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Stapley J, McDonald BA. Quantitative trait locus mapping of osmotic stress response in the fungal wheat pathogen Zymoseptoria tritici. G3 (BETHESDA, MD.) 2023; 13:jkad226. [PMID: 37774498 PMCID: PMC10700024 DOI: 10.1093/g3journal/jkad226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2023] [Revised: 09/19/2023] [Accepted: 09/20/2023] [Indexed: 10/01/2023]
Abstract
Osmotic stress is a ubiquitous and potent stress for all living organisms, but few studies have investigated the genetic basis of salt tolerance in filamentous fungi. The main aim of this study was to identify regions of the genome associated with tolerance to potassium chloride (KCl) in the wheat pathogen Zymoseptoria tritici. A secondary aim was to identify candidate genes affecting salt tolerance within the most promising chromosomal regions. We achieved these aims with a quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping study using offspring from 2 crosses grown in vitro in the presence or absence of osmotic stress imposed by 0.75 M KCl. We identified significant QTL for most of the traits in both crosses. Several QTLs overlapped with QTL identified in earlier studies for other traits, and some QTL explained trait variation in both the control and salt stress environments. A significant QTL on chromosome 3 explained variation in colony radius at 8-day postinoculation (dpi) in the KCl environment as well as colony radius KCl tolerance at 8 dpi. The QTL peak had a high logarithm of the odds ratio (LOD) and encompassed an interval containing only 36 genes. Six of these genes present promising candidates for functional analyses. A gene ontology (GO) enrichment analysis of QTL unique to the KCl environment found evidence for the enrichment of functions involved in osmotic stress responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica Stapley
- Plant Pathology Group, Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zurich, Zürich 8092, Switzerland
| | - Bruce A McDonald
- Plant Pathology Group, Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zurich, Zürich 8092, Switzerland
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2
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Dutta A, McDonald BA, Croll D. Combined reference-free and multi-reference based GWAS uncover cryptic variation underlying rapid adaptation in a fungal plant pathogen. PLoS Pathog 2023; 19:e1011801. [PMID: 37972199 PMCID: PMC10688896 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1011801] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2023] [Revised: 11/30/2023] [Accepted: 11/06/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Microbial pathogens often harbor substantial functional diversity driven by structural genetic variation. Rapid adaptation from such standing variation threatens global food security and human health. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) provide a powerful approach to identify genetic variants underlying recent pathogen adaptation. However, the reliance on single reference genomes and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) obscures the true extent of adaptive genetic variation. Here, we show quantitatively how a combination of multiple reference genomes and reference-free approaches captures substantially more relevant genetic variation compared to single reference mapping. We performed reference-genome based association mapping across 19 reference-quality genomes covering the diversity of the species. We contrasted the results with a reference-free (i.e., k-mer) approach using raw whole-genome sequencing data in a panel of 145 strains collected across the global distribution range of the fungal wheat pathogen Zymoseptoria tritici. We mapped the genetic architecture of 49 life history traits including virulence, reproduction and growth in multiple stressful environments. The inclusion of additional reference genome SNP datasets provides a nearly linear increase in additional loci mapped through GWAS. Variants detected through the k-mer approach explained a higher proportion of phenotypic variation than a reference genome-based approach and revealed functionally confirmed loci that classic GWAS approaches failed to map. The power of GWAS in microbial pathogens can be significantly enhanced by comprehensively capturing structural genetic variation. Our approach is generalizable to a large number of species and will uncover novel mechanisms driving rapid adaptation of pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anik Dutta
- Plant Pathology, Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Bruce A. McDonald
- Plant Pathology, Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Daniel Croll
- Laboratory of Evolutionary Genetics, Institute of Biology, University of Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
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3
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Blyth HR, Smith D, King R, Bayon C, Ashfield T, Walpole H, Venter E, Ray RV, Kanyuka K, Rudd JJ. Fungal plant pathogen "mutagenomics" reveals tagged and untagged mutations in Zymoseptoria tritici and identifies SSK2 as key morphogenesis and stress-responsive virulence factor. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2023; 14:1140824. [PMID: 37206970 PMCID: PMC10190600 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1140824] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2023] [Accepted: 03/29/2023] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
"Mutagenomics" is the combination of random mutagenesis, phenotypic screening, and whole-genome re-sequencing to uncover all tagged and untagged mutations linked with phenotypic changes in an organism. In this study, we performed a mutagenomics screen on the wheat pathogenic fungus Zymoseptoria tritici for altered morphogenetic switching and stress sensitivity phenotypes using Agrobacterium-mediated "random" T-DNA mutagenesis (ATMT). Biological screening identified four mutants which were strongly reduced in virulence on wheat. Whole genome re-sequencing defined the positions of the T-DNA insertion events and revealed several unlinked mutations potentially affecting gene functions. Remarkably, two independent reduced virulence mutant strains, with similarly altered stress sensitivities and aberrant hyphal growth phenotypes, were found to have a distinct loss of function mutations in the ZtSSK2 MAPKKK gene. One mutant strain had a direct T-DNA insertion affecting the predicted protein's N-terminus, while the other possessed an unlinked frameshift mutation towards the C-terminus. We used genetic complementation to restore both strains' wild-type (WT) function (virulence, morphogenesis, and stress response). We demonstrated that ZtSSK2 has a non-redundant function with ZtSTE11 in virulence through the biochemical activation of the stress-activated HOG1 MAPK pathway. Moreover, we present data suggesting that SSK2 has a unique role in activating this pathway in response to specific stresses. Finally, dual RNAseq-based transcriptome profiling of WT and SSK2 mutant strains revealed many HOG1-dependent transcriptional changes in the fungus during early infection and suggested that the host response does not discriminate between WT and mutant strains during this early phase. Together these data define new genes implicated in the virulence of the pathogen and emphasise the importance of a whole genome sequencing step in mutagenomic discovery pipelines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah R. Blyth
- Protecting Crops and the Environment, Rothamsted Research, Harpenden, United Kingdom
| | - Dan Smith
- Protecting Crops and the Environment, Rothamsted Research, Harpenden, United Kingdom
| | - Robert King
- Protecting Crops and the Environment, Rothamsted Research, Harpenden, United Kingdom
| | - Carlos Bayon
- Protecting Crops and the Environment, Rothamsted Research, Harpenden, United Kingdom
| | - Tom Ashfield
- Crop Health and Protection (CHAP), Rothamsted Research, Harpenden, United Kingdom
| | - Hannah Walpole
- Bioimaging Unit, Rothamsted Research, Harpenden, United Kingdom
| | - Eudri Venter
- Bioimaging Unit, Rothamsted Research, Harpenden, United Kingdom
| | - Rumiana V. Ray
- Division of Plant and Crop Sciences, School of Biosciences, University of Nottingham, Loughborough, United Kingdom
| | - Kostya Kanyuka
- Protecting Crops and the Environment, Rothamsted Research, Harpenden, United Kingdom
| | - Jason J. Rudd
- Protecting Crops and the Environment, Rothamsted Research, Harpenden, United Kingdom
- *Correspondence: Jason J. Rudd,
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4
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Mustafa Z, Ölmez F, Akkaya M. Inactivation of a candidate effector gene of Zymoseptoria tritici affects its sporulation. Mol Biol Rep 2022; 49:11563-11571. [PMID: 36097116 DOI: 10.1007/s11033-022-07879-z] [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: 03/15/2022] [Revised: 06/24/2022] [Accepted: 08/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Wheat is one of the most important staple crops produced worldwide. Its susceptibility to plant diseases reduces its production significantly. One of the most important diseases of wheat is septoria tritici blotch, a devastating disease observed in fields with wet and temperate conditions. Z. tritici secretes effector proteins to influence the host's defense mechanisms, as is typical of plant pathogens. In this investigation, we evaluated the pathogenicity of some Zymoseptoria tritici effector candidate genes having a signal peptide for secretion with no known function. METHODS AND RESULTS Three genes named Mycgr3G104383, Mycgr3G104444 and Mycgr3G105826 were knocked out separately through homologous recombination, generating Z. tritici IPO323 mutants lacking the functional copy of the corresponding genes. While KO1 and KO3 mutants did not show any significant differences during phenotypic and virulence investigations, the KO2 mutant generated exclusively macropycnidiospores in artificial media, different from wild-type IPO323 which produce only micropycidiospores. The mycelial growth capability of KO2 was also severely attenuated in all of the investigated growth conditions. These changes were observed independent of growth media and growth temperatures, implying that changes were genetic and inherited through generations. Virulence of knockout mutants in wheat leaves was observed to be similar to the wild-type IPO323. CONCLUSION Understanding the biology of Z. tritici and its interactions with wheat will reveal new strategies to fight septoria tritici blotch, enabling breeding wheat cultivars resistant to a broader spectrum of Z. tritici strains. Furthermore, gene knockout via homologous recombination proved to be a powerful tool for discovering novel gene functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zemran Mustafa
- Department of Plant Production and Technologies, Faculty of Agricultural Science and Technologies, Sivas University of Science and Technology, Sivas, Turkey.
