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Huang T, Guo D, Luo X, Chen R, Wang W, Xu H, Chen S, Lin F. Influence of Two Hexose Transporters on Substrate Affinity and Pathogenicity in Magnaporthe oryzae. Microorganisms 2024; 12:681. [PMID: 38674624 PMCID: PMC11052475 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms12040681] [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: 02/20/2024] [Revised: 03/18/2024] [Accepted: 03/23/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Hexose transporters (HXT) play a crucial role in the pathogenicity of Magnaporthe oryzae, serving not only as key facilitators for acquiring and transporting sugar nutrients to support pathogen development, but also as sugar sensors which receive transduction signals. The objective of this study is to investigate the impact of MoHXT1-3 on rice pathogenicity and hexose affinity. MoHXT1-3 deletion mutants were generated using CRISPR/Cas9 technology, and their affinity for hexose was evaluated through yeast complementation assays and electrophysiological experiments in Xenopus oocytes. The results suggest that MoHXT1 does not contribute to melanin formation or hexose transportation processes. Conversely, MoHXT2, despite displaying lower affinity towards the hexoses tested in comparison to MoHXT3, is likely to have a more substantial impact on pathogenicity. The analysis of the transcription profiles demonstrated that the deletion of MoHXT2 caused a decrease in the expression of MoHXT3, whereas the knockout of MoHXT3 resulted in an upregulation of MoHXT2 transcription. It is noteworthy that the MoHXT2M145K variant displayed an incapacity to transport hexoses. This investigation into the functional differences in hexose transporters in Magnaporthe oryzae provides insights into potential advances in new strategies to target hexose transporters to combat rice blast by blocking carbon nutrient supply.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tinghong Huang
- National Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide/Key Laboratory of Natural Pesticide and Chemical Biology, Ministry of Education, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
| | - Dekang Guo
- National Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide/Key Laboratory of Natural Pesticide and Chemical Biology, Ministry of Education, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
| | - Xiao Luo
- National Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide/Key Laboratory of Natural Pesticide and Chemical Biology, Ministry of Education, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
| | - Ronghua Chen
- National Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide/Key Laboratory of Natural Pesticide and Chemical Biology, Ministry of Education, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
| | - Wenjuan Wang
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of High Technology for Plant Protection, Guangzhou 510642, China
| | - Hanhong Xu
- National Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide/Key Laboratory of Natural Pesticide and Chemical Biology, Ministry of Education, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
| | - Shen Chen
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of High Technology for Plant Protection, Guangzhou 510642, China
| | - Fei Lin
- National Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide/Key Laboratory of Natural Pesticide and Chemical Biology, Ministry of Education, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
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Qin H, Yin W, Luo C, Liu L. The Identification, Characterization, and Functional Analysis of the Sugar Transporter Gene Family of the Rice False Smut Pathogen, Villosiclava virens. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:600. [PMID: 38203770 PMCID: PMC10779207 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25010600] [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: 11/23/2023] [Revised: 12/21/2023] [Accepted: 12/21/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024] Open
Abstract
