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Lai T, Yu Q, Pan J, Wang J, Tang Z, Bai X, Shi L, Zhou T. The Identification and Comparative Analysis of Non-Coding RNAs in Spores and Mycelia of Penicillium expansum. J Fungi (Basel) 2023; 9:999. [PMID: 37888255 PMCID: PMC10607695 DOI: 10.3390/jof9100999] [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: 06/19/2023] [Revised: 09/22/2023] [Accepted: 09/25/2023] [Indexed: 10/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Penicillium expansum is the most popular post-harvest pathogen and causes blue mold disease in pome fruit and leads to significant economic losses worldwide every year. However, the fundamental regulation mechanisms of growth in P. expansum are unclear. Recently, non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) have attracted more attention due to critical roles in normalizing gene expression and maintaining cellular genotypes in organisms. However, the research related to ncRNAs in P. expansum have not been reported. Therefore, to provide an overview of ncRNAs on composition, distribution, expression changes, and potential targets in the growth process, a comparative transcriptomic analysis was performed on spores and mycelia of P. expansum in the present study. A total of 2595 novel mRNAs, 3362 long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), 10 novel microRNAs (miRNAs), 86 novel small interfering RNAs (siRNAs), and 11,238 circular RNAs (circRNAs) were predicted and quantified. Of these, 1482 novel mRNAs, 5987 known mRNAs, 2047 lncRNAs, 40 miRNAs, 38 novel siRNAs, and 9235 circRNAs were differentially expressed (DE) in response to the different development stages. Afterward, the involved functions and pathways of DE RNAs were revealed via Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) database enrichment analysis. The interaction networks between mRNAs, lncRNAs, and miRNAs were also predicted based on their correlation coefficient of expression profiles. Among them, it was found that miR168 family members may play important roles in fungal growth due to their central location in the network. These findings will contribute to a better understanding on regulation machinery at the RNA level on fungal growth and provide a theoretical basis to develop novel control strategies against P. expansum.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tongfei Lai
- College of Life and Environmental Science, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 310036, China; (T.L.); (Q.Y.); (J.P.); (J.W.); (X.B.); (L.S.)
| | - Qinru Yu
- College of Life and Environmental Science, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 310036, China; (T.L.); (Q.Y.); (J.P.); (J.W.); (X.B.); (L.S.)
| | - Jingjing Pan
- College of Life and Environmental Science, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 310036, China; (T.L.); (Q.Y.); (J.P.); (J.W.); (X.B.); (L.S.)
| | - Jingjing Wang
- College of Life and Environmental Science, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 310036, China; (T.L.); (Q.Y.); (J.P.); (J.W.); (X.B.); (L.S.)
| | - Zhenxing Tang
- School of Culinary Arts, Tourism College of Zhejiang, Hangzhou 311231, China;
| | - Xuelian Bai
- College of Life and Environmental Science, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 310036, China; (T.L.); (Q.Y.); (J.P.); (J.W.); (X.B.); (L.S.)
| | - Lue Shi
- College of Life and Environmental Science, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 310036, China; (T.L.); (Q.Y.); (J.P.); (J.W.); (X.B.); (L.S.)
| | - Ting Zhou
- College of Life and Environmental Science, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 310036, China; (T.L.); (Q.Y.); (J.P.); (J.W.); (X.B.); (L.S.)
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Mann CWG, Sawyer A, Gardiner DM, Mitter N, Carroll BJ, Eamens AL. RNA-Based Control of Fungal Pathogens in Plants. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:12391. [PMID: 37569766 PMCID: PMC10418863 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241512391] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2023] [Revised: 08/01/2023] [Accepted: 08/01/2023] [Indexed: 08/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Our duty to conserve global natural ecosystems is increasingly in conflict with our need to feed an expanding population. The use of conventional pesticides not only damages the environment and vulnerable biodiversity but can also still fail to prevent crop losses of 20-40% due to pests and pathogens. There is a growing call for more ecologically sustainable pathogen control measures. RNA-based biopesticides offer an eco-friendly alternative to the use of conventional fungicides for crop protection. The genetic modification (GM) of crops remains controversial in many countries, though expression of transgenes inducing pathogen-specific RNA interference (RNAi) has been proven effective against many agronomically important fungal pathogens. The topical application of pathogen-specific RNAi-inducing sprays is a more responsive, GM-free approach to conventional RNAi transgene-based crop protection. The specific targeting of essential pathogen genes, the development of RNAi-nanoparticle carrier spray formulations, and the possible structural modifications to the RNA molecules themselves are crucial to the success of this novel technology. Here, we outline the current understanding of gene silencing pathways in plants and fungi and summarize the pioneering and recent work exploring RNA-based biopesticides for crop protection against fungal pathogens, with a focus on spray-induced gene silencing (SIGS). Further, we discuss factors that could affect the success of RNA-based control strategies, including RNA uptake, stability, amplification, and movement within and between the plant host and pathogen, as well as the cost and design of RNA pesticides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher W. G. Mann
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia; (C.W.G.M.); (A.S.); (B.J.C.)
| | - Anne Sawyer
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia; (C.W.G.M.); (A.S.); (B.J.C.)
- Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia; (D.M.G.); (N.M.)
| | - Donald M. Gardiner
- Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia; (D.M.G.); (N.M.)
| | - Neena Mitter
- Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia; (D.M.G.); (N.M.)
| | - Bernard J. Carroll
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia; (C.W.G.M.); (A.S.); (B.J.C.)
| | - Andrew L. Eamens
- School of Health, University of the Sunshine Coast, Maroochydore, QLD 4558, Australia
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Davati N, Ghorbani A. Discovery of long non-coding RNAs in Aspergillus flavus response to water activity, CO 2 concentration, and temperature changes. Sci Rep 2023; 13:10330. [PMID: 37365206 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-37236-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2023] [Accepted: 06/19/2023] [Indexed: 06/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Although the role of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in key biological processes in animals and plants has been confirmed for decades, their identification in fungi remains limited. In this study, we discovered and characterized lncRNAs in Aspergillus flavus in response to changes in water activity, CO2 concentration, and temperature, and predicted their regulatory roles in cellular functions. A total of 472 lncRNAs were identified in the genome of A. flavus, consisting of 470 novel lncRNAs and 2 putative lncRNAs (EFT00053849670 and EFT00053849665). Our analysis of lncRNA expression revealed significant differential expression under stress conditions in A. flavus. Our findings indicate that lncRNAs in A. flavus, particularly down-regulated lncRNAs, may play pivotal regulatory roles in aflatoxin biosynthesis, respiratory activities, cellular survival, and metabolic maintenance under stress conditions. Additionally, we predicted that sense lncRNAs down-regulated by a temperature of 30 °C, osmotic stress, and CO2 concentration might indirectly regulate proline metabolism. Furthermore, subcellular localization analysis revealed that up-and down-regulated lncRNAs are frequently localized in the nucleus under stress conditions, particularly at a water activity of 0.91, while most up-regulated lncRNAs may be located in the cytoplasm under high CO2 concentration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nafiseh Davati
- Department of Food Science and Technology, College of Food Industry, Bu-Ali Sina University, Hamedan, 65167-38695, Iran.
| | - Abozar Ghorbani
- Nuclear Agriculture Research School, Nuclear Science and Technology Research Institute (NSTRI), Karaj, Iran.
