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Alassimone J, Praz C, Lorrain C, De Francesco A, Carrasco-López C, Faino L, Shen Z, Meile L, Sánchez-Vallet A. The Zymoseptoria tritici Avirulence Factor AvrStb6 Accumulates in Hyphae Close to Stomata and Triggers a Wheat Defense Response Hindering Fungal Penetration. MOLECULAR PLANT-MICROBE INTERACTIONS : MPMI 2024; 37:432-444. [PMID: 38265007 DOI: 10.1094/mpmi-11-23-0181-r] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2024]
Abstract
Zymoseptoria tritici, the causal agent of Septoria tritici blotch, is one of Europe's most damaging wheat pathogens, causing significant economic losses. Genetic resistance is a common strategy to control the disease, Stb6 being a resistance gene used for more than 100 years in Europe. This study investigates the molecular mechanisms underlying Stb6-mediated resistance. Utilizing confocal microscopy imaging, we determined that Z. tritici epiphytic hyphae mainly accumulate the corresponding avirulence factor AvrStb6 in close proximity to stomata. Consequently, the progression of AvrStb6-expressing avirulent strains is hampered during penetration. The fungal growth inhibition co-occurs with a transcriptional reprogramming in wheat characterized by an induction of immune responses, genes involved in stomatal regulation, and cell wall-related genes. Overall, we shed light on the gene-for-gene resistance mechanisms in the wheat-Z. tritici pathosystem at the cytological and transcriptomic level, and our results highlight that stomatal penetration is a critical process for pathogenicity and resistance. [Formula: see text] Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julien Alassimone
- Plant Pathology, Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Coraline Praz
- Centro de Biotecnología y Genómica de Plantas (CBGP)/Universidad Politécnica de Madrid-Instituto Nacional de Investigación Agraria y Alimentaria/Centro Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (INIA/CSIC), Campus de Montegancedo, Pozuelo de Alarcón (Madrid), Spain
| | - Cécile Lorrain
- Plant Pathology, Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Agustina De Francesco
- Centro de Biotecnología y Genómica de Plantas (CBGP)/Universidad Politécnica de Madrid-Instituto Nacional de Investigación Agraria y Alimentaria/Centro Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (INIA/CSIC), Campus de Montegancedo, Pozuelo de Alarcón (Madrid), Spain
| | - Cristian Carrasco-López
- Centro de Biotecnología y Genómica de Plantas (CBGP)/Universidad Politécnica de Madrid-Instituto Nacional de Investigación Agraria y Alimentaria/Centro Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (INIA/CSIC), Campus de Montegancedo, Pozuelo de Alarcón (Madrid), Spain
| | - Luigi Faino
- Environmental Biology, Sapienza University of Rome, Roma, Italy
| | - Ziqi Shen
- Plant Pathology, Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Lukas Meile
- Centro de Biotecnología y Genómica de Plantas (CBGP)/Universidad Politécnica de Madrid-Instituto Nacional de Investigación Agraria y Alimentaria/Centro Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (INIA/CSIC), Campus de Montegancedo, Pozuelo de Alarcón (Madrid), Spain
| | - Andrea Sánchez-Vallet
- Plant Pathology, Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
- Centro de Biotecnología y Genómica de Plantas (CBGP)/Universidad Politécnica de Madrid-Instituto Nacional de Investigación Agraria y Alimentaria/Centro Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (INIA/CSIC), Campus de Montegancedo, Pozuelo de Alarcón (Madrid), Spain
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Bernasconi A, Lorrain C, Flury P, Alassimone J, McDonald BA, Sánchez-Vallet A. Virulent strains of Zymoseptoria tritici suppress the host immune response and facilitate the success of avirulent strains in mixed infections. PLoS Pathog 2023; 19:e1011767. [PMID: 37972205 PMCID: PMC10721197 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1011767] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2023] [Revised: 12/14/2023] [Accepted: 10/19/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Plants interact with a plethora of pathogenic microorganisms in nature. Pathogen-plant interaction experiments focus mainly on single-strain infections, typically ignoring the complexity of multi-strain infections even though mixed infections are common and critical for the infection outcome. The wheat pathogen Zymoseptoria tritici forms highly diverse fungal populations in which several pathogen strains often colonize the same leaf. Despite the importance of mixed infections, the mechanisms governing interactions between a mixture of pathogen strains within a plant host remain largely unexplored. Here we demonstrate that avirulent pathogen strains benefit from being in mixed infections with virulent strains. We show that virulent strains suppress the wheat immune response, allowing avirulent strains to colonize the apoplast and to reproduce. Our experiments indicate that virulent strains in mixed infections can suppress the plant immune system, probably facilitating the persistence of avirulent pathogen strains in fields planted with resistant host plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessio Bernasconi