False smut, caused by Villosiclava virens, is becoming increasingly serious in modern rice production systems, leading to yield losses and quality declines. Successful infection requires efficient acquisition of sucrose, abundant in rice panicles, as well as other sugars. Sugar transporters (STPs) may play an important role in this process. STPs belong to a major facilitator superfamily, which consists of large multigenic families necessary to partition sugars between fungal pathogens and their hosts. This study identified and characterized the STP family of V. viren, and further analyzed their gene functions to uncover their roles in interactions with rice. Through genome-wide and systematic bioinformatics analyses, 35 STPs were identified from V.virens and named from VvSTP1 to VvSTP35. Transmembrane domains, gene structures, and conserved motifs of VvSTPs have been identified and characterized through the bioinformatic analysis. In addition, a phylogenetic analysis revealed relationship between VvSTPs and STPs from the other three reference fungi. According to a qRT-PCR and RNA-sequencing analysis, VvSTP expression responded differently to different sole carbon sources and H2O2 treatments, and changed during the pathogenic process, suggesting that these proteins are involved in interactions with rice and potentially functional in pathogenesis. In total, 12 representative VvSTPs were knocked out through genetic recombination in order to analyze their roles in pathogenicity of V. virens. The knock-out mutants of VvSTPs showed little difference in mycelia growth and conidiation, indicating a single gene in this family cannot influence vegetative growth of V. virens. It is clear, however, that these mutants result in a change in infection efficiency in a different way, indicating that VvSTPs play an important role in the pathogenicity of virens. This study is expected to contribute to a better understanding of how host-derived sugars contribute to V. virens pathogenicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huimin Qin
- State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology and Breeding, China National Rice Research Institute, Hangzhou 311400, China;
| | - Weixiao Yin
- College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China;
| | - Chaoxi Luo
- College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China;
| | - Lianmeng Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology and Breeding, China National Rice Research Institute, Hangzhou 311400, China;
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Chen L, Chen B, Zhu QH, Zhang X, Sun T, Liu F, Yang Y, Sun J, Li Y. Identification of sugar transporter genes and their roles in the pathogenicity of Verticillium dahliae on cotton. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2023; 14:1123523. [PMID: 36778686 PMCID: PMC9910176 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1123523] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2022] [Accepted: 01/09/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Verticillium wilt (VW) caused by Verticillium dahliae is a soil-borne vascular fungal disease that severely affects cotton yield and fiber quality. Sugar metabolism plays an important role in the growth and pathogenicity of V. dahliae. However, limited information is known about the sugar transporter genes and their roles in the growth and pathogenicity of V. dahliae. METHOD In this study, genome-wide identification of sugar transporter genes in V. dahliae was conducted and the expression profiles of these genes in response to root exudates from cotton varieties susceptible or resistant to V. dahliae were investigated based on RNA-seq data. Tobacco Rattle Virus-based host-induced gene silencing (TRV-based HIGS) and artificial small interfering RNAs (asiRNAs) were applied to investigate the function of candidate genes involved in the growth and pathogenic process of V. dahliae. RESULTS A total of 65 putative sugar transporter genes were identified and clustered into 8 Clades. Of the 65 sugar transporter genes, 9 were found to be induced only by root exudates from the susceptible variety, including VdST3 and VdST12 that were selected for further functional study. Silencing of VdST3 or VdST12 in host plants by TRV-based HIGS reduced fungal biomass and enhanced cotton resistance against V. dahliae. Additionally, silencing of VdST12 and VdST3 by feeding asiRNAs targeting VdST12 (asiR815 or asiR1436) and VdST3 (asiR201 or asiR1238) inhibited fungal growth, exhibiting significant reduction in hyphae and colony diameter, with a more significant effect observed for the asiRNAs targeting VdST12. The inhibitory effect of asiRNAs on the growth of V. dahliae was enhanced with the increasing concentration of asiRNAs. Silencing of VdST12 by feeding asiR815+asiR1436 significantly decreased the pathogenicity of V. dahliae. DISCUSSION The results suggest that VdST3 and VdST12 are sugar transporter genes required for growth and pathogenicity of V. dahliae and that asiRNA is a valuable tool for functional characterization of V. dahliae genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lihua Chen
