1
|
Lax C, Mondo SJ, Osorio-Concepción M, Muszewska A, Corrochano-Luque M, Gutiérrez G, Riley R, Lipzen A, Guo J, Hundley H, Amirebrahimi M, Ng V, Lorenzo-Gutiérrez D, Binder U, Yang J, Song Y, Cánovas D, Navarro E, Freitag M, Gabaldón T, Grigoriev IV, Corrochano LM, Nicolás FE, Garre V. Symmetric and asymmetric DNA N6-adenine methylation regulates different biological responses in Mucorales. Nat Commun 2024; 15:6066. [PMID: 39025853 PMCID: PMC11258239 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-50365-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2024] [Accepted: 07/05/2024] [Indexed: 07/20/2024] Open
Abstract
DNA N6-adenine methylation (6mA) has recently gained importance as an epigenetic modification in eukaryotes. Its function in lineages with high levels, such as early-diverging fungi (EDF), is of particular interest. Here, we investigated the biological significance and evolutionary implications of 6mA in EDF, which exhibit divergent evolutionary patterns in 6mA usage. The analysis of two Mucorales species displaying extreme 6mA usage reveals that species with high 6mA levels show symmetric methylation enriched in highly expressed genes. In contrast, species with low 6mA levels show mostly asymmetric 6mA. Interestingly, transcriptomic regulation throughout development and in response to environmental cues is associated with changes in the 6mA landscape. Furthermore, we identify an EDF-specific methyltransferase, likely originated from endosymbiotic bacteria, as responsible for asymmetric methylation, while an MTA-70 methylation complex performs symmetric methylation. The distinct phenotypes observed in the corresponding mutants reinforced the critical role of both types of 6mA in EDF.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Carlos Lax
- Departamento de Genética y Microbiología, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Murcia, Murcia, Spain
| | - Stephen J Mondo
- U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
- Department of Agricultural Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, 80523, USA
- Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Macario Osorio-Concepción
- Departamento de Genética y Microbiología, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Murcia, Murcia, Spain
| | - Anna Muszewska
- Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Pawinskiego 5A, 02-106, Warsaw, Poland
| | | | - Gabriel Gutiérrez
- Departamento de Genética, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Sevilla, Sevilla, Spain
| | - Robert Riley
- U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Anna Lipzen
- U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Jie Guo
- U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Hope Hundley
- U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Mojgan Amirebrahimi
- U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Vivian Ng
- U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Damaris Lorenzo-Gutiérrez
- Departamento de Genética y Microbiología, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Murcia, Murcia, Spain
| | - Ulrike Binder
- Institute of Hygiene and Medical Microbiology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Junhuan Yang
- College of Food Science and Engineering, Lingnan Normal University, Zhanjiang, 524048, China
| | - Yuanda Song
- Colin Ratledge Center for Microbial Lipids, School of Agricultural Engineering and Food Science, Shandong University of Technology, Zibo, 255049, China
| | - David Cánovas
- Departamento de Genética, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Sevilla, Sevilla, Spain
| | - Eusebio Navarro
- Departamento de Genética y Microbiología, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Murcia, Murcia, Spain
| | - Michael Freitag
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, 97331, USA
| | - Toni Gabaldón
- Barcelona Supercomputing Centre (BSC-CNS), Plaça Eusebi Güell, 1-3, 08034, Barcelona, Spain
- Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Baldiri Reixac, 10, 08028, Barcelona, Spain
- Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies (ICREA), Barcelona, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Infecciosas (CIBERINFEC), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Igor V Grigoriev
- U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
- Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Luis M Corrochano
- Departamento de Genética, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Sevilla, Sevilla, Spain.
| | - Francisco E Nicolás
- Departamento de Genética y Microbiología, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Murcia, Murcia, Spain.
| | - Victoriano Garre
- Departamento de Genética y Microbiología, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Murcia, Murcia, Spain.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Serrano K, Tedeschi F, Andersen SU, Scheller HV. Unraveling plant-microbe symbioses using single-cell and spatial transcriptomics. TRENDS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2024:S1360-1385(24)00152-3. [PMID: 38991926 DOI: 10.1016/j.tplants.2024.06.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2024] [Revised: 06/12/2024] [Accepted: 06/19/2024] [Indexed: 07/13/2024]
Abstract
Plant-microbe symbioses require intense interaction and genetic coordination to successfully establish in specific cell types of the host and symbiont. Traditional RNA-seq methodologies lack the cellular resolution to fully capture these complexities, but single-cell and spatial transcriptomics (ST) are now allowing scientists to probe symbiotic interactions at an unprecedented level of detail. Here, we discuss the advantages that novel spatial and single-cell transcriptomic technologies provide in studying plant-microbe endosymbioses and highlight key recent studies. Finally, we consider the remaining limitations of applying these approaches to symbiosis research, which are mainly related to the simultaneous capture of both plant and microbial transcripts within the same cells.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Karen Serrano
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA; DOE Joint BioEnergy Institute, 5885 Hollis Street, Emeryville, CA 94608, USA; Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 1 Cyclotron Road, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Francesca Tedeschi
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University, Universitetsbyen 81, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Stig U Andersen
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University, Universitetsbyen 81, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark.
