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Wang C, Han M, Min Y, Hu J, Pan Y, Huang L, Nie J. Colletotrichum fructicola co-opts cytotoxic ribonucleases that antagonize host competitive microorganisms to promote infection. mBio 2024:e0105324. [PMID: 38953357 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.01053-24] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2024] [Accepted: 06/13/2024] [Indexed: 07/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Phytopathogens secrete numerous molecules into the environment to establish a microbial niche and facilitate host infection. The phytopathogenic fungus Colletotrichum fructicola, which causes pear anthracnose, can colonize different plant tissues like leaves and fruits, which are occupied by a diversity of microbes. We speculate that this fungus produces antimicrobial effectors to outcompete host-associated competitive microorganisms. Herein, we identified two secreted ribonucleases, CfRibo1 and CfRibo2, from the C. fructicola secretome. The two ribonucleases both possess ribonuclease activity and showed cytotoxicity in Nicotianan benthamiana without triggering immunity in an enzymatic activity-dependent manner. CfRibo1 and CfRibo2 recombinant proteins exhibited toxicity against Escherichia coli, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and, importantly, the phyllosphere microorganisms isolated from the pear host. Among these isolated microbial strains, Bacillus altitudinis is a pathogenic bacterium causing pear soft rot. Strikingly, CfRibo1 and CfRibo2 were found to directly antagonize B. altitudinis to facilitate C. fructicola infection. More importantly, CfRibo1 and CfRibo2 functioned as essential virulence factors of C. fructicola in the presence of host-associated microorganisms. Further analysis revealed these two ribonucleases are widely distributed in fungi and are undergoing purifying selection. Our results provide the first evidence of antimicrobial effectors in Colletotrichum fungi and extend the functional diversity of fungal ribonucleases in plant-pest-environment interactions. IMPORTANCE Colletotrichum fructicola is emerging as a devastating pathogenic fungus causing anthracnose in various crops in agriculture, and understanding how this fungus establishes successful infection is of great significance for anthracnose disease management. Fungi are known to produce secreted effectors as weapons to promote virulence. Considerable progress has been made in elucidating how effectors manipulate plant immunity; however, their importance in modulating environmental microbes is frequently neglected. The present study identified two secreted ribonucleases, CfRibo1 and CfRibo2, as antimicrobial effectors of C. fructicola. These two proteins both possess toxicity to pear phyllosphere microorganisms, and they efficiently antagonize competitive microbes to facilitate the infection of pear hosts. This study represents the first evidence of antimicrobial effectors in Colletotrichum fungi, and we consider that CfRibo1 and CfRibo2 could be targeted for anthracnose disease management in diverse crops in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chunhao Wang
- Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Crop Integrated Pest Management, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, China
| | - Mengqing Han
- Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Crop Integrated Pest Management, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, China
| | - Yanyan Min
- Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Crop Integrated Pest Management, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, China
| | - Jiayi Hu
- Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Crop Integrated Pest Management, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, China
| | - Yuemin Pan
- Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Crop Integrated Pest Management, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, China
| | - Lili Huang
- State Key Laboratory for Crop Stress Resistance and High-Efficiency Production, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, China
| | - Jiajun Nie
- Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Crop Integrated Pest Management, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, China
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Jin X, Jia H, Ran L, Wu F, Liu J, Schlaeppi K, Dini-Andreote F, Wei Z, Zhou X. Fusaric acid mediates the assembly of disease-suppressive rhizosphere microbiota via induced shifts in plant root exudates. Nat Commun 2024; 15:5125. [PMID: 38879580 PMCID: PMC11180119 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-49218-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2023] [Accepted: 05/27/2024] [Indexed: 06/19/2024] Open
Abstract
The plant health status is determined by the interplay of plant-pathogen-microbiota in the rhizosphere. Here, we investigate this tripartite system focusing on the pathogen Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici (FOL) and tomato plants as a model system. First, we explore differences in tomato genotype resistance to FOL potentially associated with the differential recruitment of plant-protective rhizosphere taxa. Second, we show the production of fusaric acid by FOL to trigger systemic changes in the rhizosphere microbiota. Specifically, we show this molecule to have opposite effects on the recruitment of rhizosphere disease-suppressive taxa in the resistant and susceptible genotypes. Last, we elucidate that FOL and fusaric acid induce changes in the tomato root exudation with direct effects on the recruitment of specific disease-suppressive taxa. Our study unravels a mechanism mediating plant rhizosphere assembly and disease suppression by integrating plant physiological responses to microbial-mediated mechanisms in the rhizosphere.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xue Jin
- Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Horticultural Crops (Northeast Region), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Department of Horticulture, Northeast Agricultural University, 150030, Harbin, China
| | - Huiting Jia
- Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Horticultural Crops (Northeast Region), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Department of Horticulture, Northeast Agricultural University, 150030, Harbin, China
| | - Lingyi Ran
- Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Horticultural Crops (Northeast Region), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Department of Horticulture, Northeast Agricultural University, 150030, Harbin, China
| | - Fengzhi Wu
- Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Horticultural Crops (Northeast Region), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Department of Horticulture, Northeast Agricultural University, 150030, Harbin, China
| | - Junjie Liu
- Key Laboratory of Mollisols Agroecology, Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 150081, Harbin, China
| | - Klaus Schlaeppi
- Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Basel, 4056, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Francisco Dini-Andreote
- Department of Plant Science & Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
- The One Health Microbiome Center, Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Zhong Wei
- Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab for Solid Organic Waste Utilization, Key Lab of Organic-based Fertilizers of China, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Solid Organic Wastes, Educational Ministry Engineering Center of Resource-saving Fertilizers, Nanjing Agricultural University, 210095, Nanjing, China.
| | - Xingang Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Horticultural Crops (Northeast Region), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Department of Horticulture, Northeast Agricultural University, 150030, Harbin, China.
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Chavarro-Carrero EA, Snelders NC, Torres DE, Kraege A, López-Moral A, Petti GC, Punt W, Wieneke J, García-Velasco R, López-Herrera CJ, Seidl MF, Thomma BPHJ. The soil-borne white root rot pathogen Rosellinia necatrix expresses antimicrobial proteins during host colonization. PLoS Pathog 2024; 20:e1011866. [PMID: 38236788 PMCID: PMC10796067 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1011866] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2023] [Accepted: 11/27/2023] [Indexed: 01/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Rosellinia necatrix is a prevalent soil-borne plant-pathogenic fungus that is the causal agent of white root rot disease in a broad range of host plants. The limited availability of genomic resources for R. necatrix has complicated a thorough understanding of its infection biology. Here, we sequenced nine R. necatrix strains with Oxford Nanopore sequencing technology, and with DNA proximity ligation we generated a gapless assembly of one of the genomes into ten chromosomes. Whereas many filamentous pathogens display a so-called two-speed genome with more dynamic and more conserved compartments, the R. necatrix genome does not display such genome compartmentalization. It has recently been proposed that fungal plant pathogens may employ effectors with antimicrobial activity to manipulate the host microbiota to promote infection. In the predicted secretome of R. necatrix, 26 putative antimicrobial effector proteins were identified, nine of which are expressed during plant colonization. Two of the candidates were tested, both of which were found to possess selective antimicrobial activity. Intriguingly, some of the inhibited bacteria are antagonists of R. necatrix growth in vitro and can alleviate R. necatrix infection on cotton plants. Collectively, our data show that R. necatrix encodes antimicrobials that are expressed during host colonization and that may contribute to modulation of host-associated microbiota to stimulate disease development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edgar A. Chavarro-Carrero
- Laboratory of Phytopathology, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands
- Institute for Plant Sciences, Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences (CEPLAS), University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Nick C. Snelders
- Institute for Plant Sciences, Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences (CEPLAS), University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
- Theoretical Biology & Bioinformatics Group, Department of Biology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - David E. Torres
- Laboratory of Phytopathology, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands
- Theoretical Biology & Bioinformatics Group, Department of Biology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Anton Kraege
- Institute for Plant Sciences, Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences (CEPLAS), University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Ana López-Moral
- Institute for Plant Sciences, Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences (CEPLAS), University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Gabriella C. Petti
- Institute for Plant Sciences, Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences (CEPLAS), University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Wilko Punt
- Institute for Plant Sciences, Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences (CEPLAS), University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Jan Wieneke