- The Key Laboratory of Oasis Eco-agriculture, Agriculture College, Shihezi University, Shihezi, Xinjiang, China
| | - Bin Chen
- The Key Laboratory of Oasis Eco-agriculture, Agriculture College, Shihezi University, Shihezi, Xinjiang, China
| | | | - Xinyu Zhang
- The Key Laboratory of Oasis Eco-agriculture, Agriculture College, Shihezi University, Shihezi, Xinjiang, China
| | - Tiange Sun
- The Key Laboratory of Oasis Eco-agriculture, Agriculture College, Shihezi University, Shihezi, Xinjiang, China
| | - Feng Liu
- The Key Laboratory of Oasis Eco-agriculture, Agriculture College, Shihezi University, Shihezi, Xinjiang, China
| | - Yonglin Yang
- Cotton Research Institute, Shihezi Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shihezi, China
| | - Jie Sun
- The Key Laboratory of Oasis Eco-agriculture, Agriculture College, Shihezi University, Shihezi, Xinjiang, China
| | - Yanjun Li
- The Key Laboratory of Oasis Eco-agriculture, Agriculture College, Shihezi University, Shihezi, Xinjiang, China
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Yuan Q, Yan Y, Sohail MA, Liu H, Huang J, Hsiang T, Zheng L. A Novel Hexose Transporter ChHxt6 Is Required for Hexose Uptake and Virulence in Colletotrichum higginsianum. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22115963. [PMID: 34073109 PMCID: PMC8199336 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22115963] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2021] [Revised: 05/25/2021] [Accepted: 05/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Colletotrichum higginsianum is an important hemibiotrophic plant pathogen that causes crucifer anthracnose worldwide. To date, some hexose transporters have been identified in fungi. However, the functions of hexose transporters in virulence are not clear in hemibiotrophic phytopathogens. In this study, we identified and characterized a new hexose transporter gene named ChHxt6 from a T-DNA insertion pathogenicity-deficient mutant G256 in C. higginsianum. Expression profiling analysis revealed that six ChHxt genes, ChHxt1 to ChHxt6, exhibited specific expression patterns in different infection phases of C. higginsianum. The ChHxt1 to ChHxt6 were separately deleted using the principle of homologous recombination. ChHxt1 to ChHxt6 deletion mutants grew normally on PDA plates, but only the virulence of ChHxt4 and ChHxt6 deletion mutants was reduced. ChHxt4 was required for fungal infection in both biotrophic and necrotrophic stages, while ChHxt6 was important for formation of necrotrophic hyphae during infection. In addition, ChHxts were functional in uptake of different hexoses, but only ChHxt6-expressing cells could grow on all five hexoses, indicating that the ChHxt6 was a central hexose transporter and crucial for hexose uptake. Site-directed mutation of T169S and P221L positions revealed that these two positions were necessary for hexose transport, whereas only the mutation Thr169 caused reduced virulence and defect in formation of necrotrophic hyphae. Taken together, ChHxt6 might regulate fungal virulence by modulating the utilization of hexose.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qinfeng Yuan
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Plant Pathology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China; (Q.Y.); (Y.Y.); (M.A.S.); (H.L.); (J.H.)
| | - Yaqin Yan
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Plant Pathology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China; (Q.Y.); (Y.Y.); (M.A.S.); (H.L.); (J.H.)
| | - Muhammad Aamir Sohail
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Plant Pathology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China; (Q.Y.); (Y.Y.); (M.A.S.); (H.L.); (J.H.)
| | - Hao Liu
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Plant Pathology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China; (Q.Y.); (Y.Y.); (M.A.S.); (H.L.); (J.H.)
| | - Junbin Huang
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Plant Pathology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China; (Q.Y.); (Y.Y.); (M.A.S.); (H.L.); (J.H.)