| | - Henrik V Scheller
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA; DOE Joint BioEnergy Institute, 5885 Hollis Street, Emeryville, CA 94608, USA; Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 1 Cyclotron Road, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Oliveira JIN, Corradi N. Strain-specific evolution and host-specific regulation of transposable elements in the model plant symbiont Rhizophagus irregularis. G3 (BETHESDA, MD.) 2024; 14:jkae055. [PMID: 38507600 PMCID: PMC11075540 DOI: 10.1093/g3journal/jkae055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2023] [Revised: 12/06/2023] [Accepted: 03/07/2024] [Indexed: 03/22/2024]
Abstract
Transposable elements (TEs) are repetitive DNA that can create genome structure and regulation variability. The genome of Rhizophagus irregularis, a widely studied arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus (AMF), comprises ∼50% repetitive sequences that include TEs. Despite their abundance, two-thirds of TEs remain unclassified, and their regulation among AMF life stages remains unknown. Here, we aimed to improve our understanding of TE diversity and regulation in this model species by curating repeat datasets obtained from chromosome-level assemblies and by investigating their expression across multiple conditions. Our analyses uncovered new TE superfamilies and families in this model symbiont and revealed significant differences in how these sequences evolve both within and between R. irregularis strains. With this curated TE annotation, we also found that the number of upregulated TE families in colonized roots is 4 times higher than in the extraradical mycelium, and their overall expression differs depending on the plant host. This work provides a fine-scale view of TE diversity and evolution in model plant symbionts and highlights their transcriptional dynamism and specificity during host-microbe interactions. We also provide Hidden Markov Model profiles of TE domains for future manual curation of uncharacterized sequences (https://github.com/jordana-olive/TE-manual-curation/tree/main).
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Nicolas Corradi
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada K1N 6N5
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Ledford WC, Silvestri A, Fiorilli V, Roth R, Rubio-Somoza I, Lanfranco L. A journey into the world of small RNAs in the arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2024; 242:1534-1544. [PMID: 37985403 DOI: 10.1111/nph.19394] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2023] [Accepted: 10/15/2023] [Indexed: 11/22/2023]
Abstract
Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) symbiosis is a mutualistic interaction between fungi and most land plants that is underpinned by a bidirectional exchange of nutrients. AM development is a tightly regulated process that encompasses molecular communication for reciprocal recognition, fungal accommodation in root tissues and activation of symbiotic function. As such, a complex network of transcriptional regulation and molecular signaling underlies the cellular and metabolic reprogramming of host cells upon AM fungal colonization. In addition to transcription factors, small RNAs (sRNAs) are emerging as important regulators embedded in the gene network that orchestrates AM development. In addition to controlling cell-autonomous processes, plant sRNAs also function as mobile signals capable of moving to different organs and even to different plants or organisms that interact with plants. AM fungi also produce sRNAs; however, their function in the AM symbiosis remains largely unknown. Here, we discuss the contribution of host sRNAs in the development of AM symbiosis by considering their role in the transcriptional reprogramming of AM fungal colonized cells. We also describe the characteristics of AM fungal-derived sRNAs and emerging evidence for the bidirectional transfer of functional sRNAs between the two partners to mutually modulate gene expression and control the symbiosis.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- William Conrad Ledford
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin, Turin, 10125, Italy
- Molecular Reprogramming and Evolution (MoRE) Lab, Centre for Research in Agricultural Genomics (CRAG), CSIC-IRTA-UAB-UB, Barcelona, 08193, Spain
| | - Alessandro Silvestri
- Molecular Reprogramming and Evolution (MoRE) Lab, Centre for Research in Agricultural Genomics (CRAG), CSIC-IRTA-UAB-UB, Barcelona, 08193, Spain
| | - Valentina Fiorilli
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin, Turin, 10125, Italy
| | - Ronelle Roth
- Department of Biology, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3RB, UK
| | - Ignacio Rubio-Somoza
- Molecular Reprogramming and Evolution (MoRE) Lab, Centre for Research in Agricultural Genomics (CRAG), CSIC-IRTA-UAB-UB, Barcelona, 08193, Spain
- Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Barcelona, 08001, Spain
| | - Luisa Lanfranco
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin, Turin, 10125, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Doddavarapu B, Lata C, Shah JM. Epigenetic regulation influenced by soil microbiota and nutrients: Paving road to epigenome editing in plants. Biochim Biophys Acta Gen Subj 2024; 1868:130580. [PMID: 38325761 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbagen.2024.130580] [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: 06/16/2023] [Revised: 12/25/2023] [Accepted: 02/02/2024] [Indexed: 02/09/2024]
Abstract
Soil is a complex ecosystem that houses microbes and nutrients that are necessary for plant development. Edaphic properties of the soil and environmental conditions influence microbial growth and nutrient accessibility. Various environmental stimuli largely affect the soil microbes and ionic balance, in turn influencing plants. Soil microflora helps decompose organic matter and is involved in mineral uptake. The combination of soil microbes and mineral nutrients notably affects plant growth. Recent advancements have enabled a deeper understanding of plant genetic/molecular regulators. Deficiencies/sufficiencies of soil minerals and microbes also alter plant gene regulation. Gene regulation mediated by epigenetic mechanisms comprises conformational alterations in chromatin structure, DNA/histone modifications, or involvement of small RNAs. Epigenetic regulation is unique due to its potential to inherit without involving alteration of the DNA sequence. Thus, the compilation study of heritable epigenetic changes driven by nutrient imbalances and soil microbes would facilitate understanding this molecular phenomenon in plants. This information can aid in epigenome editing, which has recently emerged as a promising technology for plant non-transgenic/non-mutagenic modification. Potential epigenetic marks induced by biotic and abiotic stresses in plants could be explored as target sites for epigenome editing. This review discusses novel ways of epigenome editing to create epigenome edited plants with desirable and heritable phenotypes. As plants are sessile and in constant exposure to the soil microbiome and nutrients, epigenetic changes induced by these factors could provide more effective, stable and a sustainable molecular solution for crop improvement.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Bhavya Doddavarapu
- Department of Plant Science, Central University of Kerala, Kerala, India
| | - Charu Lata
- Inclusive Health & Traditional Knowledge Studies Division, CSIR- National Institute of Science Communication and Policy Research, New Delhi, India
| | - Jasmine M Shah
- Department of Plant Science, Central University of Kerala, Kerala, India.