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Yi K, Yan W, Li X, Yang S, Li J, Yin Y, Yuan F, Wang H, Kang Z, Han D, Zeng Q. Identification of Long Intergenic Noncoding RNAs in Rhizoctonia cerealis following Inoculation of Wheat. Microbiol Spectr 2023; 11:e0344922. [PMID: 37036374 PMCID: PMC10269763 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.03449-22] [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: 08/30/2022] [Accepted: 03/12/2023] [Indexed: 04/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Wheat sharp eyespot caused by Rhizoctonia cerealis is primarily a severe threat to worldwide wheat production. Currently, there are no resistant wheat cultivars, and the use of fungicides is the primary method for controlling this disease. Elucidating the mechanisms of R. cerealis pathogenicity can accelerate the pace of the control of this disease. Long intergenic noncoding RNAs (lincRNAs) that function in plant-pathogen interactions might provide a new perspective. We systematically analyzed lincRNAs and identified a total of 1,319 lincRNAs in R. cerealis. We found that lincRNAs are involved in various biological processes, as shown by differential expression analysis and weighted correlation network analysis (WGCNA). Next, one of nine hub lincRNAs in the blue module that was related to infection and growth processes, MSTRG.4380.1, was verified to reduce R. cerealis virulence on wheat by a host-induced gene silencing (HIGS) assay. Following that, RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) analysis revealed that the significantly downregulated genes in the MSTRG.4380.1 knockdown lines were associated mainly with infection-related processes, including hydrolase, transmembrane transporter, and energy metabolism activities. Additionally, 23 novel microRNAs (miRNAs) were discovered during small RNA (sRNA) sequencing (sRNA-Seq) analysis of MSTRG.4380.1 knockdown, and target prediction of miRNAs suggested that MSTRG.4380.1 does not act as a competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA). This study performed the first genome-wide identification of R. cerealis lincRNAs and miRNAs. It confirmed the involvement of a lincRNA in the infection process, providing new insights into the mechanism of R. cerealis infection and offering a new approach for protecting wheat from R. cerealis. IMPORTANCE Rhizoctonia cerealis, the primary causal agent of wheat sharp eyespot, has caused significant losses in worldwide wheat production. Since no resistant wheat cultivars exist, chemical control is the primary method. However, this approach is environmentally unfriendly and costly. RNA interference (RNAi)-mediated pathogenicity gene silencing has been proven to reduce the growth of Rhizoctonia and provides a new perspective for disease control. Recent studies have shown that lincRNAs are involved in various biological processes across species, such as biotic and abiotic stresses. Therefore, verifying the function of lincRNAs in R. cerealis is beneficial for understanding the infection mechanism. In this study, we reveal that lincRNAs could contribute to the virulence of R. cerealis, which provides new insights into controlling this pathogen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ke Yi
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, China
| | - Weiyi Yan
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, China
| | - Xiang Li
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, China
| | - Shuqing Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, China
| | - Jiaqi Li
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, China
| | - Yifan Yin
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, China
| | - Fengping Yuan
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, China
| | - Haiying Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, China
| | - Zhensheng Kang
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, China
| | - Dejun Han
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, China
| | - Qingdong Zeng
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, China
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Pérez Rodríguez F, Valdés-Santiago L, Noé García-Chávez J, Luis Castro-Guillén J, Ruiz-Herrera J. Analysis of gene expression related to polyamine concentration and dimorphism induced in ornithine decarboxylase (odc) and spermidine synthase (spd) Ustilago maydis mutants. Fungal Genet Biol 2023; 166:103792. [PMID: 36996931 DOI: 10.1016/j.fgb.2023.103792] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2022] [Revised: 03/20/2023] [Accepted: 03/24/2023] [Indexed: 03/30/2023]
Abstract
Polyamines are ubiquitous small organic cations, and their roles as regulators of several cellular processes are widely recognized. They are implicated in the key stages of the fungal life cycle. Ustilago maydis is a phytopathogenic fungus, the causal agent of common smut of maize and a model system to understand dimorphism and virulence. U. maydis grows in yeast form at pH 7 and it can develop its mycelial form in vitro at pH 3. Δodc mutants that are unable to synthesize polyamines, grew as yeast at pH 3 with a low putrescine concentration, and to complete its dimorphic transition high putrescine concentration was required. Δspd mutants required spermidine to grow and cannot form mycelium at pH 3. In this work, the increased expression of the mating genes, mfa1 and mfa2, on Δodc mutants, was related to high putrescine concentration. Global gene expression analysis comparisons of Δodc and Δspd U. maydis mutants indicated that 2,959 genes were differentially expressed in the presence of exogenous putrescine at pH 7 and 475 genes at pH 3. While, in Δspd mutant, the expression of 1,426 genes was affected by exogenous spermine concentration at pH 7 and 11 genes at pH 3. Additionally, we identified 28 transcriptional modules with correlated expression during seven tested conditions: mutant genotype, morphology (yeast, and mycelium), pH, and putrescine or spermidine concentration. Furthermore, significant differences in transcript levels were noted for genes in modules relating to pH and genotype genes involved in ribosome biogenesis, mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation, N-glycan synthesis, and Glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchor. In summary, our results offer a valuable tool for the identification of potential factors involved in phenomena related to polyamines and dimorphism.