| | - Fatih Ölmez
- Department of Plant Protection, Faculty of Agricultural Science and Technologies, Sivas University of Science and Technology, Sivas, Turkey
| | - Mahinur Akkaya
- School of Bioengineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian, Liaoning, China
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5
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Zhong Z, McDonald BA, Palma-Guerrero J. Tolerance to oxidative stress is associated with both oxidative stress response and inherent growth in a fungal wheat pathogen. Genetics 2021; 217:6029569. [PMID: 33724407 DOI: 10.1093/genetics/iyaa022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2020] [Accepted: 11/23/2020] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Reactive oxygen species are toxic byproducts of aerobic respiration that are also important in mediating a diversity of cellular functions. Reactive oxygen species form an important component of plant defenses to inhibit microbial pathogens during pathogen-plant interactions. Tolerance to oxidative stress is likely to make a significant contribution to the viability and pathogenicity of plant pathogens, but the complex network of oxidative stress responses hinders identification of the genes contributing to this trait. Here, we employed a forward genetic approach to investigate the genetic architecture of oxidative stress tolerance in the fungal wheat pathogen Zymoseptoria tritici. We used quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping of growth and melanization under axenic conditions in two cross-populations to identify genomic regions associated with tolerance to oxidative stress. We found that QTLs associated with growth under oxidative stress as well as inherent growth can affect oxidative stress tolerance, and we identified two uncharacterized genes in a major QTL associated with this trait. Our data suggest that melanization does not affect tolerance to oxidative stress, which differs from what was found for animal pathogens. This study provides a whole-genome perspective on the genetic basis of oxidative stress tolerance in a plant pathogen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ziming Zhong
- Plant Pathology Group, Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zurich, 8092 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Bruce A McDonald
- Plant Pathology Group, Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zurich, 8092 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Javier Palma-Guerrero
- Plant Pathology Group, Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zurich, 8092 Zürich, Switzerland.,Department of Biointeractions and Crop Protection, Rothamsted Research, AL5 2JQ Harpenden, UK
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6
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Badet T, Fouché S, Hartmann FE, Zala M, Croll D. Machine-learning predicts genomic determinants of meiosis-driven structural variation in a eukaryotic pathogen. Nat Commun 2021; 12:3551. [PMID: 34112792 PMCID: PMC8192914 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-23862-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2020] [Accepted: 05/11/2021] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Species harbor extensive structural variation underpinning recent adaptive evolution. However, the causality between genomic features and the induction of new rearrangements is poorly established. Here, we analyze a global set of telomere-to-telomere genome assemblies of a fungal pathogen of wheat to establish a nucleotide-level map of structural variation. We show that the recent emergence of pesticide resistance has been disproportionally driven by rearrangements. We use machine learning to train a model on structural variation events based on 30 chromosomal sequence features. We show that base composition and gene density are the major determinants of structural variation. Retrotransposons explain most inversion, indel and duplication events. We apply our model to Arabidopsis thaliana and show that our approach extends to more complex genomes. Finally, we analyze complete genomes of haploid offspring in a four-generation pedigree. Meiotic crossover locations are enriched for new rearrangements consistent with crossovers being mutational hotspots. The model trained on species-wide structural variation accurately predicts the position of >74% of newly generated variants along the pedigree. The predictive power highlights causality between specific sequence features and the induction of chromosomal rearrangements. Our work demonstrates that training sequence-derived models can accurately identify regions of intrinsic DNA instability in eukaryotic genomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Badet
- Laboratory of Evolutionary Genetics, Institute of Biology, University of Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
| | - Simone Fouché
- Laboratory of Evolutionary Genetics, Institute of Biology, University of Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
- Plant Pathology, Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Fanny E Hartmann
- Ecologie Systématique Evolution, Bâtiment 360, Univ. Paris-Sud, AgroParisTech, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, Orsay, France
| | - Marcello Zala
- Plant Pathology, Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Daniel Croll
- Laboratory of Evolutionary Genetics, Institute of Biology, University of Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel, Switzerland.
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7
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Kariyawasam GK, Wyatt N, Shi G, Liu S, Yan C, Ma Y, Zhong S, Rasmussen JB, Moolhuijzen P, Moffat CS, Friesen TL, Liu Z. A genome-wide genetic linkage map and reference quality genome sequence for a new race in the wheat pathogen Pyrenophora tritici-repentis. Fungal Genet Biol 2021; 152:103571. [PMID: 34015431 DOI: 10.1016/j.fgb.2021.103571] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2020] [Revised: 02/23/2021] [Accepted: 03/01/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Pyrenophora tritici-repentis is an ascomycete fungus that causes tan spot of wheat. The disease has a worldwide distribution and can cause significant yield and quality losses in wheat production. The fungal pathogen is homothallic in nature, which means it can undergo sexual reproduction by selfing to produce pseudothecia on wheat stubble for seasonal survival. Since homothallism precludes the development of bi-parental fungal populations, no genetic linkage map has been developed for P. tritici-repentis for mapping and map-based cloning of fungal virulence genes. In this work, we created two heterothallic strains by deleting one of the mating type genes in each of two parental isolates 86-124 (race 2) and AR CrossB10 (a new race) and developed a bi-parental fungal population between them. The draft genome sequences of the two parental isolates were aligned to the Pt-1C-BFP reference sequence to mine single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). A total of 225 SNP markers were developed for genotyping the entire population. Additionally, 75 simple sequence repeat, and two gene markers were also developed and used in the genotyping. The resulting linkage map consisted of 13 linkage groups spanning 5,075.83 cM in genetic distance. Because the parental isolate AR CrossB10 is a new race and produces Ptr ToxC, it was sequenced using long-read sequencing platforms and de novo assembled into contigs. The majority of the contigs were further anchored into chromosomes with the aid of the linkage maps. The whole genome comparison of AR CrossB10 to the reference genome of M4 revealed a few chromosomal rearrangements. The genetic linkage map and the new AR CrossB10 genome sequence are valuable tools for gene cloning in P. tritici-repentis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gayan K Kariyawasam
- Department of Plant Pathology, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND 58108, USA
| | - Nathan Wyatt
- USDA-ARS Cereal Crops Research Unit, Edward T. Schafer Agricultural Research Center, Fargo, ND 58102, USA
| | - Gongjun Shi
- Department of Plant Pathology, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND 58108, USA
| | - Sanzhen Liu
- Department of Plant Pathology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506, USA
| | - Changhui Yan
- Department of Computer Science, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND 58108, USA
| | - Yongchao Ma
- Department of Computer Science, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND 58108, USA
| | - Shaobin Zhong
- Department of Plant Pathology, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND 58108, USA
| | - Jack B Rasmussen
- Department of Plant Pathology, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND 58108, USA
| | - Paula Moolhuijzen
- Center for Crop Disease and Management, Department of Environment and Agriculture, Curtin University, Bentley, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Caroline S Moffat
- Center for Crop Disease and Management, Department of Environment and Agriculture, Curtin University, Bentley, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Timothy L Friesen
- Department of Plant Pathology, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND 58108, USA; USDA-ARS Cereal Crops Research Unit, Edward T. Schafer Agricultural Research Center, Fargo, ND 58102, USA
| | - Zhaohui Liu
- Department of Plant Pathology, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND 58108, USA.
