Identification of a Polyketide Synthase Gene Responsible for Ascochitine Biosynthesis in Ascochyta fabae and Its Abrogation in Sister Taxa

Comparative Analysis of Secondary Metabolites Produced by Ascochyta fabae under In Vitro Conditions and Their Phytotoxicity on the Primary Host, Vicia faba, and Related Legume Crops

Ascochyta blight, caused by Ascochyta fabae, poses a significant threat to faba bean and other legumes worldwide. Necrotic lesions on stems, leaves, and pods characterize the disease. Given the economic impact of this pathogen and the potential involvement of secondary metabolites in symptom development, a study was conducted to investigate the fungus's ability to produce bioactive metabolites that might contribute to its pathogenicity. For this investigation, the fungus was cultured in three substrates (Czapek-Dox, PDB, and rice). The produced metabolites were analyzed by NMR and LC-HRMS methods, resulting in the dereplication of seven metabolites, which varied with the cultural substrates. Ascochlorin, ascofuranol, and (R)-mevalonolactone were isolated from the Czapek-Dox extract; ascosalipyrone, benzoic acid, and tyrosol from the PDB extract; and ascosalitoxin and ascosalipyrone from the rice extract. The phytotoxicity of the pure metabolites was assessed at different concentrations on their primary hosts and related legumes. The fungal exudates displayed varying degrees of phytotoxicity, with the Czapek-Dox medium's exudate exhibiting the highest activity across almost all legumes tested. The species belonging to the genus Vicia spp. were the most susceptible, with faba bean being susceptible to all metabolites, at least at the highest concentration tested, as expected. In particular, ascosalitoxin and benzoic acid were the most phytotoxic in the tested condition and, as a consequence, expected to play an important role on necrosis's appearance.

Genome and Transcriptome Analysis of Ascochyta pisi Provides Insights into the Pathogenesis of Ascochyta Blight of Pea

Ascochyta blight caused by Ascochyta pisi is a major constraint to pea (Pisum sativum L.) production worldwide. Deciphering the pathogenic mechanism of A. pisi on peas will help in breeding resistant pea varieties and developing effective approaches for disease management. However, little is known about the genomic features and pathogenic factors of A. pisi. In this study, we first report that A. pisi is one of the causal agents of ascochyta blight disease of pea in China. The genome of the representative isolate A. pisi HNA23 was sequenced using PacBio and Illumina sequencing technologies. The HNA23 genome assembly is almost 41.5 Mb in size and harbors 10,796 putative protein-encoding genes. We predicted 555 carbohydrate-active enzymes (CAZymes), 1,008 secreted proteins, 74 small secreted cysteine-rich proteins (SSCPs), and 26 secondary metabolite biosynthetic gene clusters (SMGCs). A comparison of A. pisi genome features with the features of 6 other available genomes of Ascochyta species showed that CAZymes, the secretome, and SMGCs of this genus are considerably conserved. Importantly, the transcriptomes of HNA23 during infection of peas at three stages were further analyzed. We found that 245 CAZymes and 29 SSCPs were upregulated at all three tested infection stages. SMGCs were also trigged, but most of them were induced at only one stage of infection. Together, our results provide important genomic information on Ascochyta spp. and offer insights into the pathogenesis of A. pisi. IMPORTANCE Ascochyta blight is a major disease of legumes worldwide. Ascochyta pisi and other Ascochyta species have been identified as pathogens of ascochyta blight. Here, we first report that A. pisi causes ascochyta blight of pea in China, and we report the high-quality, fully annotated genome of A. pisi. Comparative genome analysis was performed to elucidate the differences and similarities among 7 Ascochyta species. We predict abundant CAZymes (569 per species), secreted proteins (851 per species), and prolific secondary metabolite gene clusters (29 per species) in these species. We identified a set of genes that may be responsible for fungal virulence based on transcriptomes in planta, including CAZymes, SSCPs, and secondary metabolites. The findings from the comparative genome analysis highlight the genetic diversity and help in understanding the evolutionary relationship of Ascochyta species. In planta transcriptome analysis provides reliable information for further investigation of the mechanism of the interaction between Ascochyta spp. and legumes.