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Lelandais G, Remy D, Malagnac F, Grognet P. New insights into genome annotation in Podospora anserina through re-exploiting multiple RNA-seq data. BMC Genomics 2022; 23:859. [PMID: 36581831 PMCID: PMC9801653 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-022-09085-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2022] [Accepted: 12/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Publicly available RNA-seq datasets are often underused although being helpful to improve functional annotation of eukaryotic genomes. This is especially true for filamentous fungi genomes which structure differs from most well annotated yeast genomes. Podospora anserina is a filamentous fungal model, which genome has been sequenced and annotated in 2008. Still, the current annotation lacks information about cis-regulatory elements, including promoters, transcription starting sites and terminators, which are instrumental to integrate epigenomic features into global gene regulation strategies. RESULTS Here we took advantage of 37 RNA-seq experiments that were obtained in contrasted developmental and physiological conditions, to complete the functional annotation of P. anserina genome. Out of the 10,800 previously annotated genes, 5'UTR and 3'UTR were defined for 7554, among which, 3328 showed differential transcriptional signal starts and/or transcriptional end sites. In addition, alternative splicing events were detected for 2350 genes, mostly due alternative 3'splice sites and 1732 novel transcriptionally active regions (nTARs) in unannotated regions were identified. CONCLUSIONS Our study provides a comprehensive genome-wide functional annotation of P. anserina genome, including chromatin features, cis-acting elements such as UTRs, alternative splicing events and transcription of non-coding regions. These new findings will likely improve our understanding of gene regulation strategies in compact genomes, such as those of filamentous fungi. Characterization of alternative transcripts and nTARs paves the way to the discovery of putative new genes, alternative peptides or regulatory non-coding RNAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gaëlle Lelandais
- grid.457334.20000 0001 0667 2738Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), 91198 Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Damien Remy
- grid.457334.20000 0001 0667 2738Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), 91198 Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Fabienne Malagnac
- grid.457334.20000 0001 0667 2738Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), 91198 Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Pierre Grognet
- grid.457334.20000 0001 0667 2738Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), 91198 Gif-sur-Yvette, France
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7
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Yoshimoto R, Ishida F, Yamaguchi M, Tanaka S. The production and secretion of tRNA-derived RNA fragments in the corn smut fungus Ustilago maydis. FRONTIERS IN FUNGAL BIOLOGY 2022; 3:958798. [PMID: 37746175 PMCID: PMC10512261 DOI: 10.3389/ffunb.2022.958798] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2022] [Accepted: 07/18/2022] [Indexed: 09/26/2023]
Abstract
The biogenesis of small non-coding RNAs is a molecular event that contributes to cellular functions. The basidiomycete fungus Ustilago maydis is a biotrophic pathogen parasitizing maize. A hallmark of its genome structure is an absence of RNAi machinery including Dicer and Argonaute proteins, which are responsible for the production of small RNAs in other organisms. However, it remains unclear whether U. maydis produces small RNAs during fungal growth. Here we found that U. maydis cells accumulate approximately 20-30 nucleotides of small RNA fragments during growth in the axenic culture condition. The RNA-seq analysis of these fragments identified that these small RNAs are originated from tRNAs and 5.8S ribosomal RNA. Interestingly, majority of their sequences are generated from tRNAs responsible for asparagine, glutamine and glycine, suggesting a bias of origin. The cleavage of tRNAs mainly occurs at the position near anticodon-stem-loop. We generated the deletion mutants of two genes nuc1 and nuc2 encoding RNase T2, which is a candidate enzyme that cleaves tRNAs. The deletion mutants of two genes largely fail to accumulate tRNA-derived RNA fragments. Nuc1 and tRNA are co-localized at the tip of budding cells and tRNA fragment could be detected in culture supernatant. Our results suggest that specific tRNAs would be cleaved during secretory processes and tRNA fragments might have extracellular functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rei Yoshimoto
- Faculty of Agriculture, Setsunan University, Osaka, Japan
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Choi G, Jeon J, Lee H, Zhou S, Lee YH. Genome-wide profiling of long non-coding RNA of the rice blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae during infection. BMC Genomics 2022; 23:132. [PMID: 35168559 PMCID: PMC8845233 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-022-08380-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2021] [Accepted: 02/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play essential roles in developmental processes and disease development at the transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels across diverse taxa. However, only few studies have profiled fungal lncRNAs in a genome-wide manner during host infection. Results Infection-associated lncRNAs were identified using lncRNA profiling over six stages of host infection (e.g., vegetative growth, pre-penetration, biotrophic, and necrotrophic stages) in the model pathogenic fungus, Magnaporthe oryzae. We identified 2,601 novel lncRNAs, including 1,286 antisense lncRNAs and 980 intergenic lncRNAs. Among the identified lncRNAs, 755 were expressed in a stage-specific manner and 560 were infection-specifically expressed lncRNAs (ISELs). To decipher the potential roles of lncRNAs during infection, we identified 365 protein-coding genes that were associated with 214 ISELs. Analysis of the predicted functions of these associated genes suggested that lncRNAs regulate pathogenesis-related genes, including xylanases and effectors. Conclusions The ISELs and their associated genes provide a comprehensive view of lncRNAs during fungal pathogen-plant interactions. This study expands new insights into the role of lncRNAs in the rice blast fungus, as well as other plant pathogenic fungi. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12864-022-08380-4.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gobong Choi
- Interdisciplinary Program in Agricultural Genomics, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826, Korea
| | - Jongbum Jeon
- Interdisciplinary Program in Agricultural Genomics, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826, Korea.,Plant Immunity Research Center, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826, Korea.,Korean Bioinformation Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Daejeon, 34141, Korea
| | - Hyunjun Lee
- Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826, Korea
| | - Shenxian Zhou
- Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826, Korea
| | - Yong-Hwan Lee
- Interdisciplinary Program in Agricultural Genomics, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826, Korea. .,Plant Immunity Research Center, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826, Korea. .,Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826, Korea. .,Center for Plant Microbiome Research, Center for Fungal Genetic Resources, Plant Genomics and Breeding Institute, and Research Institute of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826, Korea.
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Merényi Z, Virágh M, Gluck-Thaler E, Slot JC, Kiss B, Varga T, Geösel A, Hegedüs B, Bálint B, Nagy LG. Gene age shapes the transcriptional landscape of sexual morphogenesis in mushroom forming fungi (Agaricomycetes). eLife 2022; 11:71348. [PMID: 35156613 PMCID: PMC8893723 DOI: 10.7554/elife.71348] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2021] [Accepted: 02/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Multicellularity has been one of the most important innovations in the history of life. The role of gene regulatory changes in driving transitions to multicellularity is being increasingly recognized; however, factors influencing gene expression patterns are poorly known in many clades. Here, we compared the developmental transcriptomes of complex multicellular fruiting bodies of eight Agaricomycetes and Cryptococcus neoformans, a closely related human pathogen with a simple morphology. In-depth analysis in Pleurotus ostreatus revealed that allele-specific expression, natural antisense transcripts, and developmental gene expression, but not RNA editing or a ‘developmental hourglass,’ act in concert to shape its transcriptome during fruiting body development. We found that transcriptional patterns of genes strongly depend on their evolutionary ages. Young genes showed more developmental and allele-specific expression variation, possibly because of weaker evolutionary constraint, suggestive of nonadaptive expression variance in fruiting bodies. These results prompted us to define a set of conserved genes specifically regulated only during complex morphogenesis by excluding young genes and accounting for deeply conserved ones shared with species showing simple sexual development. Analysis of the resulting gene set revealed evolutionary and functional associations with complex multicellularity, which allowed us to speculate they are involved in complex multicellular morphogenesis of mushroom fruiting bodies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zsolt Merényi
- Synthetic and Systems Biology Unit, Biological Research Center, Szeged, Hungary
| | - Máté Virágh
- Synthetic and Systems Biology Unit, Biological Research Center, Szeged, Hungary
| | - Emile Gluck-Thaler
- Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, United States
| | - Jason C Slot
- Department of Plant Pathology, Ohio State University, Columbus, United States
| | - Brigitta Kiss
- Synthetic and Systems Biology Unit, Biological Research Center, Szeged, Hungary
| | - Torda Varga
- Synthetic and Systems Biology Unit, Biological Research Center, Szeged, Hungary
| | - András Geösel
- Department of Vegetable and Mushroom Growing, Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Botond Hegedüs
- Synthetic and Systems Biology Unit, Biological Research Center, Szeged, Hungary
| | - Balázs Bálint
- Synthetic and Systems Biology Unit, Biological Research Center, Szeged, Hungary
| | - László G Nagy
- Synthetic and Systems Biology Unit, Biological Research Center, Szeged, Hungary
