the expression of a subset of genes is regulated by exogenous sterols via PcSCPs. Further investigations showed that sterols could stimulate zoospore differentiation via PcSCPs by controlling actin-mediated membrane trafficking. Moreover, the pathogenicity of the "all-four" PcSCPs knockout transformants was significantly decreased and many pathogenicity related genes were downregulated, implying that PcSCPs also contribute to plant-pathogen interaction. IMPORTANCE Phytophthora is an important genus of oomycetes that comprises many destructive plant pathogens. Due to the incompleteness of the sterol synthesis pathway, Phytophthora spp. do not possess the ability to produce sterols. Therefore, these sterol auxotrophic oomycetes need to recruit sterols from the environment such as host plants to support growth and development, which seems crucial during pathogen-plant interactions. However, the mechanisms underlying sterol utilization by Phytophthora spp. remain largely unknown. Here, we show that a family of sterol-sensing domain-containing proteins (SCPs) consisting of four members in P. capsici plays a key role in sterol signaling with functional redundancy. Moreover, these SCPs play a role in different biological processes, including asexual reproduction and pathogenicity. Our study overall revealed the multiple functions of PcSCPs and addressed the question of how exogenous sterols regulate the development of heterothallic Phytophthora spp. via SSD-containing proteins.
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Zhao Y, Wang X, Zhang L, Wang K, Wu Y, Yao J, Cui B, Chen Z. Anti-Fungal Activity of Moutan cortex Extracts against Rice Sheath Blight ( Rhizoctonia solani) and Its Action on the Pathogen's Cell Membrane. ACS OMEGA 2022; 7:47048-47055. [PMID: 36570206 PMCID: PMC9773796 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.2c06150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2022] [Accepted: 11/25/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Rice sheath blight (RSB) caused by Rhizoctonia solani is one of the most destructive diseases of rice (Oryza sativa). Although chemical fungicides are the most important control methods, their long-term unreasonable application has brought about problems such as environmental pollution, food risks, and non-target poisoning. Therefore, considering the extraction of fungistatic substances from plants may be an alternative in the future. In this study, we found that the Moutan cortex ethanol extract has excellent antifungal activity against R. solani, with a 100% inhibition rate at 1000 μg/mL, which aroused our great exploration interest. In-depth exploration found that the antifungal active ingredients of M. cortex were mainly concentrated in the petroleum ether extract of the M. cortex ethanol extract, which still maintained a 100% inhibition rate with 250 μg/mL, and its effective medium concentration (EC50) was 145.33 μg/mL against R. solani. Through the measurement of extracellular relative conductivity and OD260, the petroleum ether extract induced leakage of intracellular electrolytes and nucleic acids, indicating that the cell membrane was ruined. Therefore, we preliminarily determined that the cell membrane may be the target of the petroleum ether extract. Moreover, we found that petroleum ether extract reduced the content of ergosterol, a component of the cell membrane, which may be one of the reasons for the cell membrane destruction. Furthermore, the increase of MDA content would lead to membrane lipid peroxidation, further aggravating membrane damage, resulting in increased membrane permeability. Also, the destruction of the cell membrane was observed by the phenomenon of the mycelium being transparent and broken. In conclusion, this is the first report of the M. cortex petroleum ether extract exhibiting excellent antifungal activity against R. solani. The effect of the M. cortex petroleum ether extract on R. solani may be on the cell membrane, inducing the disorder of intracellular substances and metabolism, which may be one of the antifungal mechanisms against R. solani.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yongtian Zhao
- College
of Life Science and Agriculture, Qiannan
Normal University for Nationalities, Duyun, Guizhou558000, China
| | - Xinge Wang
- College
of Life Science and Agriculture, Qiannan
Normal University for Nationalities, Duyun, Guizhou558000, China
| | - Lian Zhang
- College
of Life Science and Agriculture, Qiannan
Normal University for Nationalities, Duyun, Guizhou558000, China
| | - Keying Wang
- College
of Life Science and Agriculture, Qiannan
Normal University for Nationalities, Duyun, Guizhou558000, China
| | - Yanchun Wu
- College
of Life Science and Agriculture, Qiannan
Normal University for Nationalities, Duyun, Guizhou558000, China
| | - Jia Yao
- College
of Life Science and Agriculture, Qiannan
Normal University for Nationalities, Duyun, Guizhou558000, China
| | - Baolu Cui
- College
of Life Science and Agriculture, Qiannan
Normal University for Nationalities, Duyun, Guizhou558000, China
| | - Zhuo Chen
- Key
Laboratory of Green Pesticide and Agricultural Bioengineering, Ministry
of Education, Guizhou University, Guiyang, Guizhou550025, China
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Wang W, Cui T, Zhang F, Xue Z, Zhang B, Liu X. Functional Analysis of the C-5 Sterol Desaturase PcErg3 in the Sterol Auxotrophic Oomycete Pathogen Phytophthora capsici. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:811132. [PMID: 35651492 PMCID: PMC9151008 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.811132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2021] [Accepted: 04/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Although sterols play an important role in most eukaryotes, some oomycetes, including Phytophthora spp., have lost the sterol synthesis pathway. Nevertheless, the ERG3 gene encoding C-5 sterol desaturase in the sterol synthesis pathway is still present in the genomes of Phytophthora spp. Phytophthora capsici, a destructive pathogen with a broad range of plant hosts, poses a significant threat to the production of agriculture. This study focused on the ERG3 gene in P. capsici (PcERG3) and explored its function in this pathogen. It showed that the PcERG3 gene could be expressed in all tested developmental stages of P. capsici, with sporangium and mycelium displaying higher expression levels. A potential substrate of Erg3 (stellasterol) was used to treat the P. capsici wild-type strain and a PcERG3Δ transformant, and their sterol profiles were determined by GC-MS. The wild-type strain could convert stellasterol into the down-stream product while the transformant could not, indicating that PcErg3 retains the C-5 sterol desaturase activity. By comparing the biological characteristics of different strains, it was found that PcERG3 is not important for the development of P. capsici. The pathogenicity of the PcERG3Δ transformants and the wild-type strain was comparable, suggesting that PcERG3 is not necessary for the interaction between P. capsici and its hosts. Further investigations revealed that the PcERG3Δ transformants and the wild-type strain displayed a similar level of tolerance to external adversities such as unsuitable temperatures, high osmotic pressures, and intemperate pH, signifying that PcERG3 is not essential for P. capsici to cope with these environmental stresses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weizhen Wang
- Department of Plant Pathology, College of Plant Protection, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - Tongshan Cui
- Department of Plant Pathology, College of Plant Protection, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - Fan Zhang
- Department of Plant Pathology, College of Plant Protection, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - Zhaolin Xue
- Department of Plant Pathology, College of Plant Protection, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - Borui Zhang
- Department of Plant Pathology, College of Plant Protection, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - Xili Liu
- Department of Plant Pathology, College of Plant Protection, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China.,State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, College of Plant Protection, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China
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