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Serrano K, Bezrutczyk M, Goudeau D, Dao T, O'Malley R, Malmstrom RR, Visel A, Scheller HV, Cole B. Spatial co-transcriptomics reveals discrete stages of the arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis. NATURE PLANTS 2024; 10:673-688. [PMID: 38589485 PMCID: PMC11035146 DOI: 10.1038/s41477-024-01666-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2023] [Accepted: 03/06/2024] [Indexed: 04/10/2024]
Abstract
The symbiotic interaction of plants with arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi is ancient and widespread. Plants provide AM fungi with carbon in exchange for nutrients and water, making this interaction a prime target for crop improvement. However, plant-fungal interactions are restricted to a small subset of root cells, precluding the application of most conventional functional genomic techniques to study the molecular bases of these interactions. Here we used single-nucleus and spatial RNA sequencing to explore both Medicago truncatula and Rhizophagus irregularis transcriptomes in AM symbiosis at cellular and spatial resolution. Integrated, spatially registered single-cell maps revealed infected and uninfected plant root cell types. We observed that cortex cells exhibit distinct transcriptome profiles during different stages of colonization by AM fungi, indicating dynamic interplay between both organisms during establishment of the cellular interface enabling successful symbiosis. Our study provides insight into a symbiotic relationship of major agricultural and environmental importance and demonstrates a paradigm combining single-cell and spatial transcriptomics for the analysis of complex organismal interactions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Karen Serrano
- Joint Bioenergy Institute, Emeryville, CA, USA
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Margaret Bezrutczyk
- Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Danielle Goudeau
- Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Thai Dao
- Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Ronan O'Malley
- Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Rex R Malmstrom
- Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Axel Visel
- Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA
- School of Natural Sciences, University of California Merced, Merced, CA, USA
| | - Henrik V Scheller
- Joint Bioenergy Institute, Emeryville, CA, USA
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Benjamin Cole
- Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA.
- Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Sena L, Mica E, Valè G, Vaccino P, Pecchioni N. Exploring the potential of endophyte-plant interactions for improving crop sustainable yields in a changing climate. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2024; 15:1349401. [PMID: 38571718 PMCID: PMC10988515 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2024.1349401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2023] [Accepted: 03/05/2024] [Indexed: 04/05/2024]
Abstract
Climate change poses a major threat to global food security, significantly reducing crop yields as cause of abiotic stresses, and for boosting the spread of new and old pathogens and pests. Sustainable crop management as a route to mitigation poses the challenge of recruiting an array of solutions and tools for the new aims. Among these, the deployment of positive interactions between the micro-biotic components of agroecosystems and plants can play a highly significant role, as part of the agro-ecological revolution. Endophytic microorganisms have emerged as a promising solution to tackle this challenge. Among these, Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi (AMF) and endophytic bacteria and fungi have demonstrated their potential to alleviate abiotic stresses such as drought and heat stress, as well as the impacts of biotic stresses. They can enhance crop yields in a sustainable way also by other mechanisms, such as improving the nutrient uptake, or by direct effects on plant physiology. In this review we summarize and update on the main types of endophytes, we highlight several studies that demonstrate their efficacy in improving sustainable yields and explore possible avenues for implementing crop-microbiota interactions. The mechanisms underlying these interactions are highly complex and require a comprehensive understanding. For this reason, omic technologies such as genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics have been employed to unravel, by a higher level of information, the complex network of interactions between plants and microorganisms. Therefore, we also discuss the various omic approaches and techniques that have been used so far to study plant-endophyte interactions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lorenzo Sena