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Laurent B, Moinard M, Spataro C, Chéreau S, Zehraoui E, Blanc R, Lasserre P, Ponts N, Foulongne-Oriol M. QTL mapping in Fusarium graminearum identified an allele of FgVe1 involved in reduced aggressiveness. Fungal Genet Biol 2021; 153:103566. [PMID: 33991664 DOI: 10.1016/j.fgb.2021.103566] [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: 10/20/2020] [Revised: 05/04/2021] [Accepted: 05/05/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Fusarium graminearum is one of the most frequent causal agents of the Fusarium Head Blight, a cereal disease spread throughout the world, reducing grain production and quality. F. graminearum isolates are genetically and phenotypically highly diverse. Notably, remarkable variations of aggressiveness between isolates have been observed, which could reflect an adaptive potential of this pathogen. In this study, we aimed to characterize the genetic basis of aggressiveness variation observed in an F1 population (n = 94), for which genome sequences of both parental strains are available. Aggressiveness was assessed by a panel of in planta and in vitro proxies during two phenotyping trials including, among others, disease severity and mycotoxin accumulation in wheat spike. One major and single QTL was mapped for all the traits measured, on chromosome I, that explained up to 90% of the variance for disease severity. The confidence interval at the QTL spanned 1.2 Mb and contained 428 genes on the reference genome. Of these, four candidates were selected based on the postulate that a non-synonymous mutation affecting protein function may be responsible for phenotypic differences. Finally, a new mutation was identified and functionally validated in the gene FgVe1, coding for a velvet protein known to be involved in pathogenicity and secondary metabolism production in several fungi.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Enric Zehraoui
- INRAE, MycSA, F-33882 Villenave d'Ornon, France; Université de Bordeaux, INRAE, EGFV, F-33882 Villenave d'Ornon, France
| | - Richard Blanc
- INRAE, UCA, UMR 1095 GDEC, F-63100 Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | | | - Nadia Ponts
- INRAE, MycSA, F-33882 Villenave d'Ornon, France
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9
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Dutta A, Croll D, McDonald BA, Barrett LG. Maintenance of variation in virulence and reproduction in populations of an agricultural plant pathogen. Evol Appl 2021; 14:335-347. [PMID: 33664780 PMCID: PMC7896723 DOI: 10.1111/eva.13117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2020] [Revised: 07/04/2020] [Accepted: 08/13/2020] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Genetic diversity within pathogen populations is critically important for predicting pathogen evolution, disease outcomes and prevalence. However, we lack a good understanding of the processes maintaining genetic variation and constraints on pathogen life-history evolution. Here, we analysed interactions between 12 wheat host genotypes and 145 strains of Zymoseptoria tritici from five global populations to investigate the evolution and maintenance of variation in pathogen virulence and reproduction. We found a strong positive correlation between virulence (amount of leaf necrosis) and reproduction (pycnidia density within lesions), with substantial variation in both traits maintained within populations. On average, highly virulent isolates exhibited higher reproduction, which might increase transmission potential in agricultural fields planted to homogeneous hosts at a high density. We further showed that pathogen strains with a narrow host range (i.e. specialists) for reproduction were on average less virulent, and those with a broader host range (i.e. generalists) were on average less fecund on a given specific host. These costs associated with adaptation to different host genotypes might constrain the emergence of generalists by disrupting the directional evolution of virulence and fecundity. We conclude that selection favouring pathogen strains that are virulent across diverse hosts, coupled with selection that maximizes fecundity on specific hosts, may explain the maintenance of these pathogenicity traits within and among populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anik Dutta
- Plant PathologyInstitute of Integrative BiologyETH ZurichZurichSwitzerland
| | - Daniel Croll
- Laboratory of Evolutionary GeneticsInstitute of BiologyUniversity of NeuchâtelNeuchâtelSwitzerland
| | - Bruce A. McDonald
- Plant PathologyInstitute of Integrative BiologyETH ZurichZurichSwitzerland
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10
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Roth C, Murray D, Scott A, Fu C, Averette AF, Sun S, Heitman J, Magwene PM. Pleiotropy and epistasis within and between signaling pathways defines the genetic architecture of fungal virulence. PLoS Genet 2021; 17:e1009313. [PMID: 33493169 PMCID: PMC7861560 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1009313] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2020] [Revised: 02/04/2021] [Accepted: 12/17/2020] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Cryptococcal disease is estimated to affect nearly a quarter of a million people annually. Environmental isolates of Cryptococcus deneoformans, which make up 15 to 30% of clinical infections in temperate climates such as Europe, vary in their pathogenicity, ranging from benign to hyper-virulent. Key traits that contribute to virulence, such as the production of the pigment melanin, an extracellular polysaccharide capsule, and the ability to grow at human body temperature have been identified, yet little is known about the genetic basis of variation in such traits. Here we investigate the genetic basis of melanization, capsule size, thermal tolerance, oxidative stress resistance, and antifungal drug sensitivity using quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping in progeny derived from a cross between two divergent C. deneoformans strains. Using a "function-valued" QTL analysis framework that exploits both time-series information and growth differences across multiple environments, we identified QTL for each of these virulence traits and drug susceptibility. For three QTL we identified the underlying genes and nucleotide differences that govern variation in virulence traits. One of these genes, RIC8, which encodes a regulator of cAMP-PKA signaling, contributes to variation in four virulence traits: melanization, capsule size, thermal tolerance, and resistance to oxidative stress. Two major effect QTL for amphotericin B resistance map to the genes SSK1 and SSK2, which encode key components of the HOG pathway, a fungal-specific signal transduction network that orchestrates cellular responses to osmotic and other stresses. We also discovered complex epistatic interactions within and between genes in the HOG and cAMP-PKA pathways that regulate antifungal drug resistance and resistance to oxidative stress. Our findings advance the understanding of virulence traits among diverse lineages of Cryptococcus, and highlight the role of genetic variation in key stress-responsive signaling pathways as a major contributor to phenotypic variation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cullen Roth
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America
- University Program in Genetics and Genomics, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Debra Murray
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Alexandria Scott
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Ci Fu
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Anna F. Averette
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Sheng Sun
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Joseph Heitman
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Paul M. Magwene
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America
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11
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Pereira D, McDonald BA, Croll D. The Genetic Architecture of Emerging Fungicide Resistance in Populations of a Global Wheat Pathogen. Genome Biol Evol 2020; 12:2231-2244. [PMID: 32986802 PMCID: PMC7846115 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evaa203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Containing fungal diseases often depends on the application of fungicidal compounds. Fungicides can rapidly lose effectiveness due to the rise of resistant individuals in populations. However, the lack of knowledge about resistance mutations beyond known target genes challenges investigations into pathways to resistance. We used whole-genome sequencing data and association mapping to reveal the multilocus genetic architecture of fungicide resistance in a global panel of 159 isolates of Parastagonospora nodorum, an important fungal pathogen of wheat. We found significant differences in azole resistance among global field populations. The populations evolved distinctive combinations of resistance alleles which can interact when co-occurring in the same genetic background. We identified 34 significantly associated single nucleotide polymorphisms located in close proximity to genes associated with fungicide resistance in other fungi, including a major facilitator superfamily transporter. Using fungal colony growth rates and melanin production at different temperatures as fitness proxies, we found no evidence that resistance was constrained by genetic trade-offs. Our study demonstrates how genome-wide association studies of a global collection of pathogen strains can recapitulate the emergence of fungicide resistance. The distinct complement of resistance mutations found among populations illustrates how the evolutionary trajectory of fungicide adaptation can be complex and challenging to predict.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danilo Pereira
- Plant Pathology, Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Bruce A McDonald
- Plant Pathology, Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Daniel Croll
- Laboratory of Evolutionary Genetics, Institute of Biology, University of Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
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12
