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Ding JL, Lu M, Liu XL, Feng MG, Ying SH. Essential roles of ferric reductase-like proteins in growth, development, stress response, and virulence of the filamentous entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana. Microbiol Res 2024; 282:127661. [PMID: 38432016 DOI: 10.1016/j.micres.2024.127661] [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: 12/13/2023] [Revised: 02/17/2024] [Accepted: 02/19/2024] [Indexed: 03/05/2024]
Abstract
In yeasts, ferric reductase catalyzes reduction of ferric ion to ferrous form, which is essential for the reductive iron assimilation system. However, the physiological roles of ferric reductases remain largely unknown in the filamentous fungi. In this study, genome-wide annotation revealed thirteen ferric reductase-like (Fre) proteins in the filamentous insect pathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana, and all their functions were genetically characterized. Ferric reductase family proteins exhibit different sub-cellular distributions (e.g., cell periphery and vacuole), which was due to divergent domain architectures. Fre proteins had a synergistic effect on fungal virulence, which was ascribed to their distinct functions in different physiologies. Ten Fre proteins were not involved in reduction of ferric ion in submerged mycelia, but most proteins contributed to blastospore development. Only two Fre proteins significantly contributed to B. bassiana vegetative growth under the chemical-induced iron starvation, but most Fre proteins were involved in resistance to osmotic and oxidative stresses. Notably, a bZIP-type transcription factor HapX bound to the promoter regions of all FRE genes in B. bassiana, and displayed varying roles in the transcription activation of these genes. This study reveals the important role of BbFre family proteins in development, stress response, and insect pathogenicity, as well as their distinctive role in the absorption of ferric iron from the environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jin-Li Ding
- Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Hubei University, Wuhan 430062, China; Institute of Microbiology, College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China.
| | - Min Lu
- Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Hubei University, Wuhan 430062, China
| | - Xiao-Long Liu
- Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Hubei University, Wuhan 430062, China
| | - Ming-Guang Feng
- Institute of Microbiology, College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Sheng-Hua Ying
- Institute of Microbiology, College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China.
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Scholz P, Chapman KD, Ischebeck T, Guzha A. Quantification of Botrytis cinerea Growth in Arabidopsis thaliana. Bio Protoc 2023; 13:e4740. [PMID: 37638304 PMCID: PMC10450733 DOI: 10.21769/bioprotoc.4740] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2023] [Revised: 03/06/2023] [Accepted: 06/19/2023] [Indexed: 08/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Yield losses attributed to plant pathogens pose a serious threat to plant productivity and food security. Botrytis cinerea is one of the most devastating plant pathogens, infecting a wide array of plant species; it has also been established as a model organism to study plant-pathogen interactions. In this context, development of different assays to follow the relative success of B. cinerea infections is required. Here, we describe two methods to quantify B. cinerea development in Arabidopsis thaliana genotypes through measurements of lesion development and quantification of fungal genomic DNA in infected tissues. This provides two independent techniques that are useful in assessing the susceptibility or tolerance of different Arabidopsis genotypes to B. cinerea. Key features Protocol for the propagation of the necrotrophic plant pathogen fungus Botrytis cinerea and spore production. Two methods of Arabidopsis thaliana infection with the pathogen using droplet and spray inoculation. Two readouts, either by measuring lesion size or by the quantification of fungal DNA using quantitative PCR. The two methods are applicable across plant species susceptible the B. cinerea. Graphical overview A simplified overview of the droplet and spray infection methods used for the determination of B. cinerea growth in different Arabidopsis genotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patricia Scholz
- University of Goettingen, Albrecht-von-Haller-Institute for Plant Sciences, Department for Plant Biochemistry, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Kent D Chapman
- Department of Biological Sciences, BioDiscovery Institute, University of North Texas, Denton, TX, USA
| | - Till Ischebeck
- Institute of Plant Biology and Biotechnology (IBBP), Green Biotechnology, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Athanas Guzha
- University of Goettingen, Albrecht-von-Haller-Institute for Plant Sciences, Department for Plant Biochemistry, Goettingen, Germany