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Vita, Sede Agraria, UNIMORE - Università di Modena e Reggio Emilia, Reggio Emilia, Italy
- Centro di Ricerca Cerealicoltura e Colture Industriali, CREA – Consiglio per la Ricerca in Agricoltura e l’Analisi dell’Economia Agraria, Vercelli, Italy
| | - Erica Mica
- Dipartimento per lo Sviluppo Sostenibile e la Transizione Ecologica, UPO – Università del Piemonte Orientale, Complesso San Giuseppe, Vercelli, Italy
| | - Giampiero Valè
- Dipartimento per lo Sviluppo Sostenibile e la Transizione Ecologica, UPO – Università del Piemonte Orientale, Complesso San Giuseppe, Vercelli, Italy
| | - Patrizia Vaccino
- Centro di Ricerca Cerealicoltura e Colture Industriali, CREA – Consiglio per la Ricerca in Agricoltura e l’Analisi dell’Economia Agraria, Vercelli, Italy
| | - Nicola Pecchioni
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Vita, Sede Agraria, UNIMORE - Università di Modena e Reggio Emilia, Reggio Emilia, Italy
- Centro di Ricerca Cerealicoltura e Colture Industriali, CREA – Consiglio per la Ricerca in Agricoltura e l’Analisi dell’Economia Agraria, Vercelli, Italy
- Centro di Ricerca Cerealicoltura e Colture Industriali, CREA – Consiglio per la Ricerca in Agricoltura e l’Analisi dell’Economia Agraria, Foggia, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Ahammed KS, van Hoof A. Fungi of the order Mucorales express a "sealing-only" tRNA ligase. RNA (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2024; 30:354-366. [PMID: 38307611 PMCID: PMC10946435 DOI: 10.1261/rna.079957.124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2023] [Accepted: 01/20/2024] [Indexed: 02/04/2024]
Abstract
Some eukaryotic pre-tRNAs contain an intron that is removed by a dedicated set of enzymes. Intron-containing pre-tRNAs are cleaved by tRNA splicing endonuclease, followed by ligation of the two exons and release of the intron. Fungi use a "heal and seal" pathway that requires three distinct catalytic domains of the tRNA ligase enzyme, Trl1. In contrast, humans use a "direct ligation" pathway carried out by RTCB, an enzyme completely unrelated to Trl1. Because of these mechanistic differences, Trl1 has been proposed as a promising drug target for fungal infections. To validate Trl1 as a broad-spectrum drug target, we show that fungi from three different phyla contain Trl1 orthologs with all three domains. This includes the major invasive human fungal pathogens, and these proteins can each functionally replace yeast Trl1. In contrast, species from the order Mucorales, including the pathogens Rhizopus arrhizus and Mucor circinelloides, have an atypical Trl1 that contains the sealing domain but lacks both healing domains. Although these species contain fewer tRNA introns than other pathogenic fungi, they still require splicing to decode three of the 61 sense codons. These sealing-only Trl1 orthologs can functionally complement defects in the corresponding domain of yeast Trl1 and use a conserved catalytic lysine residue. We conclude that Mucorales use a sealing-only enzyme together with unidentified nonorthologous healing enzymes for their heal and seal pathway. This implies that drugs that target the sealing activity are more likely to be broader-spectrum antifungals than drugs that target the healing domains.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Khondakar Sayef Ahammed
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, UT MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Houston Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
| | - Ambro van Hoof
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, UT MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Houston Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Ahammed KS, van Hoof A. Fungi of the order Mucorales express a "sealing-only" tRNA ligase. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.11.16.567474. [PMID: 38014270 PMCID: PMC10680797 DOI: 10.1101/2023.11.16.567474] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2023]
Abstract
Some eukaryotic pre-tRNAs contain an intron that is removed by a dedicated set of enzymes. Intron-containing pre-tRNAs are cleaved by tRNA splicing endonuclease (TSEN), followed by ligation of the two exons and release of the intron. Fungi use a "heal and seal" pathway that requires three distinct catalytic domains of the tRNA ligase enzyme, Trl1. In contrast, humans use a "direct ligation" pathway carried out by RTCB, an enzyme completely unrelated to Trl1. Because of these mechanistic differences, Trl1 has been proposed as a promising drug target for fungal infections. To validate Trl1 as a broad-spectrum drug target, we show that fungi from three different phyla contain Trl1 orthologs with all three domains. This includes the major invasive human fungal pathogens, and these