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Comparative genomic analysis reveals contraction of gene families with putative roles in pathogenesis in the fungal boxwood pathogens Calonectria henricotiae and C. pseudonaviculata. BMC Ecol Evol 2022; 22:79. [PMID: 35725368 PMCID: PMC9210730 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-022-02035-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2022] [Accepted: 06/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Boxwood blight disease caused by Calonectria henricotiae and C. pseudonaviculata is of ecological and economic significance in cultivated and native ecosystems worldwide. Prior research has focused on understanding the population genetic and genomic diversity of C. henricotiae and C. pseudonaviculata, but gene family evolution in the context of host adaptation, plant pathogenesis, and trophic lifestyle is poorly understood. This study applied bioinformatic and phylogenetic methods to examine gene family evolution in C. henricotiae, C. pseudonaviculata and 22 related fungi in the Nectriaceae that vary in pathogenic and saprobic (apathogenic) lifestyles. Results A total of 19,750 gene families were identified in the 24 genomes, of which 422 were rapidly evolving. Among the six Calonectria species, C. henricotiae and C. pseudonaviculata were the only species to experience high levels of rapid contraction of pathogenesis-related gene families (89% and 78%, respectively). In contrast, saprobic species Calonectria multiphialidica and C. naviculata, two of the closest known relatives of C. henricotiae and C. pseudonaviculata, showed rapid expansion of pathogenesis-related gene families. Conclusions Our results provide novel insight into gene family evolution within C. henricotiae and C. pseudonaviculata and suggest gene family contraction may have contributed to limited host-range expansion of these pathogens within the plant family Buxaceae. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12862-022-02035-4.
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Wang Q, Liu F, Liu Q, Wu W, Wingfield MJ, Chen S. Comparison of Hyphal Fragments and Spores to Evaluate the Pathogenicity of the Eucalyptus Leaf and Shoot Pathogen Calonectria pseudoreteaudii. PLANT DISEASE 2022; 106:3145-3153. [PMID: 35549328 DOI: 10.1094/pdis-01-22-0213-re] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The genus Calonectria includes many aggressive plant-pathogenic species with a worldwide distribution. Calonectria leaf blight is one of the most prominent diseases of Eucalyptus trees in Southeast Asian and South American plantations. Inoculation trials to evaluate pathogenicity of Calonectria spp. typically use conidial suspensions but this is not possible for species that do not sporulate sufficiently in culture. Calonectria pseudoreteaudii is one of the species that is most aggressive to Eucalyptus in China but most isolates fail to produce conidia in culture, requiring an alternative procedure for artificial inoculation. This study compared inoculations utilizing conidial and hyphal fragment suspensions. Two Eucalyptus genotypes were used, and these were inoculated with different concentrations of hyphal fragments or conidia of three C. pseudoreteaudii isolates. Three days after inoculation, the treated Eucalyptus plants displayed similar disease symptoms, regardless of whether they had been inoculated with conidia or hyphal fragments. This was consistent for all C. pseudoreteaudii isolates and also the different Eucalyptus genotypes. The results demonstrate that hyphal fragment suspensions can be used to provide a reliable indication of C. pseudoreteaudii isolate pathogenicity when conidia are not available for inoculation studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Quanchao Wang
- Research Institute of Fast-Growing Trees/China Eucalypt Research Centre, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Zhanjiang 524022, Guangdong Province, China
| | - Feifei Liu
- Research Institute of Fast-Growing Trees/China Eucalypt Research Centre, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Zhanjiang 524022, Guangdong Province, China
| | - Qianli Liu
- Research Institute of Fast-Growing Trees/China Eucalypt Research Centre, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Zhanjiang 524022, Guangdong Province, China
| | - Wenxia Wu
- Research Institute of Fast-Growing Trees/China Eucalypt Research Centre, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Zhanjiang 524022, Guangdong Province, China
| | - Michael J Wingfield
- Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0028, South Africa
| | - Shuaifei Chen
- Research Institute of Fast-Growing Trees/China Eucalypt Research Centre, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Zhanjiang 524022, Guangdong Province, China
- Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0028, South Africa