- Plant Pathology, Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Cécile Lorrain
- Plant Pathology, Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Priska Flury
- Plant Pathology, Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Julien Alassimone
- Plant Pathology, Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Bruce A. McDonald
- Plant Pathology, Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Andrea Sánchez-Vallet
- Plant Pathology, Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
- Centro de Biotecnología y Genómica de Plantas (CBGP/Universidad Politécnica de Madrid-Instituto Nacional de Investigación Agraria y Alimentaria/Centro Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (INIA/CSIC), Campus de Montegancedo, Pozuelo de Alarcón (Madrid) Spain
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Wang XA, Gao Y, Jiang W, Wang L, Wang H, Ou X, Yang Y, Wu H, Guo L, Zhou T, Yuan QS. Comparative Analysis of the Expression of Resistance-Related Genes Respond to the Diversity Foliar Pathogens of Pseudostellaria heterophylla. Curr Microbiol 2023; 80:298. [PMID: 37490157 DOI: 10.1007/s00284-023-03410-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2023] [Accepted: 07/07/2023] [Indexed: 07/26/2023]
Abstract
The foliar disease, which is the primary complex disease of Pseudostellaria heterophylla, can be caused by multiple co-infecting pathogens, resulting in a significant reduction in yield. However, there is a lack of research on the relationship between co-infection of various pathogens and the response of resistance-related genes in P. heterophylla. Through the use of 18S rDNA sequencing and pathogenicity testing, it has been determined that Fusarium oxysporum, Alternaria alternata, Arcopilus aureus, Botrytis cinerea, Nemania diffusa, Whalleya microplaca, and Cladosporium cladosporioides are co-infecting pathogens responsible for foliar diseases in P. heterophylla. Furthermore, the qRT-PCR analysis revealed that F. oxysporum, A. alternata, B. cinerea, A. aureus, N. diffusa, Schizophyllum commune, C. cladosporioides, and Coprinellus xanthothrix upregulated ten, two, three, four, seven, thirteen, five, one, and six resistance-related genes, respectively. These findings suggest that a total of 22 resistance-related genes were implicated in the response to diverse fungi, and the magnitude and frequency of induction of resistance-related genes varied considerably among the different fungi. The aforementioned gene associated with resistance was found to be implicated in the response to multiple fungi, including PhPRP1, PhBDRN15, PhBDRN11, and PhBDRN3, which were found to be involved in the resistance response to nine, five, four, and four fungi, respectively. The findings indicate that the PhPRP1, PhBDRN15, PhBDRN11, and PhBDRN3 genes exhibit a broad-spectrum resistance to various fungi. Furthermore, the avirulence fungi C. xanthothrix, which is known to affect P. heterophylla, was found to prime a wide range of resistance responses in P. heterophylla, thereby enhancing its disease resistance. This study provided insight into the management strategies for foliar diseases of P. heterophylla and new genetic materials for disease-resistant breeding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiao-Ai Wang
- Resource Institute for Chinese & Ethnic Materia Medica, Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guiyang, 550025, China
| | - Yanping Gao
- Resource Institute for Chinese & Ethnic Materia Medica, Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guiyang, 550025, China
| | - Weike Jiang
- Resource Institute for Chinese & Ethnic Materia Medica, Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guiyang, 550025, China
| | - Lu Wang
- Resource Institute for Chinese & Ethnic Materia Medica, Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guiyang, 550025, China
| | - Hui Wang
- Resource Institute for Chinese & Ethnic Materia Medica, Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guiyang, 550025, China
| | - Xiaohong Ou
- Resource Institute for Chinese & Ethnic Materia Medica, Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guiyang, 550025, China
| | - Yang Yang
- Resource Institute for Chinese & Ethnic Materia Medica, Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guiyang, 550025, China
| | - Honglin Wu
- Resource Institute for Chinese & Ethnic Materia Medica, Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guiyang, 550025, China
| | - Lanping Guo
- National Resource Center for Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, State Key Laboratory for Quality Ensurance and Sustainable Use of Dao-di Herbs, Beijing, 100700, China
| | - Tao Zhou
- Resource Institute for Chinese & Ethnic Materia Medica, Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guiyang, 550025, China.