proteins each can functionally replace yeast Trl1. In contrast, species from the order Mucorales, including the pathogens Rhizopus arrhizus and Mucor circinelloides, contain an atypical Trl1 that contains the sealing domain, but lack both healing domains. Although these species contain fewer tRNA introns than other pathogenic fungi, they still require splicing to decode three of the 61 sense codons. These sealing-only Trl1 orthologs can functionally complement defects in the corresponding domain of yeast Trl1 and use a conserved catalytic lysine residue. We conclude that Mucorales use a sealing-only enzyme together with unidentified non-orthologous healing enzymes for their heal and seal pathway. This implies that drugs that target the sealing activity are more likely to be broader-spectrum antifungals than drugs that target the healing domains.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Khondakar Sayef Ahammed
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics. UT MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Houston Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
| | - Ambro van Hoof
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics. UT MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Houston Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Qian J, Ibrahim HMM, Erz M, Kümmel F, Panstruga R, Kusch S. Long noncoding RNAs emerge from transposon-derived antisense sequences and may contribute to infection stage-specific transposon regulation in a fungal phytopathogen. Mob DNA 2023; 14:17. [PMID: 37964319 PMCID: PMC10648671 DOI: 10.1186/s13100-023-00305-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2023] [Accepted: 10/18/2023] [Indexed: 11/16/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The genome of the obligate biotrophic phytopathogenic barley powdery mildew fungus Blumeria hordei is inflated due to highly abundant and possibly active transposable elements (TEs). In the absence of the otherwise common repeat-induced point mutation transposon defense mechanism, noncoding RNAs could be key for regulating the activity of TEs and coding genes during the pathogenic life cycle. RESULTS We performed time-course whole-transcriptome shotgun sequencing (RNA-seq) of total RNA derived from infected barley leaf epidermis at various stages of fungal pathogenesis and observed significant transcript accumulation and time point-dependent regulation of TEs in B. hordei. Using a manually curated consensus database of 344 TEs, we discovered phased small RNAs mapping to 104 consensus transposons, suggesting that RNA interference contributes significantly to their regulation. Further, we identified 5,127 long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) genome-wide in B. hordei, of which 823 originated from the antisense strand of a TE. Co-expression network analysis of lncRNAs, TEs, and coding genes throughout the asexual life cycle of B. hordei points at extensive positive and negative co-regulation of lncRNAs, subsets of TEs and coding genes. CONCLUSIONS Our work suggests that similar to mammals and plants, fungal lncRNAs support the dynamic modulation of transcript levels, including TEs, during pivotal stages of host infection. The lncRNAs may support transcriptional diversity and plasticity amid loss of coding genes in powdery mildew fungi and may give rise to novel regulatory elements and virulence peptides, thus representing key drivers of rapid evolutionary adaptation to promote pathogenicity and overcome host defense.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jiangzhao Qian
- Unit of Plant Molecular Cell Biology, Institute for Biology I, RWTH Aachen University, Worringerweg 1, 52056, Aachen, Germany
| | - Heba M M Ibrahim
- Department of Biosystems, Division of Plant Biotechnics, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, 3001, Leuven, Belgium
- Present address: Institute of Bio- and Geosciences IBG-2, Forschungszentrum Jülich, 52425, Jülich, Germany
| | - Myriam Erz
- Unit of Plant Molecular Cell Biology, Institute for Biology I, RWTH Aachen University, Worringerweg 1, 52056, Aachen, Germany
| | - Florian Kümmel
- Unit of Plant Molecular Cell Biology, Institute for Biology I, RWTH Aachen University, Worringerweg 1, 52056, Aachen, Germany
- Present address: Department of Plant-Microbe Interactions, Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research, Carl-Von-Linné-Weg 10, 50829, Cologne, Germany
| | - Ralph Panstruga
- Unit of Plant Molecular Cell Biology, Institute for Biology I, RWTH Aachen University, Worringerweg 1, 52056, Aachen, Germany
| | - Stefan Kusch
- Unit of Plant Molecular Cell Biology, Institute for Biology I, RWTH Aachen University, Worringerweg 1, 52056, Aachen, Germany.
- Present address: Institute of Bio- and Geosciences IBG-4, Forschungszentrum Jülich, 52425, Jülich, Germany.