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Mohammadi N, Mehrabi R, Mirzadi Gohari A, Roostaei M, Mohammadi Goltapeh E, Safaie N, Kema GHJ. MADS-Box Transcription Factor ZtRlm1 Is Responsible for Virulence and Development of the Fungal Wheat Pathogen Zymoseptoria tritici. Front Microbiol 2020; 11:1976. [PMID: 33013739 PMCID: PMC7461931 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.01976] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2020] [Accepted: 07/27/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Zymoseptoria tritici is one of the most economically destructive wheat diseases all over the world and is a model fungal plant pathogen within the ascomycetes. In this study, the instrumental role of the ZtRlm1 gene encoding a MADS-box transcription factor (TF) in the infection process of Z. tritici was functionally characterized as these proteins play critical roles in the global gene regulation required for various developmental and physiological processes. Our infection assays showed that ZtRlm1 mutants were attenuated in disease development as a 30 and 90% reduction in chloro-necrotic lesions and pycnidia formation, respectively, were observed in plants inoculated with ZtRlm1 mutant strains demonstrating that ZtRlm1 is a crucial factor playing a significant role in the late stage of infection corresponding with pycnidial formation. Our expression analysis demonstrated that the transcript level of ZtRlm1 is induced at 2 and 20 days post-inoculation, coinciding with pycnidial sporulation. In addition, microscopic analyses showed that branch intensity and biomass production were significantly reduced, indicating that impaired pycnidia formation is a result of impaired differentiation and biomass production in the ZtRlm1 mutants. Furthermore, melanization, a phenomenon required for fruiting body formation, was significantly hampered in ZtRlm1 mutants as they were not melanized under all tested temperature and media conditions. Overall, our data showed that impaired disease development of the ZtRlm1 mutants is mainly due to the significant impact of ZtRlm1 in different cellular processes, including differentiation, branching, fungal biomass production, and melanization, in which identification of downstream genes are of interest to increase our understanding of this pathosystem.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naser Mohammadi
- Dryland Agricultural Research Institute, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (ARREO), Maragheh, Iran
| | - Rahim Mehrabi
- Department of Biotechnology, College of Agriculture, Isfahan University of Technology, Isfahan, Iran
| | - Amir Mirzadi Gohari
- Department of Plant Pathology, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences and Engineering, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran
| | - Mozaffar Roostaei
- Dryland Agricultural Research Institute, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (ARREO), Maragheh, Iran
| | | | - Naser Safaie
- Department of Plant Pathology, Faculty of Agriculture, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Gert H J Kema
- Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen Plant Research, Wageningen, Netherlands
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13
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Francisco CS, Zwyssig MM, Palma-Guerrero J. The role of vegetative cell fusions in the development and asexual reproduction of the wheat fungal pathogen Zymoseptoria tritici. BMC Biol 2020; 18:99. [PMID: 32782023 PMCID: PMC7477884 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-020-00838-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2020] [Accepted: 07/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The ability of fungal cells to undergo cell-to-cell communication and anastomosis, the process of vegetative hyphal fusion, allows them to maximize their overall fitness. Previous studies in a number of fungal species have identified the requirement of several signaling pathways for anastomosis, including the so far best characterized soft (So) gene, and the MAPK pathway components MAK-1 and MAK-2 of Neurospora crassa. Despite the observations of hyphal fusions' involvement in pathogenicity and host adhesion, the connection between cell fusion and fungal lifestyles is still unclear. Here, we address the role of anastomosis in fungal development and asexual reproduction in Zymoseptoria tritici, the most important fungal pathogen of wheat in Europe. RESULTS We show that Z. tritici undergoes self-fusion between distinct cellular structures, and its mechanism is dependent on the initial cell density. Contrary to other fungi, cell fusion in Z. tritici only resulted in cytoplasmic mixing but not in multinucleated cell formation. The deletion of the So orthologous ZtSof1 disrupted cell-to-cell communication affecting both hyphal and germling fusion. We show that Z. tritici mutants for MAPK-encoding ZtSlt2 (orthologous to MAK-1) and ZtFus3 (orthologous to MAK-2) genes also failed to undergo anastomosis, demonstrating the functional conservation of this signaling mechanism across species. Additionally, the ΔZtSof1 mutant was severely impaired in melanization, suggesting that the So gene function is related to melanization. Finally, we demonstrated that anastomosis is dispensable for pathogenicity, but essential for the pycnidium development, and its absence abolishes the asexual reproduction of Z. tritici. CONCLUSIONS We demonstrate the role for ZtSof1, ZtSlt2, and ZtFus3 in cell fusions of Z. tritici. Cell fusions are essential for different aspects of the Z. tritici biology, and the ZtSof1 gene is a potential target to control septoria tritici blotch (STB) disease.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Maria Manuela Zwyssig
- Plant Pathology Group, Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zürich, 8092, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Javier Palma-Guerrero
- Plant Pathology Group, Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zürich, 8092, Zürich, Switzerland.
- New Address: Department of Biointeractions and Crop Protection, Rothamsted Research, Harpenden, UK.
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14
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McCorison CB, Goodwin SB. The wheat pathogen Zymoseptoria tritici senses and responds to different wavelengths of light. BMC Genomics 2020; 21:513. [PMID: 32711450 PMCID: PMC7382159 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-020-06899-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2019] [Accepted: 07/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The ascomycete fungus Zymoseptoria tritici (synonyms: Mycosphaerella graminicola, Septoria tritici) is a major pathogen of wheat that causes the economically important foliar disease Septoria tritici blotch. Despite its importance as a pathogen, little is known about the reaction of this fungus to light. To test for light responses, cultures of Z. tritici were grown in vitro for 16-h days under white, blue or red light, and their transcriptomes were compared with each other and to those obtained from control cultures grown in darkness. Results There were major differences in gene expression with over 3400 genes upregulated in one or more of the light conditions compared to dark, and from 1909 to 2573 genes specifically upregulated in the dark compared to the individual light treatments. Differences between light treatments were lower, ranging from only 79 differentially expressed genes in the red versus blue comparison to 585 between white light and red. Many of the differentially expressed genes had no functional annotations. For those that did, analysis of the Gene Ontology (GO) terms showed that those related to metabolism were enriched in all three light treatments, while those related to growth and communication were more prevalent in the dark. Interestingly, genes for effectors that have been shown previously to be involved in pathogenicity also were upregulated in one or more of the light treatments, suggesting a possible role of light for infection. Conclusions This analysis shows that Z. tritici can sense and respond to light with a huge effect on transcript abundance. High proportions of differentially expressed genes with no functional annotations illuminates the huge gap in our understanding of light responses in this fungus. Differential expression of genes for effectors indicates that light could be important for pathogenicity; unknown effectors may show a similar pattern of transcription. A better understanding of the effects of light on pathogenicity and other biological processes of Z. tritici could help to manage Septoria tritici blotch in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cassandra B McCorison
- Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Purdue University, 915 West State Street, West Lafayette, IN, 47907-2054, USA
| | - Stephen B Goodwin
- USDA-Agricultural Research Service, Crop Production and Pest Control Research Unit, Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Purdue University, 915 West State Street, West Lafayette, IN, 47907-2054, USA.
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15
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An Avirulence Gene Cluster in the Wheat Stripe Rust Pathogen (Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici) Identified through Genetic Mapping and Whole-Genome Sequencing of a Sexual Population. mSphere 2020; 5:5/3/e00128-20. [PMID: 32554716 PMCID: PMC7300351 DOI: 10.1128/msphere.00128-20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici, the causal agent of wheat stripe (yellow) rust, is an obligate, biotrophic fungus. It was difficult to study the genetics of the pathogen due to the lack of sexual reproduction. The recent discovery of alternate hosts for P. striiformis f. sp. tritici makes it possible to study inheritance and map genes involved in its interaction with plant hosts. To identify avirulence (Avr) genes in P. striiformis f. sp. tritici, we developed a segregating population by selfing isolate 12-368 on barberry (Berberis vulgaris) plants under controlled conditions. The dikaryotic sexual population segregated for avirulent/virulent phenotypes on nine Yr single-gene lines. The parental and progeny isolates were whole-genome sequenced at >30× coverage using Illumina HiSeq PE150 technology. A total of 2,637 high-quality markers were discovered by mapping the whole-genome sequencing (WGS) reads to the reference genome of strain 93-210 and used to construct a genetic map, consisting of 41 linkage groups, spanning 7,715.0 centimorgans (cM) and covering 68 Mb of the reference genome. The recombination rate was estimated to be 1.81 ± 2.32 cM/10 kb. Quantitative trait locus analysis mapped six Avr gene loci to the genetic map, including an Avr cluster harboring four Avr genes, AvYr7, AvYr43, AvYr44, and AvYrExp2 Aligning the genetic map to the reference genome identified Avr candidates and narrowed them to a small genomic region (<200 kb). The discovery of the Avr gene cluster is useful for understanding pathogen evolution, and the identification of candidate genes is an important step toward cloning Avr genes for studying molecular mechanisms of pathogen-host interactions.IMPORTANCE Stripe rust is a destructive disease of wheat worldwide. Growing resistant cultivars is the most effective, easy-to-use, economical, and environmentally friendly strategy for the control of the disease. However, P. striiformis f. sp. tritici can produce new virulent races that may circumvent race-specific resistance. Therefore, understanding the genetic basis of the interactions between wheat genes for resistance and P. striiformis f. sp. tritici genes for avirulence is useful for improving cultivar resistance for more effective control of the disease. This study developed a high-quality map that facilitates genomic and genetic studies of important traits related to pathogen pathogenicity and adaptation to different environments and crop cultivars carrying different resistance genes. The information on avirulence/virulence genes identified in this study can be used for guiding breeding programs to select combinations of genes for developing new cultivars with effective resistance to mitigate this devastating disease.