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Wang J, Zeng W, Cheng J, Xie J, Fu Y, Jiang D, Lin Y. lncRsp1, a long noncoding RNA, influences Fgsp1 expression and sexual reproduction in Fusarium graminearum. MOLECULAR PLANT PATHOLOGY 2022; 23:265-277. [PMID: 34841640 PMCID: PMC8743023 DOI: 10.1111/mpp.13160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2021] [Revised: 09/05/2021] [Accepted: 10/18/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are crucial regulators of gene expression in many biological processes, but their biological functions remain largely unknown, especially in fungi. Fusarium graminearum is an important pathogen that causes the destructive disease Fusarium head blight (FHB) or head scab disease on wheat and barley. In our previous RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) study, we discovered that lncRsp1 is an lncRNA that is located +99 bp upstream of a putative sugar transporter gene, Fgsp1, with the same transcription direction. Functional studies revealed that ΔlncRsp1 and ΔFgsp1 were normal in growth and conidiation but had defects in ascospore discharge and virulence on wheat coleoptiles. Moreover, lncRsp1 and Fgsp1 were shown to negatively regulate the expression of several deoxynivalenol (DON) biosynthesis genes, TRI4, TRI5, TRI6, and TRI13, as well as DON production. Further analysis showed that the overexpression of lncRsp1 enhanced the ability of ascospore release and increased the mRNA expression level of the Fgsp1 gene, while lncRsp1-silenced strains reduced ascospore discharge and inhibited Fgsp1 expression during the sexual reproduction stage. In addition, the lncRsp1 complementary strains lncRsp1-LC-1 and lncRsp1-LC-2 restored ascospore discharge to the level of the wild-type strain PH-1. Taken together, our results reveal the distinct and specific functions of lncRsp1 and Fgsp1 in F. graminearum and principally demonstrate that lncRsp1 can affect the release of ascospores by regulating the expression of Fgsp1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural MicrobiologyHuazhong Agricultural UniversityWuhanChina
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Plant PathologyHuazhong Agricultural UniversityWuhanChina
| | - Wenping Zeng
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural MicrobiologyHuazhong Agricultural UniversityWuhanChina
- Key Laboratory of Environment Change and Resources Use in Beibu GulfMinistry of EducationNanning Normal UniversityNanningChina
| | - Jiasen Cheng
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural MicrobiologyHuazhong Agricultural UniversityWuhanChina
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Plant PathologyHuazhong Agricultural UniversityWuhanChina
| | - Jiatao Xie
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural MicrobiologyHuazhong Agricultural UniversityWuhanChina
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Plant PathologyHuazhong Agricultural UniversityWuhanChina
| | - Yanping Fu
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Plant PathologyHuazhong Agricultural UniversityWuhanChina
| | - Daohong Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural MicrobiologyHuazhong Agricultural UniversityWuhanChina
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Plant PathologyHuazhong Agricultural UniversityWuhanChina
| | - Yang Lin
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Plant PathologyHuazhong Agricultural UniversityWuhanChina
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Li J, Liu X, Yin Z, Hu Z, Zhang KQ. An Overview on Identification and Regulatory Mechanisms of Long Non-coding RNAs in Fungi. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:638617. [PMID: 33995298 PMCID: PMC8113380 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.638617] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2020] [Accepted: 04/06/2021] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
For decades, more and more long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been confirmed to play important functions in key biological processes of different organisms. At present, most identified lncRNAs and those with known functional roles are from mammalian systems. However, lncRNAs have also been found in primitive eukaryotic fungi, and they have different functions in fungal development, metabolism, and pathogenicity. In this review, we highlight some recent researches on lncRNAs in the primitive eukaryotic fungi, particularly focusing on the identification of lncRNAs and their regulatory roles in diverse biological processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan Li
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Bio-Resources in Yunnan, Yunnan University, Kunming, China
| | - Xiaoying Liu
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Bio-Resources in Yunnan, Yunnan University, Kunming, China
| | - Ziyu Yin
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Bio-Resources in Yunnan, Yunnan University, Kunming, China
| | - Zhihong Hu
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Bio-Resources in Yunnan, Yunnan University, Kunming, China
| | - Ke-Qin Zhang
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Bio-Resources in Yunnan, Yunnan University, Kunming, China
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12
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Tang J, Chen X, Yan Y, Huang J, Luo C, Tom H, Zheng L. Comprehensive transcriptome profiling reveals abundant long non-coding RNAs associated with development of the rice false smut fungus, Ustilaginoidea virens. Environ Microbiol 2021; 23:4998-5013. [PMID: 33587785 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.15432] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2019] [Accepted: 02/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play an important role in biological processes but regulation and function of lncRNAs remain largely unelucidated, especially in fungi. Ustilaginoidea virens is an economically important fungus causing a devastating disease of rice. By combining microscopic and RNA-seq analyses, we comprehensively characterized lncRNAs of this fungus in infection and developmental processes and defined four serial typical stages. RNA-seq analyses revealed 1724 lncRNAs in U. virens, including 1084 long intergenic non-coding RNAs (lincRNAs), 51 intronic RNAs (incRNAs), 566 natural antisense transcripts (lncNATs) and 23 sense transcripts. Gene Ontology enrichment of differentially expressed lincRNAs and lncNATs demonstrated that these were mainly involved in transport-related regulation. Functional studies of transport-related lncRNAs revealed that UvlncNAT-MFS, a cytoplasm localized lncNAT of a putative MFS transporter gene, UvMFS, could form an RNA duplex with UvMFS and was required for regulation of growth, conidiation and various stress responses. Our results were the first to elucidate the lncRNA profiles during infection and development of this important phytopathogen U. virens. The functional discovery of the novel lncRNA, UvlncNAT-MFS, revealed the potential of lncRNAs in regulation of life processes in fungi.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jintian Tang
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Plant Pathology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China.,Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Biometrology and Inspection & Quarantine, College of Life Sciences, China Jiliang University, Hangzhou, 310018, China
| | - Xiaoyang Chen
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Plant Pathology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Yaqin Yan
- Institute of Vegetables Research, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou, 310021, China
| | - Junbin Huang
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Plant Pathology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Chaoxi Luo
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Plant Pathology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Hsiang Tom
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, N1G 2W1, Canada
| | - Lu Zheng
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Plant Pathology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
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13
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Wang J, Zeng W, Xie J, Fu Y, Jiang D, Lin Y, Chen W, Cheng J. A novel antisense long non-coding RNA participates in asexual and sexual reproduction by regulating the expression of GzmetE in Fusarium graminearum. Environ Microbiol 2021; 23:4939-4955. [PMID: 33438341 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.15399] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2020] [Accepted: 01/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Fusarium graminearum is an important worldwide pathogen that causes Fusarium head blight in wheat, barley, maize and other grains. LncRNAs play important roles in many biological processes, but little is known about their functions and mechanisms in filamentous fungi. Here, we report that a natural antisense RNA, GzmetE-AS, is transcribed from the opposite strand of GzmetE. GzmetE encodes a homoserine O-acetyltransferase, which is important for sexual development and plant infection. The expression of GzmetE-AS was increased significantly during the conidiation stage, while GzmetE was upregulated in the late stage of sexual reproduction. Overexpression of GzmetE-AS inhibited the transcription of GzmetE. In contrast, the expression of GzmetE was significantly increased in GzmetE-AS transcription termination strain GzmetE-AS-T. Furthermore, GzmetE-AS-T produced more perithecia and facilitated the ascospore discharge, resembling the phenotype of GzmetE overexpressing strains. However, overexpression of GzmetE-AS in ∆dcl1/2 strain cannot inhibit the expression of GzmetE, and the GzmetE nat-siRNA is also significantly reduced in ∆dcl1/2 mutant. Taken together, we have identified a novel antisense lncRNA GzmetE-AS, which is involved in asexual and sexual reproduction by regulating its antisense gene GzmetE through RNAi pathway. Our findings reveal that the lncRNA plays critical roles in the development of F. graminearum.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China.,The Provincial Key Lab of Plant Pathology of Hubei Province, College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Wenping Zeng
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China.,Key Laboratory of Environment Change and Resources Use in Beibu Gulf, Ministry of Education, Nanning Normal University, Nanning, 530001, China
| | - Jiatao Xie
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China.,The Provincial Key Lab of Plant Pathology of Hubei Province, College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Yanping Fu
- The Provincial Key Lab of Plant Pathology of Hubei Province, College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Daohong Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China.,The Provincial Key Lab of Plant Pathology of Hubei Province, College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Yang Lin
- The Provincial Key Lab of Plant Pathology of Hubei Province, College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Weidong Chen
- United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, 99164, USA
| | - Jiasen Cheng
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China.,The Provincial Key Lab of Plant Pathology of Hubei Province, College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
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14
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Role of Non-coding RNAs in Fungal Pathogenesis and Antifungal Drug Responses. CURRENT CLINICAL MICROBIOLOGY REPORTS 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s40588-020-00151-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Abstract
Purpose of Review
Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), including regulatory small RNAs (sRNAs) and long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), constitute a significant part of eukaryotic genomes; however, their roles in fungi are just starting to emerge. ncRNAs have been shown to regulate gene expression in response to varying environmental conditions (like stress) and response to chemicals, including antifungal drugs. In this review, I highlighted recent studies focusing on the functional roles of ncRNAs in pathogenic fungi.