Biosynthesis of Rubellins in Ramularia collo-cygni-Genetic Basis and Pathway Proposition

The important disease Ramularia leaf spot of barley is caused by the fungus Ramularia collo-cygni. The disease causes yield and quality losses as a result of a decrease in photosynthesis efficiency due to the appearance of necrotic spots on the leaf surface. The development of these typical Ramularia leaf spot symptoms is thought to be linked with the release of phytotoxic secondary metabolites called rubellins in the host. However, to date, neither the biosynthetic pathways leading to the production of these metabolites nor their exact role in disease development are known. Using a combined in silico genetic and biochemistry approach, we interrogated the genome of R. collo-cygni to identify a putative rubellin biosynthetic gene cluster. Here we report the identification of a gene cluster containing homologues of genes involved in the biosynthesis of related anthraquinone metabolites in closely related fungi. A putative pathway to rubellin biosynthesis involving the genes located on the candidate cluster is also proposed.

Reference genome assembly for Australian Ascochyta lentis isolate Al4

Ascochyta lentis causes ascochyta blight in lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.) and yield loss can be as high as 50%. With careful agronomic management practices, fungicide use, and advances in breeding resistant lentil varieties, disease severity and impact to farmers have been largely controlled. However, evidence from major lentil producing countries, Canada and Australia, suggests that A. lentis isolates can change their virulence profile and level of aggressiveness over time and under different selection pressures. In this paper, we describe the first genome assembly for A. lentis for the Australian isolate Al4, through the integration of data from Illumina and PacBio SMRT sequencing. The Al4 reference genome assembly is almost 42 Mb in size and encodes 11,638 predicted genes. The Al4 genome comprises 21 full-length and gapless chromosomal contigs and two partial chromosome contigs each with one telomere. We predicted 31 secondary metabolite clusters, and 38 putative protein effectors, many of which were classified as having an unknown function. Comparison of A. lentis genome features with the recently published reference assembly for closely related A. rabiei show that genome synteny between these species is highly conserved. However, there are several translocations and inversions of genome sequence. The location of secondary metabolite clusters near transposable element and repeat-rich genomic regions was common for A. lentis as has been reported for other fungal plant pathogens.

Targeted Disruption of Scytalone Dehydratase Gene Using Agrobacterium tumefaciens-Mediated Transformation Leads to Altered Melanin Production in Ascochyta lentis

Sustainable crop production is constantly challenged by the rapid evolution of fungal pathogens equipped with an array of host infection strategies and survival mechanisms. One of the devastating fungal pathogens that infect lentil is the ascomycete Ascochyta lentis which causes black spot or ascochyta blight (AB) on all above ground parts of the plant. In order to explore the mechanisms involved in the pathogenicity of A. lentis, we developed a targeted gene replacement method using Agrobacterium tumefaciens mediated transformation (ATMT) to study and characterize gene function. In this study, we investigated the role of scytalone dehydratase (SCD) in the synthesis of 1,8-dihydroxynaphthalene (DHN)-melanin in AlKewell. Two SCD genes have been identified in AlKewell, AlSCD1 and AlSCD2. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that AlSCD1 clustered with the previously characterized fungal SCDs; thus, AlSCD1 was disrupted using the targeted gene replacement vector, pTAR-hyg-SCD1. The vector was constructed in a single step process using Gibson Assembly, which facilitated an easy and seamless assembly of multiple inserts. The resulting AlKewell scd1::hyg transformants appeared light brown/brownish-pink in contrast to the dark brown pycnidia of the WT strain and ectopic transformant, indicating an altered DHN-melanin production. Disruption of AlSCD1 gene did not result in a change in the virulence profile of AlKewell towards susceptible and resistant lentil varieties. This is the first report of a targeted gene manipulation in A. lentis which serves as a foundation for the functional gene characterization to provide a better understanding of molecular mechanisms involved in pathogen diversity and host specificity.

Phytotoxic Metabolites Produced by Legume-Associated Ascochyta and Its Related Genera in the Dothideomycetes

Phytotoxins, secondary metabolites toxic to plants and produced by fungi, are believed to play an important role in disease development by targeting host cellular machineries and/or interfering with host immune responses. The Ascochyta blight diseases on different legume plants are caused by Ascochyta and related taxa, such as Phoma. The causal agents of the Ascochyta blight are often associated with specific legume plants, showing a relatively narrow host range. The legume-associated Ascochyta and Phoma are known to produce a diverse array of polyketide-derived secondary metabolites, many of which exhibited significant phytotoxicity and have been claimed as virulence or pathogenicity factors. In this article, we reviewed the current state of knowledge on the diversity and biological activities of the phytotoxic compounds produced by Ascochyta and Phoma species. Also, we touched on the secondary metabolite biosynthesis gene clusters identified thus far and discussed the role of metabolites in the fungal biology.