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16
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Pereira D, Croll D, Brunner PC, McDonald BA. Natural selection drives population divergence for local adaptation in a wheat pathogen. Fungal Genet Biol 2020; 141:103398. [PMID: 32371235 DOI: 10.1016/j.fgb.2020.103398] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2019] [Revised: 03/16/2020] [Accepted: 04/16/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Evolution favors the emergence of locally-adapted optimum phenotypes that are likely to differ across a wide array of environmental conditions. The emergence of favorable adaptive characteristics is accelerated in agricultural pathogens due to the unique properties of agro-ecosystems. We performed a QST - FST comparison using 164 strains of Parastagonospora nodorum sampled from eight global field populations to disentangle the predominant evolutionary forces driving population divergence in a wheat pathogen. We used digital image analysis to obtain quantitative measurements of growth rate and melanization at different temperatures and under different fungicide concentrations in a common garden experiment. FST measures were based on complete genome sequences obtained for all 164 isolates. Our analyses indicated that all measured traits were under selection. Growth rates at 18 °C and 24 °C were under stabilizing selection (QST < FST), while diversifying selection (QST > FST) was the predominant evolutionary force affecting growth under fungicide and high temperature stress. Stabilizing selection (QST < FST) was the predominant force affecting melanization across the different environments. Melanin production increased at 30 °C but was negatively correlated with higher growth rates, consistent with a trade-off under heat stress. Our results demonstrate that global populations of P. nodorum possess significant evolutionary potential to adapt to changing local conditions, including warmer temperatures and applications of fungicides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danilo Pereira
- Plant Pathology Group, ETH Zurich, Universitatstrasse 2, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland.
| | - Daniel Croll
- Laboratory of Evolutionary Genetics, Institute of Biology, University of Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
| | - Patrick C Brunner
- Plant Pathology Group, ETH Zurich, Universitatstrasse 2, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Bruce A McDonald
- Plant Pathology Group, ETH Zurich, Universitatstrasse 2, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland
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17
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Fouché S, Badet T, Oggenfuss U, Plissonneau C, Francisco CS, Croll D. Stress-Driven Transposable Element De-repression Dynamics and Virulence Evolution in a Fungal Pathogen. Mol Biol Evol 2020; 37:221-239. [PMID: 31553475 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msz216] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Transposable elements (TEs) are drivers of genome evolution and affect the expression landscape of the host genome. Stress is a major factor inducing TE activity; however, the regulatory mechanisms underlying de-repression are poorly understood. Plant pathogens are excellent models to dissect the impact of stress on TEs. The process of plant infection induces stress for the pathogen, and virulence factors (i.e., effectors) located in TE-rich regions become expressed. To dissect TE de-repression dynamics and contributions to virulence, we analyzed the TE expression landscape of four strains of the major wheat pathogen Zymoseptoria tritici. We experimentally exposed strains to nutrient starvation and host infection stress. Contrary to expectations, we show that the two distinct conditions induce the expression of different sets of TEs. In particular, the most highly expressed TEs, including miniature inverted-repeat transposable element and long terminal repeat-Gypsy element, show highly distinct de-repression across stress conditions. Both the genomic context of TEs and the genetic background stress (i.e., different strains harboring the same TEs) were major predictors of de-repression under stress. Gene expression profiles under stress varied significantly depending on the proximity to the closest TEs and genomic defenses against TEs were largely ineffective to prevent de-repression. Next, we analyzed the locus encoding the Avr3D1 effector. We show that the insertion and subsequent silencing of TEs in close proximity likely contributed to reduced expression and virulence on a specific wheat cultivar. The complexity of TE responsiveness to stress across genetic backgrounds and genomic locations demonstrates substantial intraspecific genetic variation to control TEs with consequences for virulence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simone Fouché
- Plant Pathology, Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland.,Laboratory of Evolutionary Genetics, Institute of Biology, University of Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
| | - Thomas Badet
- Laboratory of Evolutionary Genetics, Institute of Biology, University of Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
| | - Ursula Oggenfuss
- Laboratory of Evolutionary Genetics, Institute of Biology, University of Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
| | - Clémence Plissonneau
- Plant Pathology, Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | | | - Daniel Croll
- Laboratory of Evolutionary Genetics, Institute of Biology, University of Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
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18
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Anderegg J, Hund A, Karisto P, Mikaberidze A. In-Field Detection and Quantification of Septoria Tritici Blotch in Diverse Wheat Germplasm Using Spectral-Temporal Features. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2019; 10:1355. [PMID: 31708956 PMCID: PMC6824235 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2019.01355] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2019] [Accepted: 10/02/2019] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
Hyperspectral remote sensing holds the potential to detect and quantify crop diseases in a rapid and non-invasive manner. Such tools could greatly benefit resistance breeding, but their adoption is hampered by i) a lack of specificity to disease-related effects and ii) insufficient robustness to variation in reflectance caused by genotypic diversity and varying environmental conditions, which are fundamental elements of resistance breeding. We hypothesized that relying exclusively on temporal changes in canopy reflectance during pathogenesis may allow to specifically detect and quantify crop diseases while minimizing the confounding effects of genotype and environment. To test this hypothesis, we collected time-resolved canopy hyperspectral reflectance data for 18 diverse genotypes on infected and disease-free plots and engineered spectral-temporal features representing this hypothesis. Our results confirm the lack of specificity and robustness of disease assessments based on reflectance spectra at individual time points. We show that changes in spectral reflectance over time are indicative of the presence and severity of Septoria tritici blotch (STB) infections. Furthermore, the proposed time-integrated approach facilitated the delineation of disease from physiological senescence, which is pivotal for efficient selection of STB-resistant material under field conditions. A validation of models based on spectral-temporal features on a diverse panel of 330 wheat genotypes offered evidence for the robustness of the proposed method. This study demonstrates the potential of time-resolved canopy reflectance measurements for robust assessments of foliar diseases in the context of resistance breeding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonas Anderegg
- Crop Science Group, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Andreas Hund
- Crop Science Group, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Petteri Karisto
- Plant Pathology Group, Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Alexey Mikaberidze
- Plant Pathology Group, Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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19
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Souders CL, Xavier P, Perez-Rodriguez V, Ector N, Zhang JL, Martyniuk CJ. Sub-lethal effects of the triazole fungicide propiconazole on zebrafish (Danio rerio) development, oxidative respiration, and larval locomotor activity. Neurotoxicol Teratol 2019; 74:106809. [PMID: 31129159 DOI: 10.1016/j.ntt.2019.106809] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2019] [Revised: 05/12/2019] [Accepted: 05/14/2019] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Propiconazole is a triazole fungicide used in agriculture. Via run-off, it can enter the aquatic environment, and can adversely affect organisms. However, data are scarce on how propiconazole may affect early developmental life stages of fish. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the potential sub-lethal effects of propiconazole during zebrafish development. Wildtype zebrafish (ABTu strain) embryos and larvae were exposed to propiconazole (0.1-100 μM) for up to 150 hours post fertilization (hpf) depending upon the endpoint measured. Propiconazole decreased survival and induced hypopigmentation in fish at 100 μM compared to the water and solvent controls. Pericardial edema was also noted in embryos and larvae (beginning at 2-3 dpf) exposed to 100 μM propiconazole. To visualize the effects of propiconazole on the circulatory system in more detail, we exposed transgenic zebrafish (globin-LCR:eGFP) to the fungicide. Hematopoietic changes were observed within 48 h of exposure to 100 μM, and localization of blood cells in the cardic region became diffuse, indicating pooling of blood in the pericardial region. We measured oxidative respiration in embryos as sufficient ATP is needed for development. Exposure to 100 μM propiconazole (~6-30 hpf) reduced basal respiration (~50%), oligomycin-induced ATP linked respiration (~70%), proton leak (~30%), and non-mitochondrial respiration (~50%), indicating compromised mitochondrial bioenergetics. A Visual Motor Response (VMR) test was used to measure dark photokinesis behavior in larval fish exposed to propiconazole for a 6-day period. Larval fish exposed to the highest concentration in the assay (10 μM) showed evidence of hypoactivity. This study demonstrates that propiconazole can induce hypopigmentation in zebrafish, disrupt mitochondrial bioenergetics, and can alter locomotor activity. However, these sub-lethal responses were observed at concentrations above what is typically detected in the environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher L Souders
- Department of Physiological Sciences, Center for Environmental and Human Toxicology, University of Florida Genetics Institute, Interdisciplinary Program in Biomedical Sciences Neuroscience, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
| | - Priscilla Xavier
- Department of Physiological Sciences, Center for Environmental and Human Toxicology, University of Florida Genetics Institute, Interdisciplinary Program in Biomedical Sciences Neuroscience, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
| | - Veronica Perez-Rodriguez
- Department of Physiological Sciences, Center for Environmental and Human Toxicology, University of Florida Genetics Institute, Interdisciplinary Program in Biomedical Sciences Neuroscience, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
| | - Naomi Ector
- Department of Physiological Sciences, Center for Environmental and Human Toxicology, University of Florida Genetics Institute, Interdisciplinary Program in Biomedical Sciences Neuroscience, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
| | - Ji-Liang Zhang
- Department of Physiological Sciences, Center for Environmental and Human Toxicology, University of Florida Genetics Institute, Interdisciplinary Program in Biomedical Sciences Neuroscience, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA; Henan Open Laboratory of Key Subjects of Environmental and Animal Products Safety, College of Animal Science and Technology, Henan University of Science and Technology, Henan, China
| | - Christopher J Martyniuk
- Department of Physiological Sciences, Center for Environmental and Human Toxicology, University of Florida Genetics Institute, Interdisciplinary Program in Biomedical Sciences Neuroscience, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA.