Recent Findings
Emerging evidence suggests sRNAs (small RNAs) and lncRNAs (long non-coding RNAs) play an important role in fungal pathogenesis and antifungal drug response. Their roles include posttranscriptional gene silencing, histone modification, and chromatin remodeling. Fungal pathogens utilize RNA interference (RNAi) mechanisms to regulate pathogenesis-related genes and can also transfer sRNAs inside the host to suppress host immunity genes to increase virulence. Hosts can also transfer sRNAs to induce RNAi in fungal pathogens to reduce virulence. Additionally, sRNAs and lncRNAs also regulate gene expression in response to antifungal drugs increasing resistance (and possibly tolerance) to drugs.
Summary
Herein, I discuss what is known about ncRNAs in fungal pathogenesis and antifungal drug responses. Advancements in genomic technologies will help identify the ncRNA repertoire in fungal pathogens, and functional studies will elucidate their mechanisms. This will advance our understanding of host-fungal interactions and potentially help develop better treatment strategies.
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Goulet KM, Storfie ERM, Saville BJ. Exploring links between antisense RNAs and pathogenesis in Ustilago maydis through transcript and gene characterization. Fungal Genet Biol 2019; 134:103283. [PMID: 31629082 DOI: 10.1016/j.fgb.2019.103283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2019] [Revised: 10/02/2019] [Accepted: 10/14/2019] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Biotrophic basidiomycete plant pathogens cause billions of dollars in losses to cereal crops annually. The model for this group of fungi is the corn smut pathogen Ustilago maydis. Annotation of its genome identified antisense RNAs (asRNAs) complementary to over half of the coded mRNAs, some of which are present at high levels in teliospores but detected at very low levels or not at all in other cell types, suggesting they have a function in the teliospore or during teliospore formation. Expression of three such asRNAs (as-UMAG_02150, ncRNA1, and as-UMAG_02151) is controlled by two adjacent genomic regions. Deletion of these regions increased transcript levels of all three asRNAs and attenuated pathogenesis. This study investigated the reason for this marked reduction in pathogenesis by: (1) using deletion analyses to assess the involvement of genes, complementary to the asRNAs, in pathogenesis; (2) determining that one of the linked genes encodes a putative xylitol dehydrogenase; and (3) identifying and functionally characterizing asRNAs that could influence expression of protein-coding genes. The results presented suggest that the influence of the asRNAs on pathogenesis occurs through their action at unlinked loci.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristi M Goulet
- Environmental and Life Sciences Graduate Program, Trent University, Peterborough, ON K9J 7B8, Canada; Ontario Forensic Pathology Service, Toronto, ON M3M 0B1, Canada.
| | - Emilee R M Storfie
- Environmental and Life Sciences Graduate Program, Trent University, Peterborough, ON K9J 7B8, Canada; Forensic Science Program, Trent University, Peterborough, ON K9J 7B8, Canada.
| | - Barry J Saville
- Environmental and Life Sciences Graduate Program, Trent University, Peterborough, ON K9J 7B8, Canada; Forensic Science Program, Trent University, Peterborough, ON K9J 7B8, Canada.