| | - Tom Hsiang
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada;
| | - Lu Zheng
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Plant Pathology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China; (Q.Y.); (Y.Y.); (M.A.S.); (H.L.); (J.H.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +86-130-0718-2619
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Knock-down of glucose transporter and sucrose non-fermenting gene in the hemibiotrophic fungus Colletotrichum falcatum causing sugarcane red rot. Mol Biol Rep 2021; 48:2053-2061. [PMID: 33660095 DOI: 10.1007/s11033-021-06140-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2020] [Accepted: 01/08/2021] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Red rot caused by Colletotrichum falcatum, is one of the economically important disease of sugarcane and breeding for resistant varieties is considered to be the major solution to manage the disease. However, breakdown of red rot resistance become usual phenomenon due to development of newer races by culture adaptation on newly released varieties. Hence it is needed to characterize the genes responsible for pathogen virulence in order to take care of host resistance or to manage the disease by other methods. The transcript studies gave foundation to characterize the huge number of pathogenicity determinants and their role in pathogenesis. Here we studied role of two important genes viz., Glucose Transporter (GT) and Sucrose Non-Fermenting1 (SNF1) during pathogenesis of C. falcatum, which said to be involved in carbon source metabolism. Sugar metabolism has a vital role in disease progression of C. falcatum by regulating their cell growth, metabolism and development of the pathogen during various stages of infection. The present study was aimed to find out the role of GT and SNF1 genes in response to pathogenicity by RNA silencing (RNAi) approach. Knock-down of the target pathogenicity gene homologs in standard C. falcatum isolate Cf671 was carried out by amplifying sense and antisense fragments of targets individually using pSilent-1 vector. The expression cassette was cloned into the binary vector pCAMBIA1300 followed by fungal transformation through Agarobacterium mediated transformation. Resulted mutants of both the genes showed less virulence compared to wild type isolate. Simultaneously, both the mutants did not produce spores. Moreover, the molecular confirmation of the mutants displayed the expression of hygromycin gene with reduced expression of the target gene during host-pathogen interaction. Knockdown of the pathogenicity related genes (GT and SNF1) by RNAi approach corroborate the possible role of the genes in causing the disease.
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Chang Q, Lin X, Yao M, Liu P, Guo J, Huang L, Voegele RT, Kang Z, Liu J. Hexose transporter PsHXT1-mediated sugar uptake is required for pathogenicity of wheat stripe rust. PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY JOURNAL 2020; 18:2367-2369. [PMID: 32386262 PMCID: PMC7680534 DOI: 10.1111/pbi.13398] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2020] [Revised: 04/29/2020] [Accepted: 05/01/2020] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Qing Chang
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid AreasCollege of Plant ProtectionNorthwest A&F UniversityYanglingShaanxiChina
- Bio‐Agriculture Institute of ShaanxiShaanxi Key Laboratory of Plant NematologyXi’anShaanxiChina
| | - Xiaohong Lin
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid AreasCollege of Plant ProtectionNorthwest A&F UniversityYanglingShaanxiChina
- Department of AgronomyInner Mongolia Agricultural UniversityHohhotInner MongoliaChina
| | - Mohan Yao
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid AreasCollege of Plant ProtectionNorthwest A&F UniversityYanglingShaanxiChina
| | - Peng Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid AreasCollege of Plant ProtectionNorthwest A&F UniversityYanglingShaanxiChina
- State Key Laboratory for Managing Biotic and Chemical Threats to the Quality and Safety of AgroproductsInstitute of Plant VirologyNingbo UniversityNingboZhejiangChina
| | - Jia Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid AreasCollege of Plant ProtectionNorthwest A&F UniversityYanglingShaanxiChina
| | - Lili Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid AreasCollege of Plant ProtectionNorthwest A&F UniversityYanglingShaanxiChina
| | - Ralf T. Voegele
- Department of PhytopathologyFaculty of Agricultural SciencesInstitute of PhytomedicineUniversity of HohenheimStuttgartBaden‐WürttembergGermany
| | - Zhensheng Kang
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid AreasCollege of Plant ProtectionNorthwest A&F UniversityYanglingShaanxiChina
| | - Jie Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid AreasCollege of Life SciencesNorthwest A&F UniversityYanglingShaanxiChina