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20
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Ebert MK, Spanner RE, de Jonge R, Smith DJ, Holthusen J, Secor GA, Thomma BPHJ, Bolton MD. Gene cluster conservation identifies melanin and perylenequinone biosynthesis pathways in multiple plant pathogenic fungi. Environ Microbiol 2019; 21:913-927. [PMID: 30421572 PMCID: PMC7379194 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.14475] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2018] [Accepted: 11/05/2018] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Perylenequinones are a family of structurally related polyketide fungal toxins with nearly universal toxicity. These photosensitizing compounds absorb light energy which enables them to generate reactive oxygen species that damage host cells. This potent mechanism serves as an effective weapon for plant pathogens in disease or niche establishment. The sugar beet pathogen Cercospora beticola secretes the perylenequinone cercosporin during infection. We have shown recently that the cercosporin toxin biosynthesis (CTB) gene cluster is present in several other phytopathogenic fungi, prompting the search for biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) of structurally similar perylenequinones in other fungi. Here, we report the identification of the elsinochrome and phleichrome BGCs of Elsinoë fawcettii and Cladosporium phlei, respectively, based on gene cluster conservation with the CTB and hypocrellin BGCs. Furthermore, we show that previously reported BGCs for elsinochrome and phleichrome are involved in melanin production. Phylogenetic analysis of the corresponding melanin polyketide synthases (PKSs) and alignment of melanin BGCs revealed high conservation between the established and newly identified C. beticola, E. fawcettii and C. phlei melanin BGCs. Mutagenesis of the identified perylenequinone and melanin PKSs in C. beticola and E. fawcettii coupled with mass spectrometric metabolite analyses confirmed their roles in toxin and melanin production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Malaika K. Ebert
- Red River Valley Agricultural Research CenterUSDA Agricultural Research ServiceFargoNDUSA,Department of Plant PathologyNorth Dakota State UniversityFargoNDUSA,Laboratory of PhytopathologyWageningen UniversityWageningenThe Netherlands
| | - Rebecca E. Spanner
- Red River Valley Agricultural Research CenterUSDA Agricultural Research ServiceFargoNDUSA,Department of Plant PathologyNorth Dakota State UniversityFargoNDUSA
| | - Ronnie de Jonge
- Plant‐Microbe Interactions, Department of BiologyScience4Life, Utrecht UniversityUtrechtThe Netherlands,Department of Plant Biotechnology and BioinformaticsGhent UniversityGhentBelgium,VIB Center for Plant Systems BiologyGhentBelgium
| | - David J. Smith
- Red River Valley Agricultural Research CenterUSDA Agricultural Research ServiceFargoNDUSA
| | - Jason Holthusen
- Red River Valley Agricultural Research CenterUSDA Agricultural Research ServiceFargoNDUSA
| | - Gary A. Secor
- Department of Plant PathologyNorth Dakota State UniversityFargoNDUSA
| | | | - Melvin D. Bolton
- Red River Valley Agricultural Research CenterUSDA Agricultural Research ServiceFargoNDUSA,Department of Plant PathologyNorth Dakota State UniversityFargoNDUSA
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21
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Haueisen J, Möller M, Eschenbrenner CJ, Grandaubert J, Seybold H, Adamiak H, Stukenbrock EH. Highly flexible infection programs in a specialized wheat pathogen. Ecol Evol 2019; 9:275-294. [PMID: 30680113 PMCID: PMC6342133 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.4724] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2018] [Revised: 10/04/2018] [Accepted: 10/05/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Many filamentous plant pathogens exhibit high levels of genomic variability, yet the impact of this variation on host-pathogen interactions is largely unknown. We have addressed host specialization in the wheat pathogen Zymoseptoria tritici. Our study builds on comparative analyses of infection and gene expression phenotypes of three isolates and reveals the extent to which genomic variation translates into phenotypic variation. The isolates exhibit genetic and genomic variation but are similarly virulent. By combining confocal microscopy, disease monitoring, staining of ROS, and comparative transcriptome analyses, we conducted a detailed comparison of the infection processes of these isolates in a susceptible wheat cultivar. We characterized four core infection stages: establishment, biotrophic growth, lifestyle transition, and necrotrophic growth and asexual reproduction that are shared by the three isolates. However, we demonstrate differentiated temporal and spatial infection development and significant differences in the expression profiles of the three isolates during the infection stages. More than 20% of the genes were differentially expressed and these genes were located significantly closer to transposable elements, suggesting an impact of epigenetic regulation. Further, differentially expressed genes were enriched in effector candidates suggesting that isolate-specific strategies for manipulating host defenses are present in Z. tritici. We demonstrate that individuals of a host-specialized pathogen have highly differentiated infection programs characterized by flexible infection development and functional redundancy. This illustrates how high genetic diversity in pathogen populations results in highly differentiated infection phenotypes, which fact needs to be acknowledged to understand host-pathogen interactions and pathogen evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janine Haueisen
- Environmental Genomics GroupMax Planck Institute for Evolutionary BiologyPlönGermany
- Environmental Genomics GroupChristian‐Albrechts University KielKielGermany
| | - Mareike Möller
- Environmental Genomics GroupMax Planck Institute for Evolutionary BiologyPlönGermany
- Environmental Genomics GroupChristian‐Albrechts University KielKielGermany
| | - Christoph J. Eschenbrenner
- Environmental Genomics GroupMax Planck Institute for Evolutionary BiologyPlönGermany
- Environmental Genomics GroupChristian‐Albrechts University KielKielGermany
| | - Jonathan Grandaubert
- Environmental Genomics GroupMax Planck Institute for Evolutionary BiologyPlönGermany
- Fungal Biology and PathogenicityInstitute PasteurParisFrance
| | - Heike Seybold
- Environmental Genomics GroupMax Planck Institute for Evolutionary BiologyPlönGermany
- Environmental Genomics GroupChristian‐Albrechts University KielKielGermany
| | - Holger Adamiak
- Environmental Genomics GroupChristian‐Albrechts University KielKielGermany
| | - Eva H. Stukenbrock
- Environmental Genomics GroupMax Planck Institute for Evolutionary BiologyPlönGermany
- Environmental Genomics GroupChristian‐Albrechts University KielKielGermany
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22
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Yates S, Mikaberidze A, Krattinger SG, Abrouk M, Hund A, Yu K, Studer B, Fouche S, Meile L, Pereira D, Karisto P, McDonald BA. Precision Phenotyping Reveals Novel Loci for Quantitative Resistance to Septoria Tritici Blotch. PLANT PHENOMICS (WASHINGTON, D.C.) 2019; 2019:3285904. [PMID: 33313526 PMCID: PMC7706307 DOI: 10.34133/2019/3285904] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2019] [Accepted: 09/02/2019] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
Accurate, high-throughput phenotyping for quantitative traits is a limiting factor for progress in plant breeding. We developed an automated image analysis to measure quantitative resistance to septoria tritici blotch (STB), a globally important wheat disease, enabling identification of small chromosome intervals containing plausible candidate genes for STB resistance. 335 winter wheat cultivars were included in a replicated field experiment that experienced natural epidemic development by a highly diverse but fungicide-resistant pathogen population. More than 5.4 million automatically generated phenotypes were associated with 13,648 SNP markers to perform the GWAS. We identified 26 chromosome intervals explaining 1.9-10.6% of the variance associated with four independent resistance traits. Sixteen of the intervals overlapped with known STB resistance intervals, suggesting that our phenotyping approach can identify simultaneously (i.e., in a single experiment) many previously defined STB resistance intervals. Seventeen of the intervals were less than 5 Mbp in size and encoded only 173 genes, including many genes associated with disease resistance. Five intervals contained four or fewer genes, providing high priority targets for functional validation. Ten chromosome intervals were not previously associated with STB resistance, perhaps representing resistance to pathogen strains that had not been tested in earlier experiments. The SNP markers associated with these chromosome intervals can be used to recombine different forms of quantitative STB resistance that are likely to be more durable than pyramids of major resistance genes. Our experiment illustrates how high-throughput automated phenotyping can accelerate breeding for quantitative disease resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven Yates
- Molecular Plant Breeding, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Alexey Mikaberidze
- Plant Pathology, Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Simon G. Krattinger
- Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
| | - Michael Abrouk
- Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
| | - Andreas Hund