| | - Qing-Song Yuan
- Resource Institute for Chinese & Ethnic Materia Medica, Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guiyang, 550025, China.
- National Resource Center for Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, State Key Laboratory for Quality Ensurance and Sustainable Use of Dao-di Herbs, Beijing, 100700, China.
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Bellah H, Seiler NF, Croll D. Divergent Outcomes of Direct Conspecific Pathogen Strain Interaction and Plant Co-Infection Suggest Consequences for Disease Dynamics. Microbiol Spectr 2023; 11:e0444322. [PMID: 36749120 PMCID: PMC10101009 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.04443-22] [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: 11/02/2022] [Accepted: 01/23/2023] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Plant diseases are often caused by co-infections of multiple pathogens with the potential to aggravate disease severity. In genetically diverse pathogen species, co-infections can also be caused by multiple strains of the same species. However, the outcome of such mixed infections by different conspecific genotypes is poorly understood. The interaction among pathogen strains with complex lifestyles outside and inside of the host are likely shaped by diverse traits, including metabolic capacity and the ability to overcome host immune responses. To disentangle competitive outcomes among pathogen strains, we investigated the fungal wheat pathogen Zymoseptoria tritici. The pathogen infects wheat leaves in complex strain assemblies, and highly diverse populations persist between growing seasons. We investigated a set of 14 genetically different strains collected from the same field to assess both competitive outcomes under culture conditions and on the host. Growth kinetics of cocultured strains (~100 pairs) significantly deviated from single strain expectations, indicating competitive exclusion depending on the strain genotype. We found similarly complex outcomes of lesion development on plant leaves following co-infections by the same pairs of strains. While some pairings suppressed overall damage to the host, other combinations exceeded expectations of lesion development based on single strain outcomes. Strain competition outcomes in the absence of the host were poor predictors of outcomes on the host, suggesting that the interaction with the plant immune system adds significant complexity. Intraspecific co-infection dynamics likely make important contributions to disease outcomes in the wild. IMPORTANCE Plants are often attacked by a multitude of pathogens simultaneously, and different species can facilitate or constrain the colonization by others. To what extent simultaneous colonization by different strains of the same species matters, remains unclear. We focused on intra-specific interactions between strains of the major fungal wheat pathogen Zymoseptoria tritici. The pathogen persists in the environment before infecting plant leaves early in the growing season. Leaves are typically colonized by a multitude of strains. Strains cultured in pairs without host were growing differently compared to strains cultured alone. Wheat leaves infected either with single or pairs of strains, we found also highly variable outcomes. Interactions between strains outside of the host were only poorly explaining how strains would interact when on the host, suggesting that pathogen strains engage in complex interactions dependent on the environment. Better understanding within-species interactions will improve our ability to manage crop infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hadjer Bellah
- Laboratory of Evolutionary Genetics, Institute of Biology, University of Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