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Sperschneider J, Yildirir G, Rizzi YS, Malar C M, Mayrand Nicol A, Sorwar E, Villeneuve-Laroche M, Chen ECH, Iwasaki W, Brauer EK, Bosnich W, Gutjahr C, Corradi N. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi heterokaryons have two nuclear populations with distinct roles in host-plant interactions. Nat Microbiol 2023; 8:2142-2153. [PMID: 37884816 DOI: 10.1038/s41564-023-01495-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2023] [Accepted: 09/11/2023] [Indexed: 10/28/2023]
Abstract
Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are prominent root symbionts that can carry thousands of nuclei deriving from two parental strains in a large syncytium. These co-existing genomes can also vary in abundance with changing environmental conditions. Here we assemble the nuclear genomes of all four publicly available AMF heterokaryons using PacBio high-fidelity and Hi-C sequencing. We find that the two co-existing genomes of these strains are phylogenetically related but differ in structure, content and epigenetics. We confirm that AMF heterokaryon genomes vary in relative abundance across conditions and show this can lead to nucleus-specific differences in expression during interactions with plants. Population analyses also reveal signatures of genetic exchange indicative of past events of sexual reproduction in these strains. This work uncovers the origin and contribution of two nuclear genomes in AMF heterokaryons and opens avenues for the improvement and environmental application of these strains.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jana Sperschneider
- Black Mountain Science and Innovation Park, CSIRO Agriculture and Food, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
| | - Gokalp Yildirir
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Yanina S Rizzi
- Plant Genetics, TUM School of Life Sciences, Technical University of Munich, Freising, Germany
- Max-Planck-Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology, Potsdam-Golm, Germany
| | - Mathu Malar C
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | | | - Essam Sorwar
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | | | - Eric C H Chen
- Department of Integrated Biosciences, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Wataru Iwasaki
- Department of Integrated Biosciences, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Elizabeth K Brauer
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
- Ottawa Research and Development Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Whynn Bosnich
- Ottawa Research and Development Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Caroline Gutjahr
- Plant Genetics, TUM School of Life Sciences, Technical University of Munich, Freising, Germany
- Max-Planck-Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology, Potsdam-Golm, Germany
| | - Nicolas Corradi
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Qiao SA, Gao Z, Roth R. A perspective on cross-kingdom RNA interference in mutualistic symbioses. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2023; 240:68-79. [PMID: 37452489 PMCID: PMC10952549 DOI: 10.1111/nph.19122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2023] [Accepted: 05/24/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023]
Abstract
RNA interference (RNAi) is arguably one of the more versatile mechanisms in cell biology, facilitating the fine regulation of gene expression and protection against mobile genomic elements, whilst also constituting a key aspect of induced plant immunity. More recently, the use of this mechanism to regulate gene expression in heterospecific partners - cross-kingdom RNAi (ckRNAi) - has been shown to form a critical part of bidirectional interactions between hosts and endosymbionts, regulating the interplay between microbial infection mechanisms and host immunity. Here, we review the current understanding of ckRNAi as it relates to interactions between plants and their pathogenic and mutualistic endosymbionts, with particular emphasis on evidence in support of ckRNAi in the arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Serena A Qiao
- Department of Biology, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3RB, UK
| | - Zongyu Gao
- Department of Biology, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3RB, UK
| | - Ronelle Roth
- Department of Biology, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3RB, UK
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Lanfranco L, Bonfante P. Lessons from arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal genomes. Curr Opin Microbiol 2023; 75:102357. [PMID: 37419003 DOI: 10.1016/j.mib.2023.102357] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2023] [Revised: 06/15/2023] [Accepted: 06/15/2023] [Indexed: 07/09/2023]
Abstract
Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) have accompanied the majority of land plants since their evolution in the Devonian period with a symbiotic alliance centered on nutrient exchanges. The exploration of AMF genomes is providing clues to explain major questions about their biology, evolution, and ecology. The dynamics of nuclei across the fungal life cycle, the abundance of transposable elements, and the epigenome landscape are emerging as sources of intraspecific variability, which can be especially important in organisms with no or rare sexual reproduction such as AMF. These features have been hypothesized to support AMF adaptability to a wide host range and to environmental changes. New insights on plant-fungus communication and on the iconic function of phosphate transport were also recently obtained that overall contribute to a better understanding of this ancient and fascinating symbiosis.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Luisa Lanfranco
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin, Viale Mattioli 25, 10125 Turin, Italy.
| | - Paola Bonfante
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin, Viale Mattioli 25, 10125 Turin, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Manley BF, Lotharukpong JS, Barrera-Redondo J, Llewellyn T, Yildirir G, Sperschneider J, Corradi N, Paszkowski U, Miska EA, Dallaire A. A highly contiguous genome assembly reveals sources of genomic novelty in the symbiotic fungus Rhizophagus irregularis. G3 (BETHESDA, MD.) 2023; 13:jkad077. [PMID: 36999556 PMCID: PMC10234402 DOI: 10.1093/g3journal/jkad077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2022] [Accepted: 03/17/2023] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