- Crop Science, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Kang Yu
- Crop Science, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Bruno Studer
- Molecular Plant Breeding, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Simone Fouche
- Plant Pathology, Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Lukas Meile
- Plant Pathology, Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Danilo Pereira
- Plant Pathology, Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Petteri Karisto
- Plant Pathology, Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Bruce A. McDonald
- Plant Pathology, Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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Gluck‐Thaler E, Vijayakumar V, Slot JC. Fungal adaptation to plant defences through convergent assembly of metabolic modules. Mol Ecol 2018; 27:5120-5136. [DOI: 10.1111/mec.14943] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2018] [Revised: 10/14/2018] [Accepted: 10/15/2018] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Emile Gluck‐Thaler
- Department of Plant Pathology, College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences The Ohio State University Columbus Ohio
| | - Vinod Vijayakumar
- Department of Plant Pathology, College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences The Ohio State University Columbus Ohio
| | - Jason C. Slot
- Department of Plant Pathology, College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences The Ohio State University Columbus Ohio
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Derbyshire MC, Gohari AM, Mehrabi R, Kilaru S, Steinberg G, Ali S, Bailey A, Hammond-Kosack K, Kema GHJ, Rudd JJ. Phosphopantetheinyl transferase (Ppt)-mediated biosynthesis of lysine, but not siderophores or DHN melanin, is required for virulence of Zymoseptoria tritici on wheat. Sci Rep 2018; 8:17069. [PMID: 30459352 PMCID: PMC6244202 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-35223-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2018] [Accepted: 10/30/2018] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Zymoseptoria tritici is the causal agent of Septoria tritici blotch (STB) disease of wheat. Z. tritici is an apoplastic fungal pathogen, which does not penetrate plant cells at any stage of infection, and has a long initial period of symptomless leaf colonisation. During this phase it is unclear to what extent the fungus can access host plant nutrients or communicate with plant cells. Several important primary and secondary metabolite pathways in fungi are regulated by the post-translational activator phosphopantetheinyl transferase (Ppt) which provides an essential co-factor for lysine biosynthesis and the activities of non-ribosomal peptide synthases (NRPS) and polyketide synthases (PKS). To investigate the relative importance of lysine biosynthesis, NRPS-based siderophore production and PKS-based DHN melanin biosynthesis, we generated deletion mutants of ZtPpt. The ∆ZtPpt strains were auxotrophic for lysine and iron, non-melanised and non-pathogenic on wheat. Deletion of the three target genes likely affected by ZtPpt loss of function (Aar- lysine; Nrps1-siderophore and Pks1- melanin), highlighted that lysine auxotrophy was the main contributing factor for loss of virulence, with no reduction caused by loss of siderophore production or melanisation. This reveals Ppt, and the lysine biosynthesis pathway, as potential targets for fungicides effective against Z. tritici.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark C Derbyshire
- BioIntercations and Crop Protection, Rothamsted Research, Harpenden, Hertfordshire, UK.,Centre for Crop and Disease Management, Curtin University, Perth, Australia
| | - Amir Mirzadi Gohari
- Department of Plant Pathology, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences and Engineering, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran.,Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen Plant Research, PO Box 16, 6700AA, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Rahim Mehrabi
- Department of Biotechnology, College of Agriculture, Isfahan University of Technology, Isfahan, 84156-83111, Iran
| | | | | | - Solaf Ali
- Technical College of Health, Sulaimani Polytechnic University, Qrga, Wrme Street, Mardin 327, Alley 76, Sulaimaniyah, Kurdistan Region of Iraq, Sulaimani Governorate, Iraq
| | - Andy Bailey
- School of Biological Sciences, Bristol University, 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol, UK
| | - Kim Hammond-Kosack
- BioIntercations and Crop Protection, Rothamsted Research, Harpenden, Hertfordshire, UK
| | - Gert H J Kema
- Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen Plant Research, PO Box 16, 6700AA, Wageningen, The Netherlands. .,Wageningen University and Research, Laboratory of Phytopathology, PO box 16, 6700AA, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
| | - Jason J Rudd
- BioIntercations and Crop Protection, Rothamsted Research, Harpenden, Hertfordshire, UK.
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25
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Meile L, Croll D, Brunner PC, Plissonneau C, Hartmann FE, McDonald BA, Sánchez‐Vallet A. A fungal avirulence factor encoded in a highly plastic genomic region triggers partial resistance to septoria tritici blotch. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2018; 219:1048-1061. [PMID: 29693722 PMCID: PMC6055703 DOI: 10.1111/nph.15180] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2018] [Accepted: 03/20/2018] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
Cultivar-strain specificity in the wheat-Zymoseptoria tritici pathosystem determines the infection outcome and is controlled by resistance genes on the host side, many of which have been identified. On the pathogen side, however, the molecular determinants of specificity remain largely unknown. We used genetic mapping, targeted gene disruption and allele swapping to characterise the recognition of the new avirulence factor Avr3D1. We then combined population genetic and comparative genomic analyses to characterise the evolutionary trajectory of Avr3D1. Avr3D1 is specifically recognised by wheat cultivars harbouring the Stb7 resistance gene, triggering a strong defence response without preventing pathogen infection and reproduction. Avr3D1 resides in a cluster of putative effector genes located in a genome region populated by independent transposable element insertions. The gene was present in all 132 investigated strains and is highly polymorphic, with 30 different protein variants identified. We demonstrated that specific amino acid substitutions in Avr3D1 led to evasion of recognition. These results demonstrate that quantitative resistance and gene-for-gene interactions are not mutually exclusive. Localising avirulence genes in highly plastic genomic regions probably facilitates accelerated evolution that enables escape from recognition by resistance proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lukas Meile
- Plant PathologyInstitute of Integrative BiologyETH ZürichCH‐8092ZürichSwitzerland
| | - Daniel Croll
- Laboratory of Evolutionary GeneticsInstitute of BiologyUniversity of NeuchâtelCH‐2000NeuchâtelSwitzerland
| | - Patrick C. Brunner
- Plant PathologyInstitute of Integrative BiologyETH ZürichCH‐8092ZürichSwitzerland
| | - Clémence Plissonneau
- Plant PathologyInstitute of Integrative BiologyETH ZürichCH‐8092ZürichSwitzerland
- UMR BIOGERINRAAgroParisTechUniversité Paris‐SaclayAvenue Lucien Bretignières, BP 01Thiverval‐GrignonF‐78850France
| | - Fanny E. Hartmann
- Ecologie Systématique EvolutionUniversite Paris‐SudAgroParisTechCNRSUniversité Paris‐Saclay91400OrsayFrance
| | - Bruce A. McDonald
- Plant PathologyInstitute of Integrative BiologyETH ZürichCH‐8092ZürichSwitzerland
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26
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Krishnan P, Meile L, Plissonneau C, Ma X, Hartmann FE, Croll D, McDonald BA, Sánchez-Vallet A. Transposable element insertions shape gene regulation and melanin production in a fungal pathogen of wheat. BMC Biol 2018; 16:78. [PMID: 30012138 PMCID: PMC6047131 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-018-0543-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2018] [Accepted: 06/20/2018] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Fungal plant pathogens pose major threats to crop yield and sustainable food production if they are highly adapted to their host and the local environment. Variation in gene expression contributes to phenotypic diversity within fungal species and affects adaptation. However, very few cases of adaptive regulatory changes have been reported in fungi and the underlying mechanisms remain largely unexplored. Fungal pathogen genomes are highly plastic and harbor numerous insertions of transposable elements, which can potentially contribute to gene expression regulation. In this work, we elucidated how transposable elements contribute to variation in melanin accumulation, a quantitative trait in fungi that affects survival under stressful conditions. RESULTS We demonstrated that differential transcriptional regulation of the gene encoding the transcription factor Zmr1, which controls expression of the genes in the melanin biosynthetic gene cluster, is responsible for variation in melanin accumulation in the fungal plant pathogen Zymoseptoria tritici. We show that differences in melanin levels between two strains of Z. tritici are due to two levels of transcriptional regulation: (1) variation in the promoter sequence of Zmr1 and (2) an insertion of transposable elements upstream of the Zmr1 promoter. Remarkably, independent insertions of transposable elements upstream of Zmr1 occurred in 9% of Z. tritici strains from around the world and negatively regulated Zmr1 expression, contributing to variation in melanin accumulation. CONCLUSIONS Our studies identified two levels of transcriptional control that regulate the synthesis of melanin. We propose that these regulatory mechanisms evolved to balance the fitness costs associated with melanin production against its positive contribution to survival in stressful environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Parvathy Krishnan