| | - Nicolas F. Seiler
- Laboratory of Evolutionary Genetics, Institute of Biology, University of Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
| | - Daniel Croll
- Laboratory of Evolutionary Genetics, Institute of Biology, University of Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
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Orellana-Torrejon C, Vidal T, Gazeau G, Boixel AL, Gélisse S, Lageyre J, Saint-Jean S, Suffert F. Multiple scenarios for sexual crosses in the fungal pathogen Zymoseptoria tritici on wheat residues: Potential consequences for virulence gene transmission. Fungal Genet Biol 2022; 163:103744. [PMID: 36209959 DOI: 10.1016/j.fgb.2022.103744] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2022] [Revised: 08/31/2022] [Accepted: 09/30/2022] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Little is known about the impact of host immunity on sexual reproduction in fungal pathogens. In particular, it is unclear whether crossing requires both sexual partners to infect living plant tissues. We addressed this issue in a three-year experiment investigating different scenarios of Zymoseptoria tritici crosses according to the virulence ('vir') or avirulence ('avr') of the parents against a qualitative resistance gene. Co-inoculations ('vir × vir', 'avr × vir', 'avr × avr') and single inoculations were performed on a wheat cultivar carrying the Stb16q resistance gene (Cellule) and a susceptible cultivar (Apache), in the greenhouse. We assessed the intensity of asexual reproduction by scoring disease severity, and the intensity of sexual reproduction by counting the ascospores discharged from wheat residues. As expected, disease severity was more intense on Cellule for 'vir × vir' co-inoculations than for 'avr × vir' co-inoculations, with no disease for 'avr × avr'. However, all types of co-inoculation yielded sexual offspring, whether or not the parental strains caused plant symptoms. Parenthood was confirmed by genotyping (SSR markers), and the occurrence of crosses between (co-)inoculated and exogenous strains (other strains from the experiment, or from far away) was determined. We showed that symptomatic asexual infection was not required for a strain to participate in sexual reproduction, and deduced from this result that avirulent strains could be maintained asymptomatically "on" or "in" leaf tissues of plants carrying the corresponding resistant gene for long enough to reproduce sexually. In two of the three years, the intensity of sexual reproduction did not differ between the three types of co-inoculation in Cellule, suggesting that crosses involving avirulent strains are not anecdotal. We discuss the possible mechanisms explaining the maintenance of avirulence in Z. tritici populations and the potential impact of particular resistance deployments such as cultivar mixtures for limiting resistance breakdown.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolina Orellana-Torrejon
- Université Paris-Saclay, INRAE, UR BIOGER, 91120 Palaiseau, France; Université Paris-Saclay, INRAE, AgroParisTech, UMR ECOSYS, 91120 Palaiseau, France
| | - Tiphaine Vidal
- Université Paris-Saclay, INRAE, UR BIOGER, 91120 Palaiseau, France
| | - Gwilherm Gazeau
- Université Paris-Saclay, INRAE, UR BIOGER, 91120 Palaiseau, France
| | - Anne-Lise Boixel
- Université Paris-Saclay, INRAE, UR BIOGER, 91120 Palaiseau, France
| | - Sandrine Gélisse
- Université Paris-Saclay, INRAE, UR BIOGER, 91120 Palaiseau, France
| | - Jérôme Lageyre
- Université Paris-Saclay, INRAE, AgroParisTech, UMR ECOSYS, 91120 Palaiseau, France
| | - Sébastien Saint-Jean
- Université Paris-Saclay, INRAE, AgroParisTech, UMR ECOSYS, 91120 Palaiseau, France
| | - Frédéric Suffert
- Université Paris-Saclay, INRAE, UR BIOGER, 91120 Palaiseau, France.