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Schuster M, Kilaru S, Guo M, Sommerauer M, Lin C, Steinberg G. Red fluorescent proteins for imaging Zymoseptoria tritici during invasion of wheat. Fungal Genet Biol 2015; 79:132-40. [PMID: 26092800 PMCID: PMC4502450 DOI: 10.1016/j.fgb.2015.03.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2015] [Revised: 03/12/2015] [Accepted: 03/25/2015] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
The use of fluorescent proteins (FPs) in plant pathogenic fungi provides valuable insight into their intracellular dynamics, cell organization and invasion mechanisms. Compared with green-fluorescent proteins, their red-fluorescent "cousins" show generally lower fluorescent signal intensity and increased photo-bleaching. However, the combined usage of red and green fluorescent proteins allows powerful insight in co-localization studies. Efficient signal detection requires a bright red-fluorescent protein (RFP), combined with a suitable corresponding filter set. We provide a set of four vectors, suitable for yeast recombination-based cloning that carries mRFP, TagRFP, mCherry and tdTomato. These vectors confer carboxin resistance after targeted single-copy integration into the sdi1 locus of Zymoseptoria tritici. Expression of the RFPs does not affect virulence of this wheat pathogen. We tested all four RFPs in combination with four epi-fluorescence filter sets and in confocal laser scanning microscopy, both in and ex planta. Our data reveal that mCherry is the RFP of choice for investigation in Z. tritici, showing highest signal intensity in epi-fluorescence, when used with a Cy3 filter set, and laser scanning confocal microscopy. However, mCherry bleached significantly faster than mRFP, which favors this red tag in long-term observation experiments. Finally, we used dual-color imaging of eGFP and mCherry expressing wild-type strains in planta and show that pycnidia are formed by single strains. This demonstrates the strength of this method in tracking the course of Z. tritici infection in wheat.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Schuster
- Biosciences, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4QD, UK
| | - S Kilaru
- Biosciences, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4QD, UK
| | - M Guo
- Biosciences, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4QD, UK
| | - M Sommerauer
- AHF Analysentechnik AG, Kohlplattenweg 18, DE-72074 Tübingen, Germany
| | - C Lin
- Mathematics, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 3QF, UK
| | - G Steinberg
- Biosciences, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4QD, UK.
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Niu C, Payne GA, Woloshuk CP. Transcriptome changes in Fusarium verticillioides caused by mutation in the transporter-like gene FST1. BMC Microbiol 2015; 15:90. [PMID: 25906821 PMCID: PMC4422464 DOI: 10.1186/s12866-015-0427-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2014] [Accepted: 02/19/2015] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Fusarium verticillioides causes an important seed disease on maize and produces the fumonisin group of mycotoxins, which are toxic to humans and livestock. A previous study discovered that a gene (FST1) in the pathogen affects fumonisin production and virulence. Although the predicted amino acid sequence of FST1 is similar to hexose transporters, previous experimental evidence failed to prove function. RESULTS Three new phenotypes were identified that are associated with the FST1 mutant of F. verticillioides (Δfst1), namely reduction in macroconidia production, increased sensitivity to hydrogen peroxide, and reduced mycelial hydrophobicity. A transcriptome comparison of the wild type and strain Δfst1 grown on autoclaved maize kernels for six days identified 2677 genes that were differentially expressed. Through gene ontology analysis, 961 genes were assigned to one of 12 molecular function categories. Sets of down-regulated genes in strain Δfst1 were identified that could account for each of the mutant phenotypes. CONCLUSION The study provides evidence that disruption of FST1 causes several metabolic and developmental defects in F. verticillioides. FST1 appears to connect the expression of several gene networks, including those involved in secondary metabolism, cell wall structure, conidiogenesis, virulence, and resistance to reactive oxygen species. The results support our hypothesis that FST1 functions within the framework of environmental sensing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chenxing Niu
- Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Purdue University, 915 W. State Street, West Lafayette, IN, 47907-2054, USA.
| | - Gary A Payne
- Department of Plant Pathology, North Carolina State University, 851 Main Campus Drive, Raleigh, NC, 27695-7567, USA.
| | - Charles P Woloshuk
- Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Purdue University, 915 W. State Street, West Lafayette, IN, 47907-2054, USA.
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