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Wang Z, Jiang Y, Wu H, Xie X, Huang B. Genome-Wide Identification and Functional Prediction of Long Non-coding RNAs Involved in the Heat Stress Response in Metarhizium robertsii. Front Microbiol 2019; 10:2336. [PMID: 31649657 PMCID: PMC6794563 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2019.02336] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2019] [Accepted: 09/25/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play a significant role in stress responses. To date, only a few studies have reported the role of lncRNAs in insect-pathogenic fungi. Here, we report a genome-wide transcriptional analysis of lncRNAs produced in response to heat stress in Metarhizium robertsii, a model insect-pathogenic fungus, using strand-specific RNA sequencing. A total of 1655 lncRNAs with 1742 isoforms were identified, of which 1081 differentially expressed (DE) lncRNAs were characterized as being heat responsive. By characterizing their genomic structures and expression patterns, we found that the lncRNAs possessed shorter transcripts, fewer exons, and lower expression levels than the protein-coding genes in M. robertsii. Furthermore, target prediction analysis of the lncRNAs revealed thousands of potential DE lncRNA–messenger RNA (mRNA) pairs, among which 5381 pairs function in the cis-regulatory mode. Further pathway enrichment analysis of the corresponding cis-regulated target genes showed that the targets were significantly enriched in the following biological pathways: the Hippo signaling pathway and cell cycle. This finding suggested that these DE lncRNAs control the expression of their corresponding neighboring genes primarily through environmental information processing and cellular processes. Moreover, only 26 trans-regulated lncRNA–mRNA pairs were determined. In addition, among the targets of heat-responsive lncRNAs, two classic genes that may be involved in the response to heat stress were also identified, including hsp70 (XM_007821830 and XM_007825705). These findings expand our knowledge of lncRNAs as important regulators of the response to heat stress in filamentous fungi, including M. robertsii.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhangxun Wang
- Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Pest Control, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, China.,School of Plant Protection, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, China
| | - Yuanyuan Jiang
- Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Pest Control, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, China.,School of Plant Protection, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, China
| | - Hao Wu
- Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Pest Control, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, China
| | - Xiangyun Xie
- Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Pest Control, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, China
| | - Bo Huang
- Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Pest Control, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, China
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17
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Wang Y, Ye W, Wang Y. Genome-wide identification of long non-coding RNAs suggests a potential association with effector gene transcription in Phytophthora sojae. MOLECULAR PLANT PATHOLOGY 2018; 19:2177-2186. [PMID: 29665235 PMCID: PMC6638102 DOI: 10.1111/mpp.12692] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2018] [Revised: 03/14/2018] [Accepted: 04/12/2018] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
Numerous long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) identified and characterized in mammals, plants and fungi have been found to play critical regulatory roles in biological processes. However, little is known about the role of lncRNAs in oomycete plant pathogens, which cause devastating damage to the economy and ecosystems. We used strand-specific RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) to generate a computational pipeline to identify lncRNAs in Phytophthora sojae, a model oomycete plant pathogen. In total, 940 lncRNAs with 1010 isoforms were identified from RNA-seq data obtained from four representative stages of P. sojae. The lncRNAs had shorter transcript lengths, longer exon lengths, fewer numbers of exons, lower GC content and higher minimum free energy values compared with protein-coding genes. lncRNAs in P. sojae exhibited low sequence conservation amongst oomycetes and P. sojae isolates. Transcriptional data indicated that P. sojae lncRNAs tended to be transcribed in a stage-specific manner; representative lncRNAs were validated by semi-quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. Phytophthora sojae lncRNAs were concentrated in gene-sparse regions, and lncRNAs were associated with secreted protein and effector coding genes. The neighbouring genes of lncRNAs encoded various effector family members, and RNA-seq data revealed a correlation between the transcription level of lncRNAs and their neighbouring genes. Our results provide the first comprehensive identification of lncRNAs in oomycetes and suggest a potential association between lncRNAs and effector genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Wang
- Department of Plant PathologyNanjing Agricultural UniversityNanjingJiangsu 210095China
- The Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Crop Diseases and Pests, Ministry of EducationNanjingJiangsu 210095China
| | - Wenwu Ye
- Department of Plant PathologyNanjing Agricultural UniversityNanjingJiangsu 210095China
- The Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Crop Diseases and Pests, Ministry of EducationNanjingJiangsu 210095China
| | - Yuanchao Wang
- Department of Plant PathologyNanjing Agricultural UniversityNanjingJiangsu 210095China
- The Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Crop Diseases and Pests, Ministry of EducationNanjingJiangsu 210095China
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18
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Torres-Martínez S, Ruiz-Vázquez RM. The RNAi Universe in Fungi: A Varied Landscape of Small RNAs and Biological Functions. Annu Rev Microbiol 2017; 71:371-391. [PMID: 28657888 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-micro-090816-093352] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
RNA interference (RNAi) is a conserved eukaryotic mechanism that uses small RNA molecules to suppress gene expression through sequence-specific messenger RNA degradation, translational repression, or transcriptional inhibition. In filamentous fungi, the protective function of RNAi in the maintenance of genome integrity is well known. However, knowledge of the regulatory role of RNAi in fungi has had to wait until the recent identification of different endogenous small RNA classes, which are generated by distinct RNAi pathways. In addition, RNAi research on new fungal models has uncovered the role of small RNAs and RNAi pathways in the regulation of diverse biological functions. In this review, we give an up-to-date overview of the different classes of small RNAs and RNAi pathways in fungi and their roles in the defense of genome integrity and regulation of fungal physiology and development, as well as in the interaction of fungi with biotic and abiotic environments.
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19
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Donaldson ME, Ostrowski LA, Goulet KM, Saville BJ. Transcriptome analysis of smut fungi reveals widespread intergenic transcription and conserved antisense transcript expression. BMC Genomics 2017; 18:340. [PMID: 28464849 PMCID: PMC5414199 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-017-3720-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2017] [Accepted: 04/25/2017] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Biotrophic fungal plant pathogens cause billions of dollars in losses to North American crops annually. The model for functional investigation of these fungi is Ustilago maydis. Its 20.5 Mb annotated genome sequence has been an excellent resource for investigating biotrophic plant pathogenesis. Expressed-sequence tag libraries and microarray hybridizations have provided insight regarding the type of transcripts produced by U. maydis but these analyses were not comprehensive and there were insufficient data for transcriptome comparison to other smut fungi. To improve transcriptome annotation and enable comparative analyses, comprehensive strand-specific RNA-seq was performed on cell-types of three related smut species: U. maydis (common smut of corn), Ustilago hordei (covered smut of barley), and Sporisorium reilianum (head smut of corn). Results In total, >1 billion paired-end sequence reads were obtained from haploid cell, dikaryon and teliospore RNA of U. maydis, haploid cell RNA of U. hordei, and haploid and dikaryon cell RNA of S. reilianum. The sequences were assembled into transfrags using Trinity, and updated gene models were created using PASA and categorized with Cufflinks Cuffcompare. Representative genes that were predicted for the first time with these RNA-seq analyses and genes with novel annotation features were independently assessed by reverse transcriptase PCR. The analyses indicate hundreds more predicted proteins, relative to the previous genome annotation, could be produced by U. maydis from altered transcript forms, and that the number of non-coding RNAs produced, including transcribed intergenic sequences and natural antisense transcripts, approximately equals the number of mRNAs. This high representation of non-coding RNAs appears to be a conserved feature of the smut fungi regardless of whether they have RNA interference machinery. Approximately 50% of the identified NATs were conserved among the smut fungi. Conclusions Overall, these analyses revealed: 1) smut genomes encode a number of transcriptional units that is twice the number of annotated protein-coding genes, 2) a small number of intergenic transcripts may encode proteins with characteristics of fungal effectors, 3) the vast majority of intergenic and antisense transcripts do not contain ORFs, 4) a large proportion of the identified antisense transcripts were detected at orthologous loci among the smut fungi, and 5) there is an enrichment of functional categories among orthologous loci that suggests antisense RNAs could have a genome-wide, non-RNAi-mediated, influence on gene expression in smut fungi. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12864-017-3720-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael E Donaldson
- Environmental and Life Sciences Graduate Program, Trent University, Peterborough, K9L 0G2, ON, Canada
| | - Lauren A Ostrowski
- Environmental and Life Sciences Graduate Program, Trent University, Peterborough, K9L 0G2, ON, Canada.,Present Address: Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, M5S 1A8, ON, Canada
| | - Kristi M Goulet
- Environmental and Life Sciences Graduate Program, Trent University, Peterborough, K9L 0G2, ON, Canada
| | - Barry J Saville
- Environmental and Life Sciences Graduate Program, Trent University, Peterborough, K9L 0G2, ON, Canada. .,Forensic Science Program, Trent University, Peterborough, K9L 0G2, ON, Canada.