The root systems of most plant species are aided by the soil-foraging capacities of symbiotic arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi of the Glomeromycotina subphylum. Despite recent advances in our knowledge of the ecology and molecular biology of this mutualistic symbiosis, our understanding of the AM fungi genome biology is just emerging. Presented here is a close to T2T genome assembly of the model AM fungus Rhizophagus irregularis DAOM197198, achieved through Nanopore long-read DNA sequencing and Hi-C data. This haploid genome assembly of R. irregularis, alongside short- and long-read RNA-Sequencing data, was used to produce a comprehensive annotation catalog of gene models, repetitive elements, small RNA loci, and DNA cytosine methylome. A phylostratigraphic gene age inference framework revealed that the birth of genes associated with nutrient transporter activity and transmembrane ion transport systems predates the emergence of Glomeromycotina. While nutrient cycling in AM fungi relies on genes that existed in ancestor lineages, a burst of Glomeromycotina-restricted genetic innovation is also detected. Analysis of the chromosomal distribution of genetic and epigenetic features highlights evolutionarily young genomic regions that produce abundant small RNAs, suggesting active RNA-based monitoring of genetic sequences surrounding recently evolved genes. This chromosome-scale view of the genome of an AM fungus genome reveals previously unexplored sources of genomic novelty in an organism evolving under an obligate symbiotic life cycle.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Bethan F Manley
- SPUN|Society for the Protection of Underground Networks, 3500 South DuPont Highway, Suite EI-101, Dover, DE 19901, USA
- Gurdon Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1QN, UK
| | - Jaruwatana S Lotharukpong
- Department of Algal Development and Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Biology, Max-Planck-Ring 5, Tübingen 72076, Germany
| | - Josué Barrera-Redondo
- Department of Algal Development and Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Biology, Max-Planck-Ring 5, Tübingen 72076, Germany
| | - Theo Llewellyn
- Comparative Fungal Biology, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Jodrell Laboratory, Richmond TW9 3DS, UK
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK
| | - Gokalp Yildirir
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada K1N 6N5
| | - Jana Sperschneider
- Agriculture and Food, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia
| | - Nicolas Corradi
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada K1N 6N5
| | - Uta Paszkowski
- Crop Science Centre, Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB3 0LE, UK
| | - Eric A Miska
- Gurdon Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1QN, UK
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge CB2 1QW, UK
| | - Alexandra Dallaire
- Gurdon Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1QN, UK
- Comparative Fungal Biology, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Jodrell Laboratory, Richmond TW9 3DS, UK
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge CB2 1QW, UK
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Teulet A, Quan C, Evangelisti E, Wanke A, Yang W, Schornack S. A pathogen effector FOLD diversified in symbiotic fungi. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2023. [PMID: 37257494 DOI: 10.1111/nph.18996] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2023] [Accepted: 04/27/2023] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Pathogenic fungi use secreted effector proteins to suppress immunity and support their infection, but effectors have also been reported from fungi that engage in nutritional symbioses with plants. Sequence-based effector comparisons between pathogens and symbiotic arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi are hampered by the huge diversity of effector sequences even within closely related microbes. To find sequence-divergent but structurally similar effectors shared between symbiotic and pathogenic fungi, we compared secreted protein structure models of the AM fungus Rhizophagus irregularis to known pathogen effectors. We identified proteins with structural similarity to known Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici dual domain (FOLD) effectors, which occur in low numbers in several fungal pathogens. Contrastingly, FOLD genes from AM fungi (MycFOLDs) are found in enlarged and diversified gene families with higher levels of positive selection in their C-terminal domains. Our structure model comparison suggests that MycFOLDs are similar to carbohydrate-binding motifs. Different MycFOLD genes are expressed during colonisation of different hosts and MycFOLD-17 transcripts accumulate in plant intracellular arbuscules. The exclusive presence of MycFOLDs across unrelated plant-colonising fungi, their inducible expression, lineage-specific sequence diversification and transcripts in arbuscules suggest that FOLD proteins act as effectors during plant colonisation of symbiotic and pathogenic fungi.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Albin Teulet
- Sainsbury Laboratory, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1LR, UK
| | - Clément Quan
- Sainsbury Laboratory, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1LR, UK
| | | | - Alan Wanke
- Sainsbury Laboratory, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1LR, UK
| | - Weibing Yang
- Sainsbury Laboratory, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1LR, UK
| | | |
Collapse
|
16
|
Li YH, Chang JC, Yen MR, Huang YF, Chen TH, Chen LH, Nai YS. Whole-genome DNA methylome analysis of different developmental stages of the entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana NCHU-157 by nanopore sequencing. Front Genet 2023; 14:1085631. [PMID: 36741316 PMCID: PMC9889659 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2023.1085631] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2022] [Accepted: 01/09/2023] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
The entomopathogenic fungus (EPF), Beauveria bassiana, is an important and commonly used EPF for microbial control. However, the role of DNA methylation has not been thoroughly studied. Therefore, the whole genomic DNA methylome of one promising EPF isolate, B. bassiana NCHU-157 (Bb-NCHU-157), was investigated by Oxford Nanopore Technologies (ONT). First, the whole genome of Bb-NCHU-157 was sequenced by next-generation sequencing (NGS) and ONT. The genome of Bb-NCHU-157 contains 16 contigs with 34.19 Mb and 50% GC content, which are composed of 10,848 putative protein-coding genes. Two putative DNA methyltransferases (DNMTs) were found, including Dim-2 and C-5 cytosine-specific DNA methylases. Both DNMTs showed higher expression levels in the mycelium stage than in the conidia stage, indicating that development of DNA methylation in Bb-NCHU-157 might occur in the mycelium stage. The global methylation level of the mycelium stage (5 mC = 4.56%, CG = 3.33%, CHG = 0.74%, CHH = 0.49%) was higher than that of the conidial stage (5 mC = 2.99%, CG = 1.99%, CHG = 0.63%, CHH = 0.37%) in both the gene and transposable element (TE) regions. Furthermore, the TE regions showed higher methylation frequencies than the gene regions, especially for CHH site methylation, suggesting regulation of genomic stabilization during mycelium development. In the gene regions, high methylation frequencies were found around the transcription start site (TSS) and transcription end site (TES). Moreover, CG and CHG methylation mainly occur in the promoter and intergenic regions, while CHH methylation occurs in the TE region. Among the methylated regions, 371, 661, and 756 differentially DNA methylated regions (DMRs) were hypermethylated in the mycelium in CG, CHG, and CHH, while only 13 and 7 DMRs were hypomethylated in the mycelium in CHG, and CHH, respectively. Genes located in the DMR shared the GO terms, DNA binding (GO: 0003677), and sequence-specific DNA binding (GO: 0043565) for hypermethylation in the mycelium, suggesting that methylation might regulate gene expression from the initial process. Evaluation of the DNA methylome in Bb-NCHU-157 by ONT provided new insight into this field. These data will be further validated, and epigenetic regulation during the development of B. bassiana will be explored.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yi-Hsuan Li