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Li J, Wingfield MJ, Barnes I, Chen S. Calonectria in the age of genes and genomes: Towards understanding an important but relatively unknown group of pathogens. MOLECULAR PLANT PATHOLOGY 2022; 23:1060-1072. [PMID: 35338559 PMCID: PMC9190971 DOI: 10.1111/mpp.13209] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2021] [Revised: 02/26/2022] [Accepted: 03/06/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The genus Calonectria includes many aggressive plant pathogens causing diseases on various agricultural crops as well as forestry and ornamental tree species. Some species have been accidentally introduced into new environments via international trade of putatively asymptomatic plant germplasm or contaminated soil, resulting in significant economic losses. This review provides an overview of the taxonomy, population biology, and pathology of Calonectria species, specifically emerging from contemporary studies that have relied on DNA-based technologies. The growing importance of genomics in future research is highlighted. A life cycle is proposed for Calonectria species, aimed at improving our ability to manage diseases caused by these pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- JieQiong Li
- Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology InstituteUniversity of PretoriaPretoriaSouth Africa
- Research Institute of Fast‐growing Trees/China Eucalypt Research Centre, Chinese Academy of ForestryZhanjiangChina
| | - Michael J. Wingfield
- Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology InstituteUniversity of PretoriaPretoriaSouth Africa
| | - Irene Barnes
- Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology InstituteUniversity of PretoriaPretoriaSouth Africa
| | - ShuaiFei Chen
- Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology InstituteUniversity of PretoriaPretoriaSouth Africa
- Research Institute of Fast‐growing Trees/China Eucalypt Research Centre, Chinese Academy of ForestryZhanjiangChina
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Santos SA, Vidigal PMP, Guimarães LMS, Mafia RG, Templeton MD, Alfenas AC. Transcriptome analysis of Eucalyptus grandis genotypes reveals constitutive overexpression of genes related to rust (Austropuccinia psidii) resistance. PLANT MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2020; 104:339-357. [PMID: 32638297 DOI: 10.1007/s11103-020-01030-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2019] [Accepted: 06/29/2020] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
Key Message A resistant E. grandis genotype showed a constitutive overexpression of genes related to resistance to myrtle rust caused by A. psidii. Abstract Myrtle rust caused by Austropuccinia psidii is considered one of the most important fungal diseases affecting Eucalyptus spp. plantations in Brazil. Although the selection and planting of resistant eucalypt genotypes have been the major strategies to manage the disease in Brazil, the molecular mechanisms involved in resistance are still unclear. In this study, we evaluated the gene expression profile of two contrasting Eucalyptus grandis genotypes in resistance level to rust by RNA-Seq. The two genotypes showed a very different background gene expression level even without A. psidii infection. The resistant genotype had a constitutive overexpression of a large number of protein-coding genes compared to the susceptible genotype. These genes were mainly associated with signal transduction, photosynthesis, regulation and response to salicylic acid (SA), and protein kinase leucine-rich receptors (PK-LRR). PK-LRR and SA mediated disease resistance are well known to be effective against obligate biotroph pathogens, such as A. psidii. In addition, at 24 h after infection, the susceptible genotype was able to activate some response, however, several resistance-related proteins had their expression level reduced with A. psidii infection. Here, we present the first analysis of E. grandis genotypes transcriptomes infected by A. psidii and it reveals a constitutive overexpression of several resistance-related genes in the resistant genotype compared to the susceptible one. Our findings have the potential to be used as candidate molecular markers for resistance to myrtle rust.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel A Santos
- Laboratory of Forest Pathology, Department of Plant Pathology, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, MG, 36570-900, Brazil
- The New Zealand Institute for Plant and Food Research Limited, Auckland, 1142, New Zealand
| | - Pedro M P Vidigal
- Núcleo de Análise de Biomoléculas (NuBioMol), Centro de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, MG, 36570-900, Brazil
| | - Lúcio M S Guimarães
- Laboratory of Forest Pathology, Department of Plant Pathology, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, MG, 36570-900, Brazil
| | | | - Matthew D Templeton
- The New Zealand Institute for Plant and Food Research Limited, Auckland, 1142, New Zealand
| | - Acelino C Alfenas
- Laboratory of Forest Pathology, Department of Plant Pathology, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, MG, 36570-900, Brazil.
- Department of Plant Pathology, Instituto de Biotecnologia Aplicada à agropecuária-BIOAGRO, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Av. P.H. Rolfs s/n, Campus Universitário, Viçosa, MG, 36570-900, Brazil.