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Bernasconi A, Alassimone J, McDonald BA, Sánchez‐Vallet A. Asexual reproductive potential trumps virulence as a predictor of competitive ability in mixed infections. Environ Microbiol 2022; 24:4369-4381. [PMID: 35437879 PMCID: PMC9790533 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.16018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2021] [Accepted: 04/13/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Natural infections frequently involve several co-infecting pathogen strains. These mixed infections can affect the extent of the infection, the transmission success of the pathogen and the eventual epidemic outcome. To date, few studies have investigated how mixed infections affect transmission between hosts. Zymoseptoria tritici is a highly diverse wheat pathogen in which multiple strains often coexist in the same lesion. Here we demonstrate that the most competitive strains often exclude their competitors during serial passages of mixed infections. The outcome of the competition depended on both the host genotype and the genotypes of the competing pathogen strains. Differences in virulence among the strains were not associated with competitive advantages during transmission, while differences in reproductive potential had a strong effect on strain competitive ability. Overall, our findings suggest that host specialization is determined mainly by the ability to successfully transmit offspring to new hosts during mixed infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessio Bernasconi
- Plant Pathology, Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH ZürichZürichCH‐8092Switzerland
| | - Julien Alassimone
- Plant Pathology, Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH ZürichZürichCH‐8092Switzerland
| | - Bruce A. McDonald
- Plant Pathology, Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH ZürichZürichCH‐8092Switzerland
| | - Andrea Sánchez‐Vallet
- Plant Pathology, Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH ZürichZürichCH‐8092Switzerland
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McDonald BA, Suffert F, Bernasconi A, Mikaberidze A. How large and diverse are field populations of fungal plant pathogens? The case of Zymoseptoria tritici. Evol Appl 2022; 15:1360-1373. [PMID: 36187182 PMCID: PMC9488677 DOI: 10.1111/eva.13434] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2022] [Revised: 05/28/2022] [Accepted: 06/06/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Pathogen populations differ in the amount of genetic diversity they contain. Populations carrying higher genetic diversity are thought to have a greater evolutionary potential than populations carrying less diversity. We used published studies to estimate the range of values associated with two critical components of genetic diversity, the number of unique pathogen genotypes and the number of spores produced during an epidemic, for the septoria tritici blotch pathogen Zymoseptoria tritici. We found that wheat fields experiencing typical levels of infection are likely to carry between 3.1 and 14.0 million pathogen genotypes per hectare and produce at least 2.1-9.9 trillion pycnidiospores per hectare. Given the experimentally derived mutation rate of 3 × 10-10 substitutions per site per cell division, we estimate that between 27 and 126 million pathogen spores carrying adaptive mutations to counteract fungicides and resistant cultivars will be produced per hectare during a growing season. This suggests that most of the adaptive mutations that have been observed in Z. tritici populations can emerge through local selection from standing genetic variation that already exists within each field. The consequences of these findings for disease management strategies are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bruce A. McDonald
- Plant Pathology GroupInstitute of Integrative Biology, ETH ZurichZurichSwitzerland
| | | | - Alessio Bernasconi
- Plant Pathology GroupInstitute of Integrative Biology, ETH ZurichZurichSwitzerland
| | - Alexey Mikaberidze
- School of Agriculture, Policy and DevelopmentUniversity of ReadingReadingUK
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Insights into complex infection by two Pectobacterium species causing potato blackleg and soft rot. Microbiol Res 2022; 261:127072. [DOI: 10.1016/j.micres.2022.127072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2021] [Revised: 04/02/2022] [Accepted: 05/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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Cadot S, Gfeller V, Hu L, Singh N, Sánchez‐Vallet A, Glauser G, Croll D, Erb M, van der Heijden MGA, Schlaeppi K. Soil composition and plant genotype determine benzoxazinoid-mediated plant-soil feedbacks in cereals. PLANT, CELL & ENVIRONMENT 2021; 44:3502-3514. [PMID: 34505297 PMCID: PMC9292949 DOI: 10.1111/pce.14184] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2021] [Revised: 07/02/2021] [Accepted: 07/19/2021] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Plant-soil feedbacks refer to effects on plants that are mediated by soil modifications caused by the previous plant