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20
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Nejat N, Mantri N. Emerging roles of long non-coding RNAs in plant response to biotic and abiotic stresses. Crit Rev Biotechnol 2017; 38:93-105. [PMID: 28423944 DOI: 10.1080/07388551.2017.1312270] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Spectacular progress in high-throughput transcriptome sequencing and expression profiling using next-generation sequencing technologies have recently revolutionized molecular biology and allowed massive advances in identifying the genomic regions and molecular mechanisms underlying transcriptional regulation of growth, development, and stress response. Through recent research, non-coding RNAs, in particular long non-coding RNAs, have emerged as key regulators of transcription in eukaryotes. Long non-coding RNAs are vastly heterogeneous groups of RNAs that execute a broad range of essential roles in various biological processes at the epigenetic, transcriptional, and post-transcriptional levels. They modulate transcription through diverse mechanisms. Recently, numerous lncRNAs have been identified to be associated with defense responses to biotic and abiotic stresses. These have been suggested to perform indispensable roles in plant immunity and adaptation to environmental conditions. However, only a few lncRNAs have been functionally characterized in plants. In this paper, we summarize the present knowledge of lncRNAs, review the recent advances in understanding regulatory functions of lncRNAs, and highlight the emerging roles of lncRNAs in regulating immune responses in plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naghmeh Nejat
- a School of Science, Health Innovations Research Institute, RMIT University , Melbourne , Victoria , Australia
| | - Nitin Mantri
- a School of Science, Health Innovations Research Institute, RMIT University , Melbourne , Victoria , Australia
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21
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Ostrowski LA, Saville BJ. Natural antisense transcripts are linked to the modulation of mitochondrial function and teliospore dormancy in Ustilago maydis. Mol Microbiol 2017; 103:745-763. [PMID: 27888605 DOI: 10.1111/mmi.13587] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2016] [Revised: 11/22/2016] [Accepted: 11/22/2016] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
The basidiomycete smut fungus Ustilago maydis causes common smut of corn. This disease is spread through the production of teliospores, which are thick-walled dormant structures characterized by low rates of respiration and metabolism. Teliospores are formed when the fungus grows within the plant, and the morphological steps involved in their formation have been described, but the molecular events leading to dormancy are not known. In U. maydis, natural antisense transcripts (NATs) can function to alter gene expression and many NATs have increased levels in the teliospore. One such NAT is as-ssm1 which is complementary to the gene for the mitochondrial seryl-tRNA synthetase (ssm1), an enzyme important to mitochondrial function. The disruption of ssm1 leads to cell lysis, indicating it is also essential for cellular viability. To assess the function of as-ssm1, it was ectopically expressed in haploid cells, where it is not normally present. This expression led to reductions in growth rate, virulence, mitochondrial membrane potential and oxygen consumption. It also resulted in the formation of as-ssm1/ssm1 double-stranded RNA and increased ssm1 transcript levels, but no change in Ssm1 protein levels was detected. Together, these findings suggest a role for as-ssm1 in facilitating teliospore dormancy through dsRNA formation and reduction of mitochondrial function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren A Ostrowski
- Environmental and Life Sciences Graduate Program, Trent University, Peterborough, ON, Canada, K9L 0G2
| | - Barry J Saville
- Environmental and Life Sciences Graduate Program, Trent University, Peterborough, ON, Canada, K9L 0G2.,Forensic Science Program, Trent University, Peterborough, ON, Canada, K9L 0G2
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22
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Patel S. Nutrition, safety, market status quo appraisal of emerging functional food corn smut (huitlacoche). Trends Food Sci Technol 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tifs.2016.09.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
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23
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Chacko N, Zhao Y, Yang E, Wang L, Cai JJ, Lin X. The lncRNA RZE1 Controls Cryptococcal Morphological Transition. PLoS Genet 2015; 11:e1005692. [PMID: 26588844 PMCID: PMC4654512 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1005692] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2015] [Accepted: 10/30/2015] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
In the fungal pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans, the switch from yeast to hypha is an important morphological process preceding the meiotic events during sexual development. Morphotype is also known to be associated with cryptococcal virulence potential. Previous studies identified the regulator Znf2 as a key decision maker for hypha formation and as an anti-virulence factor. By a forward genetic screen, we discovered that a long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) RZE1 functions upstream of ZNF2 in regulating yeast-to-hypha transition. We demonstrate that RZE1 functions primarily in cis and less effectively in trans. Interestingly, RZE1's function is restricted to its native nucleus. Accordingly, RZE1 does not appear to directly affect Znf2 translation or the subcellular localization of Znf2 protein. Transcriptome analysis indicates that the loss of RZE1 reduces the transcript level of ZNF2 and Znf2's prominent downstream targets. In addition, microscopic examination using single molecule fluorescent in situ hybridization (smFISH) indicates that the loss of RZE1 increases the ratio of ZNF2 transcripts in the nucleus versus those in the cytoplasm. Taken together, this lncRNA controls Cryptococcus yeast-to-hypha transition through regulating the key morphogenesis regulator Znf2. This is the first functional characterization of a lncRNA in a human fungal pathogen. Given the potential large number of lncRNAs in the genomes of Cryptococcus and other fungal pathogens, the findings implicate lncRNAs as an additional layer of genetic regulation during fungal development that may well contribute to the complexity in these "simple" eukaryotes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nadia Chacko
- Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, United States of America
| | - Youbao Zhao
- Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, United States of America
| | - Ence Yang
- Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, United States of America
| | - Linqi Wang
- Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, United States of America
| | - James J. Cai
- Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, United States of America
| | - Xiaorong Lin
- Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Perez-Nadales E, Nogueira MFA, Baldin C, Castanheira S, El Ghalid M, Grund E, Lengeler K, Marchegiani E, Mehrotra PV, Moretti M, Naik V, Oses-Ruiz M, Oskarsson T, Schäfer K, Wasserstrom L, Brakhage AA, Gow NAR, Kahmann R, Lebrun MH, Perez-Martin J, Di Pietro A, Talbot NJ, Toquin V, Walther A, Wendland J. Fungal model systems and the elucidation of pathogenicity determinants. Fungal Genet Biol 2014; 70:42-67. [PMID: 25011008 PMCID: PMC4161391 DOI: 10.1016/j.fgb.2014.06.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 89] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2014] [Revised: 06/23/2014] [Accepted: 06/25/2014] [Indexed: 12/05/2022]
Abstract
Fungi have the capacity to cause devastating diseases of both plants and animals, causing significant harvest losses that threaten food security and human mycoses with high mortality rates. As a consequence, there is a critical need to promote development of new antifungal drugs, which requires a comprehensive molecular knowledge of fungal pathogenesis. In this review, we critically evaluate current knowledge of seven fungal organisms used as major research models for fungal pathogenesis. These include pathogens of both animals and plants; Ashbya gossypii, Aspergillus fumigatus, Candida albicans, Fusarium oxysporum, Magnaporthe oryzae, Ustilago maydis and Zymoseptoria tritici. We present key insights into the virulence mechanisms deployed by each species and a comparative overview of key insights obtained from genomic analysis. We then consider current trends and future challenges associated with the study of fungal pathogenicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Perez-Nadales
- Department of Genetics, Edificio Gregor Mendel, Planta 1. Campus de Rabanales, University of Cordoba, 14071 Cordoba, Spain.