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Mating genes in Calonectria and evidence for a heterothallic ancestral state. Persoonia - Molecular Phylogeny and Evolution of Fungi 2020; 45:163-176. [PMID: 34456375 PMCID: PMC8375350 DOI: 10.3767/persoonia.2020.45.06] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2019] [Accepted: 02/14/2020] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
The genus Calonectria includes many important plant pathogens with a wide global distribution. In order to better understand the reproductive biology of these fungi, we characterised the structure of the mating type locus and flanking genes using the genome sequences for seven Calonectria species. Primers to amplify the mating type genes in other species were also developed. PCR amplification of the mating type genes and multi-gene phylogenetic analyses were used to investigate the mating strategies and evolution of mating type in a collection of 70 Calonectria species residing in 10 Calonectria species complexes. Results showed that the organisation of the MAT locus and flanking genes is conserved. In heterothallic species, a novel MAT gene, MAT1-2-12 was identified in the MAT1-2 idiomorph; the MAT1-1 idiomorph, in most cases, contained the MAT1-1-3 gene. Neither MAT1-1-3 nor MAT1-2-12 was found in homothallic Calonectria (Ca.) hongkongensis, Ca. lateralis, Ca. pseudoturangicola and Ca. turangicola. Four different homothallic MAT locus gene arrangements were observed. Ancestral state reconstruction analysis provided evidence that the homothallic state was basal in Calonectria and this evolved from a heterothallic ancestor.
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Santos SA, Vidigal PMP, Thrimawithana A, Betancourth BML, Guimarães LMS, Templeton MD, Alfenas AC. Comparative genomic and transcriptomic analyses reveal different pathogenicity-related genes among three eucalyptus fungal pathogens. Fungal Genet Biol 2020; 137:103332. [PMID: 31926322 DOI: 10.1016/j.fgb.2019.103332] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2019] [Revised: 11/30/2019] [Accepted: 12/27/2019] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
Ceratocystis fimbriata is an important plant pathogen known to cause Ceratocystis Wilt (CW), a prevalent fungal disease known to affect Eucalyptus spp. plantations in Brazil. To better understand the molecular mechanisms related to pathogenicity in eucalyptus, we generated a high-quality assembly and annotation of the Ce. fimbriata LPF1912 isolate (LPF1912) genome, as well as the first transcriptome of LPF1912 from 16 eucalyptus clones at three infection incubation periods (12, 18, and 24 h). The LPF1912 genome assembly contains 805 scaffolds, totaling 31.8 Mb, with 43% of the genome estimated to be coding sequence comprised of 7,390 protein-coding genes of which 626 (8.5%) were classified as secreted proteins, 120 ribosomal RNAs, and 532 transfer RNAs. Comparative genomic analysis among three eucalyptus fungal pathogens (Ce. fimbriata, Ce. eucalypticola, and Calonectria pseudoreteaudii), showed high similarity in the proteome (21.81%) and secretome (52.01%) of LPF1912 and Ce. eucalypticola. GO annotation of pathogenicity-related genes of LPF1912 and Ce. eucalypticola, revealed enrichment in cell wall degrading enzymes (CWDEs), and lipid/cutin metabolism for Ca. pseudoreteaudii. Additionally, a transcriptome analysis between resistant and susceptible eucalyptus clones to CW infection indicated that a majority (11) of LPF1912 differentially expressed genes had GO terms associated with enzymatic functions, such as the polygalacturonase gene family, confirming the crucial role of CWDEs for Ce. fimbriata pathogenicity. Finally, our genomic and transcriptomic analysis approach provides a better understanding of the mechanisms involved in Ce. fimbriata pathogenesis, as well as a framework for further studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel A Santos
- Laboratory of Forest Pathology, Department of Plant Pathology, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Minas Gerais State, Brazil; The New Zealand Institute for Plant and Food Research Limited, Auckland 1142, New Zealand
| | - Pedro M P Vidigal
- Núcleo de Análise de Biomoléculas (NuBioMol), Centro de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Minas Gerais State, Brazil
| | - Amali Thrimawithana
- The New Zealand Institute for Plant and Food Research Limited, Auckland 1142, New Zealand
| | - Blanca M L Betancourth
- Laboratory of Forest Pathology, Department of Plant Pathology, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Minas Gerais State, Brazil
| | - Lúcio M S Guimarães
- Laboratory of Forest Pathology, Department of Plant Pathology, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Minas Gerais State, Brazil
| | - Matthew D Templeton
- The New Zealand Institute for Plant and Food Research Limited, Auckland 1142, New Zealand
| | - Acelino C Alfenas
- Laboratory of Forest Pathology, Department of Plant Pathology, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Minas Gerais State, Brazil.