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Pérez-Lara G, Olivares-Yañez C, van Bakel H, Larrondo LF, Canessa P. Genome-Wide Characterization of Light-Regulated Gene Expression in Botrytis cinerea Reveals Underlying Complex Photobiology. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:8705. [PMID: 37240051 PMCID: PMC10218500 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24108705] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2023] [Revised: 05/06/2023] [Accepted: 05/10/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Botrytis cinerea is a necrotrophic fungus characterized mainly by its wide host range of infected plants. The deletion of the white-collar-1 gene (bcwcl1), which encodes for a blue-light receptor/transcription factor, causes a decrease in virulence, particularly when assays are conducted in the presence of light or photocycles. However, despite ample characterization, the extent of the light-modulated transcriptional responses regulated by BcWCL1 remains unknown. In this study, pathogen and pathogen:host RNA-seq analyses, conducted during non-infective in vitro plate growth and when infecting Arabidopsis thaliana leaves, respectively, informed on the global gene expression patterns after a 60 min light pulse on the wild-type B05.10 or ∆bcwcl1 B. cinerea strains. The results revealed a complex fungal photobiology, where the mutant did not react to the light pulse during its interaction with the plant. Indeed, when infecting Arabidopsis, no photoreceptor-encoding genes were upregulated upon the light pulse in the ∆bcwcl1 mutant. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in B. cinerea under non-infecting conditions were predominantly related to decreased energy production in response to the light pulse. In contrast, DEGs during infection significantly differ in the B05.10 strain and the ∆bcwcl1 mutant. Upon illumination at 24 h post-infection in planta, a decrease in the B. cinerea virulence-associated transcripts was observed. Accordingly, after a light pulse, biological functions associated with plant defense appear enriched among light-repressed genes in fungus-infected plants. Taken together, our results show the main transcriptomic differences between wild-type B. cinerea B05.10 and ∆bcwcl1 after a 60 min light pulse when growing saprophytically on a Petri dish and necrotrophically over A. thaliana.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriel Pérez-Lara
- Centro de Biotecnologia Vegetal, Facultad de Ciencias de la Vida, Universidad Andres Bello, Santiago 8370186, Chile
- ANID–Millennium Science Initiative–Millennium Institute for Integrative Biology (iBIO), Santiago 7500565, Chile
| | - Consuelo Olivares-Yañez
- Centro de Biotecnologia Vegetal, Facultad de Ciencias de la Vida, Universidad Andres Bello, Santiago 8370186, Chile
- ANID–Millennium Science Initiative–Millennium Institute for Integrative Biology (iBIO), Santiago 7500565, Chile
| | - Harm van Bakel
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, New York, NY 10029, USA
- Department of Microbiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, New York, NY 10029, USA
- Icahn Genomics Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Luis F. Larrondo
- ANID–Millennium Science Initiative–Millennium Institute for Integrative Biology (iBIO), Santiago 7500565, Chile
- Departamento de Genetica Molecular y Microbiologia, Facultad de Ciencias Biologicas, Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile, Santiago 8331150, Chile
| | - Paulo Canessa
- Centro de Biotecnologia Vegetal, Facultad de Ciencias de la Vida, Universidad Andres Bello, Santiago 8370186, Chile
- ANID–Millennium Science Initiative–Millennium Institute for Integrative Biology (iBIO), Santiago 7500565, Chile
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The Botrytis cinerea Gene Expression Browser. J Fungi (Basel) 2023; 9:jof9010084. [PMID: 36675905 PMCID: PMC9861337 DOI: 10.3390/jof9010084] [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: 11/24/2022] [Revised: 12/29/2022] [Accepted: 12/30/2022] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
For comprehensive gene expression analyses of the phytopathogenic fungus Botrytis cinerea, which infects a number of plant taxa and is a cause of substantial agricultural losses worldwide, we developed BEB, a web-based B. cinerea gene Expression Browser. This computationally inexpensive web-based application and its associated database contain manually curated RNA-Seq data for B. cinerea. BEB enables expression analyses of genes of interest under different culture conditions by providing publication-ready heatmaps depicting transcript levels, without requiring advanced computational skills. BEB also provides details of each experiment and user-defined gene expression clustering and visualization options. If needed, tables of gene expression values can be downloaded for further exploration, including, for instance, the determination of differentially expressed genes. The BEB implementation is based on open-source computational technologies that can be deployed for other organisms. In this case, the new implementation will be limited only by the number of transcriptomic experiments that are incorporated into the platform. To demonstrate the usability and value of BEB, we analyzed gene expression patterns across different conditions, with a focus on secondary metabolite gene clusters, chromosome-wide gene expression, previously described virulence factors, and reference genes, providing the first comprehensive expression overview of these groups of genes in this relevant fungal phytopathogen. We expect this tool to be broadly useful in B. cinerea research, providing a basis for comparative transcriptomics and candidate gene identification for functional assays.