- Department of Entomology, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung City, Taiwan
| | - Ju-Chun Chang
- Department of Entomology, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung City, Taiwan
| | - Ming-Ren Yen
- Department of Entomology, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung City, Taiwan
| | - Yu-Feng Huang
- Department of Entomology, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung City, Taiwan,Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Yuan-Ze University, Taoyuan City, Taiwan
| | - Tzu-Han Chen
- Department of Entomology, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung City, Taiwan
| | - Li-Hung Chen
- Department of Plant Pathology, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung City, Taiwan,Advanced Plant Biotechnology Center, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung City, Taiwan
| | - Yu-Shin Nai
- Department of Entomology, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung City, Taiwan,*Correspondence: Yu-Shin Nai,
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
McGale E, Sanders IR. Integrating plant and fungal quantitative genetics to improve the ecological and agricultural applications of mycorrhizal symbioses. Curr Opin Microbiol 2022; 70:102205. [PMID: 36201974 DOI: 10.1016/j.mib.2022.102205] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2022] [Revised: 08/12/2022] [Accepted: 08/18/2022] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Finding and targeting genes that quantitatively contribute to agricultural and ecological processes progresses food production and conservation efforts. Typically, quantitative genetic approaches link variants in a single organism's genome with a trait of interest. Recently, genome-to-genome mapping has found genome variants interacting between species to produce the result of a multiorganism (including multikingdom) interaction. These were plant and bacterial pathogen genome interactions; plant-fungal coquantitative genetics have not yet been applied. Plant-mycorrhizae symbioses exist across most biomes, for a majority of land plants, including crop plants, and manipulate many traits from single organisms to ecosystems for which knowing the genetic basis would be useful. The availability of Rhizophagus irregularis mycorrhizal isolates, with genomic information, makes dual-genome methods with beneficial mutualists accessible and imminent.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Erica McGale
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, Biophore Building, University of Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Ian R Sanders
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, Biophore Building, University of Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland.
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Gluck-Thaler E, Ralston T, Konkel Z, Ocampos CG, Ganeshan VD, Dorrance AE, Niblack TL, Wood CW, Slot JC, Lopez-Nicora HD, Vogan AA. Giant Starship Elements Mobilize Accessory Genes in Fungal Genomes. Mol Biol Evol 2022; 39:msac109. [PMID: 35588244 PMCID: PMC9156397 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msac109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Accessory genes are variably present among members of a species and are a reservoir of adaptive functions. In bacteria, differences in gene distributions among individuals largely result from mobile elements that acquire and disperse accessory genes as cargo. In contrast, the impact of cargo-carrying elements on eukaryotic evolution remains largely unknown. Here, we show that variation in genome content within multiple fungal species is facilitated by Starships, a newly discovered group of massive mobile elements that are 110 kb long on average, share conserved components, and carry diverse arrays of accessory genes. We identified hundreds of Starship-like regions across every major class of filamentous Ascomycetes, including 28 distinct Starships that range from 27 to 393 kb and last shared a common ancestor ca. 400 Ma. Using new long-read assemblies of the plant pathogen Macrophomina phaseolina, we characterize four additional Starships whose activities contribute to standing variation in genome structure and content. One of these elements, Voyager, inserts into 5S rDNA and contains a candidate virulence factor whose increasing copy number has contrasting associations with pathogenic and saprophytic growth, suggesting Voyager's activity underlies an ecological trade-off. We propose that Starships are eukaryotic analogs of bacterial integrative and conjugative elements based on parallels between their conserved components and may therefore represent the first dedicated agents of active gene transfer in eukaryotes. Our results suggest that Starships have shaped the content and structure of fungal genomes for millions of years and reveal a new concerted route for evolution throughout an entire eukaryotic phylum.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Emile Gluck-Thaler
- Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Department of Plant Pathology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Timothy Ralston
- Department of Plant Pathology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Zachary Konkel
- Department of Plant Pathology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | | | - Veena Devi Ganeshan
- Arabidopsis Biological Resource Center, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Anne E. Dorrance
- Department of Plant Pathology, The Ohio State University, Wooster, OH, USA
| | - Terry L. Niblack
- Department of Plant Pathology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Corlett W. Wood
- Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Jason C. Slot
- Department of Plant Pathology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Horacio D. Lopez-Nicora
- Department of Plant Pathology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
- Departamento de Producción Agrícola, Universidad San Carlos, Asunción, Paraguay
| | - Aaron A. Vogan
- Systematic Biology, Department of Organismal Biology, University of Uppsala, Uppsala, Sweden
| |
Collapse
|