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Rivera Y, Salgado-Salazar C, Veltri D, Malapi-Wight M, Crouch JA. Genome analysis of the ubiquitous boxwood pathogen Pseudonectria foliicola. PeerJ 2018; 6:e5401. [PMID: 30155349 PMCID: PMC6110257 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.5401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2017] [Accepted: 07/18/2018] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Boxwood (Buxus spp.) are broad-leaved, evergreen landscape plants valued for their longevity and ornamental qualities. Volutella leaf and stem blight, caused by the ascomycete fungi Pseudonectria foliicola and P. buxi, is one of the major diseases affecting the health and ornamental qualities of boxwood. Although this disease is less severe than boxwood blight caused by Calonectria pseudonaviculata and C. henricotiae, its widespread occurrence and disfiguring symptoms have caused substantial economic losses to the ornamental industry. In this study, we sequenced the genome of P. foliicola isolate ATCC13545 using Illumina technology and compared it to other publicly available fungal pathogen genomes to better understand the biology of this organism. A de novo assembly estimated the genome size of P. foliicola at 28.7 Mb (425 contigs; N50 = 184,987 bp; avg. coverage 188×), with just 9,272 protein-coding genes. To our knowledge, P. foliicola has the smallest known genome within the Nectriaceae. Consistent with the small size of the genome, the secretome, CAzyme and secondary metabolite profiles of this fungus are reduced relative to two other surveyed Nectriaceae fungal genomes: Dactylonectria macrodidyma JAC15-245 and Fusarium graminearum Ph-1. Interestingly, a large cohort of genes associated with reduced virulence and loss of pathogenicity was identified from the P. foliicola dataset. These data are consistent with the latest observations by plant pathologists that P. buxi and most likely P. foliicola, are opportunistic, latent pathogens that prey upon weak and stressed boxwood plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yazmín Rivera
- Mycology and Nematology Genetic Diversity and Biology Laboratory, US Department of Agriculture, Agriculture Research Service (USDA-ARS), Beltsville, MD, United States of America
- Department of Plant Biology and Pathology, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ, United States of America
- Current affiliation: Center for Plant Health, Science and Technology, USDA, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Beltsville, MD, United States of America
| | - Catalina Salgado-Salazar
- Mycology and Nematology Genetic Diversity and Biology Laboratory, US Department of Agriculture, Agriculture Research Service (USDA-ARS), Beltsville, MD, United States of America
- Department of Plant Biology and Pathology, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ, United States of America
- ARS Research Participation Program, Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, Oak Ridge, TN, United States of America
| | - Daniel Veltri
- Mycology and Nematology Genetic Diversity and Biology Laboratory, US Department of Agriculture, Agriculture Research Service (USDA-ARS), Beltsville, MD, United States of America
- ARS Research Participation Program, Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, Oak Ridge, TN, United States of America
- Current affiliation: Bioinformatics and Computational Biosciences Branch, Office of Cyber Infrastructure and Computational Biology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH, Rockville, MD, United States of America
| | - Martha Malapi-Wight
- Mycology and Nematology Genetic Diversity and Biology Laboratory, US Department of Agriculture, Agriculture Research Service (USDA-ARS), Beltsville, MD, United States of America
- Current affiliation: Plant Germplasm Quarantine Program, USDA, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Beltsville, MD, United States of America
| | - Jo Anne Crouch
- Mycology and Nematology Genetic Diversity and Biology Laboratory, US Department of Agriculture, Agriculture Research Service (USDA-ARS), Beltsville, MD, United States of America
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Ye X, Zhong Z, Liu H, Lin L, Guo M, Guo W, Wang Z, Zhang Q, Feng L, Lu G, Zhang F, Chen Q. Whole genome and transcriptome analysis reveal adaptive strategies and pathogenesis of Calonectria pseudoreteaudii to Eucalyptus. BMC Genomics 2018; 19:358. [PMID: 29747580 PMCID: PMC5946483 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-018-4739-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2017] [Accepted: 04/30/2018] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Leaf blight caused by Calonectria spp. is one of the most destructive diseases to affect Eucalyptus nurseries and plantations. These pathogens mainly attack Eucalyptus, a tree with a diversity of secondary metabolites employed as defense-related phytoalexins. To unravel the fungal adaptive mechanisms to various phytoalexins, we examined the genome of C. pseudoreteaudii, which is one of the most aggressive pathogens in southeast Asia. RESULTS A 63.7 Mb genome with 14,355 coding genes of C. pseudoreteaudii were assembled. Genomic comparisons identified 1785 species-specific gene families in C. pseudoreteaudii. Most of them were not annotated and those annotated genes were enriched in peptidase activity, pathogenesis, oxidoreductase activity, etc. RNA-seq showed that 4425 genes were differentially