- Institute for Plant Sciences, Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences (CEPLAS), University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Rómulo García-Velasco
- Laboratory of Phytopathology, Tenancingo University Center, Autonomous University of the State of Mexico, Tenancingo, State of Mexico, Mexico
| | - Carlos J. López-Herrera
- CSIC, Instituto de Agricultura Sostenible, Dept. Protección de Cultivos, C/Alameda del Obispo s/n, Córdoba, Spain
| | - Michael F. Seidl
- Theoretical Biology & Bioinformatics Group, Department of Biology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Bart P. H. J. Thomma
- Laboratory of Phytopathology, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands
- Institute for Plant Sciences, Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences (CEPLAS), University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
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Russ D, Fitzpatrick CR, Teixeira PJPL, Dangl JL. Deep discovery informs difficult deployment in plant microbiome science. Cell 2023; 186:4496-4513. [PMID: 37832524 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2023.08.035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2023] [Revised: 08/28/2023] [Accepted: 08/28/2023] [Indexed: 10/15/2023]
Abstract
Plant-associated microbiota can extend plant immune system function, improve nutrient acquisition and availability, and alleviate abiotic stresses. Thus, naturally beneficial microbial therapeutics are enticing tools to improve plant productivity. The basic definition of plant microbiota across species and ecosystems, combined with the development of reductionist experimental models and the manipulation of plant phenotypes with microbes, has fueled interest in its translation to agriculture. However, the great majority of microbes exhibiting plant-productivity traits in the lab and greenhouse fail in the field. Therapeutic microbes must reach détente, the establishment of uneasy homeostasis, with the plant immune system, invade heterogeneous pre-established plant-associated communities, and persist in a new and potentially remodeled community. Environmental conditions can alter community structure and thus impact the engraftment of therapeutic microbes. We survey recent breakthroughs, challenges, and opportunities in translating beneficial microbes from the lab to the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dor Russ
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Connor R Fitzpatrick
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Paulo J P L Teixeira
- Department of Biological Sciences, "Luiz de Queiroz" College of Agriculture (ESALQ), University of São Paulo (USP), Piracicaba, SP, Brazil
| | - Jeffery L Dangl
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
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Mesny F, Hacquard S, Thomma BPHJ. Co-evolution within the plant holobiont drives host performance. EMBO Rep 2023; 24:e57455. [PMID: 37471099 PMCID: PMC10481671 DOI: 10.15252/embr.202357455] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2023] [Revised: 06/28/2023] [Accepted: 07/06/2023] [Indexed: 07/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Plants interact with a diversity of microorganisms that influence their growth and resilience, and they can therefore be considered as ecological entities, namely "plant holobionts," rather than as singular organisms. In a plant holobiont, the assembly of above- and belowground microbiota is ruled by host, microbial, and environmental factors. Upon microorganism perception, plants activate immune signaling resulting in the secretion of factors that modulate microbiota composition. Additionally, metabolic interdependencies and antagonism between microbes are driving forces for community assemblies. We argue that complex plant-microbe and intermicrobial interactions have been selected for during evolution and may promote the survival and fitness of plants and their associated microorganisms as holobionts. As part of this process, plants evolved metabolite-mediated strategies to selectively recruit beneficial microorganisms in their microbiota. Some of these microbiota members show host-adaptation, from which mutualism may rapidly arise. In the holobiont, microbiota members also co-evolved antagonistic activities that restrict proliferation of microbes with high pathogenic potential and can therefore prevent disease development. Co-evolution within holobionts thus ultimately drives plant performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fantin Mesny
- Institute for Plant SciencesUniversity of CologneCologneGermany
| | - Stéphane Hacquard
- Department of Plant Microbe InteractionsMax Planck Institute for Plant Breeding ResearchCologneGermany
- Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences (CEPLAS)CologneGermany
| | - Bart PHJ Thomma
- Institute for Plant SciencesUniversity of CologneCologneGermany
- Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences (CEPLAS)CologneGermany
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Rovenich H, Thomma BPHJ. Battle of the bugs: how an oomycete pathogen shapes the microbiota of its host. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2023; 239:2064-2066. [PMID: 37430388 DOI: 10.1111/nph.19133] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/12/2023]
Abstract
This article is a Commentary on Gómez‐Pérez et al. (2023), 239: 2320–2334.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hanna Rovenich
- Institute for Plant Sciences, University of Cologne, Zülpicher Straße 47b, 50674, Cologne, Germany
| | - Bart P H J Thomma
- Institute for Plant Sciences, University of Cologne, Zülpicher Straße 47b, 50674, Cologne, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences (CEPLAS), Zülpicher Straße 47b, 50674, Cologne, Germany
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