| | | | - Clara Baldin
- Department of Molecular and Applied Microbiology, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology - Hans Knöll Institute (HKI), Beutembergstr. 11a, 07745 Jena, Germany; Department of Microbiology and Molecular Biology, Institute of Microbiology, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Beutenbergstr. 11a, 07745 Jena, Germany
| | - Sónia Castanheira
- Instituto de Biología Funcional y GenómicaCSIC, Universidad de Salamanca, 37007 Salamanca, Spain
| | - Mennat El Ghalid
- Department of Genetics, Edificio Gregor Mendel, Planta 1. Campus de Rabanales, University of Cordoba, 14071 Cordoba, Spain
| | - Elisabeth Grund
- Functional Genomics of Plant Pathogenic Fungi, UMR 5240 CNRS-UCB-INSA-Bayer SAS, Bayer CropScience, 69263 Lyon, France
| | - Klaus Lengeler
- Carlsberg Laboratory, Department of Yeast Genetics, Gamle Carlsberg Vej 10, DK-1799, Copenhagen V, Denmark
| | - Elisabetta Marchegiani
- Evolution and Genomics of Plant Pathogen Interactions, UR 1290 INRA, BIOGER-CPP, Campus AgroParisTech, 78850 Thiverval-Grignon, France
| | - Pankaj Vinod Mehrotra
- Aberdeen Fungal Group, School of Medical Sciences, Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK
| | - Marino Moretti
- Max-Planck-Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Department of Organismic Interactions, Karl-von-Frisch-Strasse 10, D-35043 Marburg, Germany
| | - Vikram Naik
- Max-Planck-Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Department of Organismic Interactions, Karl-von-Frisch-Strasse 10, D-35043 Marburg, Germany
| | - Miriam Oses-Ruiz
- School of Biosciences, Geoffrey Pope Building, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4QD, UK
| | - Therese Oskarsson
- Carlsberg Laboratory, Department of Yeast Genetics, Gamle Carlsberg Vej 10, DK-1799, Copenhagen V, Denmark
| | - Katja Schäfer
- Department of Genetics, Edificio Gregor Mendel, Planta 1. Campus de Rabanales, University of Cordoba, 14071 Cordoba, Spain
| | - Lisa Wasserstrom
- Carlsberg Laboratory, Department of Yeast Genetics, Gamle Carlsberg Vej 10, DK-1799, Copenhagen V, Denmark
| | - Axel A Brakhage
- Department of Molecular and Applied Microbiology, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology - Hans Knöll Institute (HKI), Beutembergstr. 11a, 07745 Jena, Germany; Department of Microbiology and Molecular Biology, Institute of Microbiology, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Beutenbergstr. 11a, 07745 Jena, Germany
| | - Neil A R Gow
- Aberdeen Fungal Group, School of Medical Sciences, Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK
| | - Regine Kahmann
- Max-Planck-Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Department of Organismic Interactions, Karl-von-Frisch-Strasse 10, D-35043 Marburg, Germany
| | - Marc-Henri Lebrun
- Evolution and Genomics of Plant Pathogen Interactions, UR 1290 INRA, BIOGER-CPP, Campus AgroParisTech, 78850 Thiverval-Grignon, France
| | - José Perez-Martin
- Instituto de Biología Funcional y GenómicaCSIC, Universidad de Salamanca, 37007 Salamanca, Spain
| | - Antonio Di Pietro
- Department of Genetics, Edificio Gregor Mendel, Planta 1. Campus de Rabanales, University of Cordoba, 14071 Cordoba, Spain
| | - Nicholas J Talbot
- School of Biosciences, Geoffrey Pope Building, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4QD, UK
| | - Valerie Toquin
- Biochemistry Department, Bayer SAS, Bayer CropScience, CRLD, 69263 Lyon, France
| | - Andrea Walther
- Carlsberg Laboratory, Department of Yeast Genetics, Gamle Carlsberg Vej 10, DK-1799, Copenhagen V, Denmark
| | - Jürgen Wendland
- Carlsberg Laboratory, Department of Yeast Genetics, Gamle Carlsberg Vej 10, DK-1799, Copenhagen V, Denmark
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Affiliation(s)
- Vera Göhre
- Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf, Institute for Microbiology, Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Carl Haag
- Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf, Institute for Microbiology, Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Michael Feldbrügge
- Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf, Institute for Microbiology, Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences, Düsseldorf, Germany
- * E-mail:
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Donaldson ME, Meng S, Gagarinova A, Babu M, Lambie SC, Swiadek AA, Saville BJ. Investigating the Ustilago maydis/Zea mays pathosystem: transcriptional responses and novel functional aspects of a fungal calcineurin regulatory B subunit. Fungal Genet Biol 2013; 58-59:91-104. [PMID: 23973481 DOI: 10.1016/j.fgb.2013.08.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2013] [Revised: 07/29/2013] [Accepted: 08/12/2013] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The sustainable control of basidiomycete biotrophic plant pathogenesis requires an understanding of host responses to infection, as well as the identification and functional analysis of fungal genes involved in disease development. The creation and analysis of a suppressive subtractive hybridization (SSH) cDNA library from Ustilago maydis-infected Zea mays seedlings enabled the identification of fungal and plant genes expressed during disease development, and uncovered new insights into the interactions of this model system. Candidate U. maydis pathogenesis genes were identified by using the current SSH cDNA library analysis, and by knowledge generated from previous cDNA microarray and comparative genomic analyses. These identifications were supported by the independent determination of transcript level changes in different cell-types and during pathogenic development. The basidiomycete specific um01632, the highly in planta expressed um03046 (zig1), and the calcineurin regulatory B subunit (um10226, cnb1), were chosen for deletion experiments. um01632 and zig1 mutants showed no difference in morphology and did not have a statistically significant impact on pathogenesis. cnb1 mutants had a distinct cell division phenotype and reduced virulence in seedling assays. Infections with reciprocal wild-type×Δcnb1 haploid strain crosses revealed that the wild-type allele was unable to fully compensate for the lack of a second cnb1 allele. This haploinsufficiency was undetected in other fungal cnb1 mutational analyses. The reported data improves U. maydis genome annotation and expands on the current understanding of pathogenesis genes in this model basidiomycete.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael E Donaldson
- Environmental and Life Sciences Graduate Program, Trent University, Peterborough, ON K9J 7B8, Canada
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Chacko N, Lin X. Non-coding RNAs in the development and pathogenesis of eukaryotic microbes. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2013; 97:7989-97. [PMID: 23948725 DOI: 10.1007/s00253-013-5160-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2013] [Revised: 07/26/2013] [Accepted: 07/29/2013] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
RNA has long been regarded as the important intermediary in the central dogma of gene expression. Recently, the importance of RNAs in the regulation of gene expression became evident with the identification and characterization of non-protein coding transcripts named non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs). The ncRNAs, small and long, are ubiquitously present in all three domains of life and are being recognized for their important roles in genome defense and development. Some of the ncRNAs have been associated with diseases, and therefore, they offer diagnostic and therapeutic potential. In this mini-review, we have highlighted some recent research on the ncRNAs identified in eukaryotic microbes, with special emphasis on fungi that are pathogenic to humans or plants when possible. It is our contention that further elucidation and understanding of ncRNAs will advance our understanding of the development and pathogenesis of eukaryotic microbes and offer alternatives in the diagnosis and treatment of the diseases caused by these pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nadia Chacko
- Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, 3258 TAMU, College Station, TX 77843-3258, USA
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