expressed on the eucalyptus(the resistant cultivar E. grandis×E.camaldulensis M1) tissue induced medium. The annotation of GO term and KEGG pathway indicated that some of the differential expression genes were involved in detoxification and transportation, such as genes encoding ABC transporters, degrading enzymes of aromatic compounds and so on. CONCLUSIONS Potential genomic determinants of phytoalexin detoxification were identified in C. pseudoreteaudii by comparison with 13 other fungi. This pathogen seems to employ membrane transporters and degradation enzymes to detoxify Eucalyptus phytoalexins. Remarkably, the Calonectria genome possesses a surprising number of secondary metabolism backbone enzyme genes involving toxin biosynthesis. It is also especially suited for cutin and lignin degradation. This indicates that toxin and cell wall degrading enzymes may act important roles in the establishment of Calonectria leaf blight. This study provides further understanding on the mechanism of pathogenesis in Calonectria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaozhen Ye
- 0000 0004 1760 2876grid.256111.0Jinshan College, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002 China ,0000 0004 1760 2876grid.256111.0Forestry College, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002 China
| | - Zhenhui Zhong
- 0000 0004 1760 2876grid.256111.0State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002 China
| | - Hongyi Liu
- 0000 0004 1760 2876grid.256111.0Forestry College, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002 China
| | - Lianyu Lin
- 0000 0004 1760 2876grid.256111.0State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002 China
| | - Mengmeng Guo
- 0000 0004 1760 2876grid.256111.0Forestry College, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002 China
| | - Wenshuo Guo
- 0000 0004 1760 2876grid.256111.0Forestry College, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002 China
| | - Zonghua Wang
- 0000 0004 1760 2876grid.256111.0State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002 China
| | - Qinghua Zhang
- 0000 0004 1760 2876grid.256111.0Forestry College, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002 China
| | - Lizhen Feng
- 0000 0004 1760 2876grid.256111.0Forestry College, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002 China
| | - Guodong Lu
- 0000 0004 1760 2876grid.256111.0State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002 China
| | - Feiping Zhang
- 0000 0004 1760 2876grid.256111.0Forestry College, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002 China
| | - Quanzhu Chen
- 0000 0004 1760 2876grid.256111.0Jinshan College, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002 China
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LeBlanc N, Salgado-Salazar C, Crouch JA. Boxwood blight: an ongoing threat to ornamental and native boxwood. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2018; 102:4371-4380. [PMID: 29610965 PMCID: PMC5932091 DOI: 10.1007/s00253-018-8936-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2018] [Revised: 03/09/2018] [Accepted: 03/13/2018] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
Boxwood blight is an emerging disease of ornamental and native boxwood plants in the family Buxaceae. First documented in the 1990s at a single location in England, the disease is now reported throughout Europe, Asia, New Zealand, and North America. To address the growing concern over boxwood blight, ongoing research focuses on multiple biological and genetic aspects of the causal pathogens and susceptible host plants. Characterization of genetic variation among the Calonectria fungi that cause boxwood blight shows that two unique sister species with different geographic distributions incite the disease. Studies of the pathogen life cycle show the formation of long-lived survival structures and that host infection is dependent on inoculum density, temperature, and humidity. Host range investigations detail high levels of susceptibility among boxwood as well as the potential for asymptomatic boxwood infection and for other plants in the family Buxaceae to serve as additional hosts. Multiple DNA-based diagnostic assays are available, ranging from probe-based quantitative PCR assays to the use of comparative genomics to develop robust diagnostic markers or provide whole genome-scale identifications. Though many questions remain, the research that continues to address boxwood blight demonstrates the importance of applying a multidisciplinary approach to understand and control emerging plant diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas LeBlanc
- Mycology and Nematology Genetic Diversity and Biology Laboratory, United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, 10300 Baltimore Avenue, Beltsville, MD, USA.,Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, ARS Research Participation Program, Oak Ridge, TN, USA
| | - Catalina Salgado-Salazar
- Mycology and Nematology Genetic Diversity and Biology Laboratory, United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, 10300 Baltimore Avenue, Beltsville, MD, USA.,Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, ARS Research Participation Program, Oak Ridge, TN, USA
| | - Jo Anne Crouch
- Mycology and Nematology Genetic Diversity and Biology Laboratory, United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, 10300 Baltimore Avenue, Beltsville, MD, USA.
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