generation. Maize conditions the surrounding soil by secretion of root exudates including benzoxazinoids (BXs), a class of bioactive secondary metabolites. Previous work found that a BX-conditioned soil microbiota enhances insect resistance while reducing biomass in the next generation of maize plants. Whether these BX-mediated and microbially driven feedbacks are conserved across different soils and response species is unknown. We found the BX-feedbacks on maize growth and insect resistance conserved between two arable soils, but absent in a more fertile grassland soil, suggesting a soil-type dependence of BX feedbacks. We demonstrated that wheat also responded to BX-feedbacks. While the negative growth response to BX-conditioning was conserved in both cereals, insect resistance showed opposite patterns, with an increase in maize and a decrease in wheat. Wheat pathogen resistance was not affected. Finally and consistent with maize, we found the BX-feedbacks to be cultivar-specific. Taken together, BX-feedbacks affected cereal growth and resistance in a soil and genotype-dependent manner. Cultivar-specificity of BX-feedbacks is a key finding, as it hides the potential to optimize crops that avoid negative plant-soil feedbacks in rotations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Selma Cadot
- Division of Agroecology and EnvironmentAgroscopeZurichSwitzerland
- Institute of Plant SciencesUniversity of BernBernSwitzerland
- Department of Environmental SciencesUniversity of BaselBaselSwitzerland
| | | | - Lingfei Hu
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Agricultural Resources and EnvironmentZhejiang UniversityZhejiangChina
| | - Nikhil Singh
- Laboratory of Evolutionary GeneticsUniversity of NeuchâtelNeuchâtelSwitzerland
| | - Andrea Sánchez‐Vallet
- Plant Pathology, Institute of Integrative BiologyETH ZürichZürichSwitzerland
- Centro de Biotecnología y Genómica de Plantas (CBGP)Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria (INIA), Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM)Campus de Montegancedo UPMPozuelo de Alarcón (Madrid)Spain
| | - Gaétan Glauser
- Neuchâtel Platform of Analytical ChemistryUniversity of NeuchâtelNeuchâtelSwitzerland
| | - Daniel Croll
- Laboratory of Evolutionary GeneticsUniversity of NeuchâtelNeuchâtelSwitzerland
| | - Matthias Erb
- Institute of Plant SciencesUniversity of BernBernSwitzerland
| | | | - Klaus Schlaeppi
- Division of Agroecology and EnvironmentAgroscopeZurichSwitzerland
- Institute of Plant SciencesUniversity of BernBernSwitzerland
- Department of Environmental SciencesUniversity of BaselBaselSwitzerland
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Wang C, Milgate AW, Solomon PS, McDonald MC. The identification of a transposon affecting the asexual reproduction of the wheat pathogen Zymoseptoria tritici. MOLECULAR PLANT PATHOLOGY 2021; 22:800-816. [PMID: 33949756 PMCID: PMC8232023 DOI: 10.1111/mpp.13064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2020] [Revised: 03/15/2021] [Accepted: 03/16/2021] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
Zymoseptoria tritici, the causal agent of Septoria tritici blotch, is a fungal wheat pathogen that causes significant global yield losses. Within Z. tritici populations, quantitative differences in virulence among different isolates are commonly observed; however, the genetic components that underpin these differences remain elusive. In this study, intraspecific comparative transcriptomic analysis was used to identify candidate genes that contribute to differences in virulence on the wheat cultivar WW2449. This led to the identification of a multicopy gene that was not expressed in the high-virulence isolate when compared to the medium- and low-virulence isolates. Further investigation suggested this gene resides in a 7.9-kb transposon. Subsequent long-read sequencing of the isolates used in the transcriptomic analysis confirmed that this gene did reside in an active Class II transposon, which is composed of four genes named REP9-1 to -4. Silencing and overexpression of REP9-1 in two distinct genetic backgrounds demonstrated that its expression alone reduces the number of pycnidia produced by Z. tritici during infection. The REP9-1 gene identified within a Class II transposon is the first discovery of a gene in a transposable element that influences the virulence of Z. tritici. This discovery adds further complexity to genetic loci that contribute to quantitative virulence in this important pathogen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chen Wang
- Division of Plant SciencesResearch School of BiologyThe Australian National UniversityCanberraACTAustralia
| | - Andrew W. Milgate
- NSW Department of Primary IndustriesWagga Wagga Agricultural InstituteWagga WaggaNSWAustralia
| | - Peter S. Solomon
- Division of Plant SciencesResearch School of BiologyThe Australian National UniversityCanberraACTAustralia
| | - Megan C. McDonald
- Division of Plant SciencesResearch School of BiologyThe Australian National UniversityCanberraACTAustralia
- School of BiosciencesUniversity of BirminghamEdgbastonBirminghamUK
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