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Iron homeostasis in the absence of ferricrocin and its consequences in fungal development and insect virulence in Beauveria bassiana. Sci Rep 2021; 11:19624. [PMID: 34608174 PMCID: PMC8490459 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-99030-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2021] [Accepted: 09/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
The putative ferricrocin synthetase gene ferS in the fungal entomopathogen Beauveria bassiana BCC 2660 was identified and characterized. The 14,445-bp ferS encodes a multimodular nonribosomal siderophore synthetase tightly clustered with Fusarium graminearum ferricrocin synthetase. Functional analysis of this gene was performed by disruption with the bar cassette. ΔferS mutants were verified by Southern and PCR analyses. HPLC and TLC analyses of crude extracts indicated that biosynthesis of ferricrocin was abolished in ΔferS. Insect bioassays surprisingly indicated that ΔferS killed the Spodoptera exigua larvae faster (LT50 59 h) than wild type (66 h). Growth and developmental assays of the mutant and wild type demonstrated that ΔferS had a significant increase in germination under iron depletion and radial growth and a decrease in conidiation. Mitotracker staining showed that the mitochondrial activity was enriched in ΔferS under both iron excess and iron depletion. Comparative transcriptomes between wild type and ΔferS indicated that the mutant was increased in the expression of eight cytochrome P450 genes and those in iron homeostasis, ferroptosis, oxidative stress response, ergosterol biosynthesis, and TCA cycle, compared to wild type. Our data suggested that ΔferS sensed the iron excess and the oxidative stress and, in turn, was up-regulated in the antioxidant-related genes and those in ergosterol biosynthesis and TCA cycle. These increased biological pathways help ΔferS grow and germinate faster than the wild type and caused higher insect mortality than the wild type in the early phase of infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fangfei Yin
- Division of Physical Biology CAS Key Laboratory of Interfacial Physics and Technology Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics Chinese Academy of Sciences Shanghai China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing China
| | - Fei Wang
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Frontiers Science Center for Transformative Molecules Institute of Translational Medicine Shanghai Jiao Tong University Shanghai China
| | - Chunhai Fan
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Frontiers Science Center for Transformative Molecules Institute of Translational Medicine Shanghai Jiao Tong University Shanghai China
- Institute of Molecular Medicine Shanghai Key Laboratory for Nucleic Acid Chemistry and Nanomedicine Renji Hospital School of Medicine Shanghai Jiao Tong University Shanghai China
| | - Xiaolei Zuo
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Frontiers Science Center for Transformative Molecules Institute of Translational Medicine Shanghai Jiao Tong University Shanghai China
- Institute of Molecular Medicine Shanghai Key Laboratory for Nucleic Acid Chemistry and Nanomedicine Renji Hospital School of Medicine Shanghai Jiao Tong University Shanghai China
| | - Qian Li
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Frontiers Science Center for Transformative Molecules Institute of Translational Medicine Shanghai Jiao Tong University Shanghai China
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