- Plant Pathology, Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Lukas Meile
- Plant Pathology, Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Clémence Plissonneau
- Plant Pathology, Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.,UMR BIOGER, INRA, AgroParisTech, Université Paris-Saclay, Thiverval-Grignon, France
| | - Xin Ma
- Plant Pathology, Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Fanny E Hartmann
- Plant Pathology, Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.,Ecologie Systématique Evolution, Univ. Paris-Sud, AgroParisTech, CNRS, Université Paris Saclay, Orsay, France
| | - Daniel Croll
- Plant Pathology, Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.,Laboratory of Evolutionary Genetics, Institute of Biology, University of Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
| | - Bruce A McDonald
- Plant Pathology, Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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27
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Evidence for local adaptation and pleiotropic effects associated with melanization in a plant pathogenic fungus. Fungal Genet Biol 2018; 115:33-40. [DOI: 10.1016/j.fgb.2018.04.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2017] [Revised: 03/28/2018] [Accepted: 04/02/2018] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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28
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Fouché S, Plissonneau C, McDonald BA, Croll D. Meiosis Leads to Pervasive Copy-Number Variation and Distorted Inheritance of Accessory Chromosomes of the Wheat Pathogen Zymoseptoria tritici. Genome Biol Evol 2018; 10:1416-1429. [PMID: 29850789 PMCID: PMC6007412 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evy100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/22/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Meiosis is one of the most conserved molecular processes in eukaryotes. The fidelity of pairing and segregation of homologous chromosomes has a major impact on the proper transmission of genetic information. Aberrant chromosomal transmission can have major phenotypic consequences, yet the mechanisms are poorly understood. Fungi are excellent models to investigate processes of chromosomal transmission, because many species have highly polymorphic genomes that include accessory chromosomes. Inheritance of accessory chromosomes is often unstable and chromosomal losses have little impact on fitness. We analyzed chromosomal inheritance in 477 progeny coming from two crosses of the fungal wheat pathogen Zymoseptoria tritici. For this, we developed a high-throughput screening method based on restriction site-associated DNA sequencing that generated dense coverage of genetic markers along each chromosome. We identified rare instances of chromosomal duplications (disomy) in core chromosomes. Accessory chromosomes showed high overall frequencies of disomy. Chromosomal rearrangements were found exclusively on accessory chromosomes and were more frequent than disomy. Accessory chromosomes present in only one of the parents in an analyzed cross were inherited at significantly higher rates than the expected 1:1 segregation ratio. Both the chromosome and the parental background had significant impacts on the rates of disomy, losses, rearrangements, and distorted inheritance. We found that chromosomes with higher sequence similarity and lower repeat content were inherited more faithfully. The large number of rearranged progeny chromosomes identified in this species will enable detailed analyses of the mechanisms underlying chromosomal rearrangement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simone Fouché
- Plant Pathology, Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Clémence Plissonneau
- Plant Pathology, Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zürich, Switzerland
- UMR BIOGER, INRA, AgroParisTech, Université Paris-Saclay, Thiverval-Grignon, France
| | - Bruce A McDonald
- Plant Pathology, Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Daniel Croll
- Laboratory of Evolutionary Genetics, Institute of Biology, University of Neuchâtel, Switzerland
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29
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Hartmann FE, McDonald BA, Croll D. Genome-wide evidence for divergent selection between populations of a major agricultural pathogen. Mol Ecol 2018; 27:2725-2741. [PMID: 29729657 PMCID: PMC6032900 DOI: 10.1111/mec.14711] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2017] [Revised: 04/05/2018] [Accepted: 04/17/2018] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
The genetic and environmental homogeneity in agricultural ecosystems is thought to impose strong and uniform selection pressures. However, the impact of this selection on plant pathogen genomes remains largely unknown. We aimed to identify the proportion of the genome and the specific gene functions under positive selection in populations of the fungal wheat pathogen Zymoseptoria tritici. First, we performed genome scans in four field populations that were sampled from different continents and on distinct wheat cultivars to test which genomic regions are under recent selection. Based on extended haplotype homozygosity and composite likelihood ratio tests, we identified 384 and 81 selective sweeps affecting 4% and 0.5% of the 35 Mb core genome, respectively. We found differences both in the number and the position of selective sweeps across the genome between populations. Using a XtX‐based outlier detection approach, we identified 51 extremely divergent genomic regions between the allopatric populations, suggesting that divergent selection led to locally adapted pathogen populations. We performed an outlier detection analysis between two sympatric populations infecting two different wheat cultivars to identify evidence for host‐driven selection. Selective sweep regions harboured genes that are likely to play a role in successfully establishing host infections. We also identified secondary metabolite gene clusters and an enrichment in genes encoding transporter and protein localization functions. The latter gene functions mediate responses to environmental stress, including interactions with the host. The distinct gene functions under selection indicate that both local host genotypes and abiotic factors contributed to local adaptation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fanny E Hartmann
- Plant Pathology, Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.,Ecologie Systématique Evolution, Univ. Paris-Sud, AgroParisTech, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, Orsay, France
| | - Bruce A McDonald
- Plant Pathology, Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Daniel Croll
- Laboratory of Evolutionary Genetics, Institute of Biology, University of Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
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30
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Laurent B, Palaiokostas C, Spataro C, Moinard M, Zehraoui E, Houston RD, Foulongne‐Oriol M. High-resolution mapping of the recombination landscape of the phytopathogen Fusarium graminearum suggests two-speed genome evolution. MOLECULAR PLANT PATHOLOGY 2018; 19:341-354. [PMID: 27998012 PMCID: PMC6638080 DOI: 10.1111/mpp.12524] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2016] [Revised: 12/01/2016] [Accepted: 12/03/2016] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Recombination is a major evolutionary force, increasing genetic diversity and permitting efficient coevolution of fungal pathogen(s) with their host(s). The ascomycete Fusarium graminearum is a devastating pathogen of cereal crops, and can contaminate food and feed with harmful mycotoxins. Previous studies have suggested a high adaptive potential of this pathogen, illustrated by an increase in pathogenicity and resistance to fungicides. In this study, we provide the first detailed picture of the crossover events occurring during meiosis and discuss the role of recombination in pathogen evolution. An experimental recombinant population (n = 88) was created and genotyped using 1306 polymorphic markers obtained from restriction site-associated DNA sequencing (RAD-seq) and aligned to the reference genome. The construction of a high-density linkage map, anchoring 99% of the total length of the reference genome, allowed the identification of 1451 putative crossovers, positioned at a median resolution of 24 kb. The majority of crossovers (87.2%) occurred in a relatively small portion of the genome (30%). All chromosomes demonstrated recombination-active sections, which had a near 15-fold higher crossover rate than non-active recombinant sections. The recombination rate showed a strong positive correlation with nucleotide diversity, and recombination-active regions were enriched for genes with a putative role in host-pathogen interaction, as well as putative diversifying genes. Our results confirm the preliminary analysis observed in other F. graminearum strains and suggest a conserved 'two-speed' recombination landscape. The consequences with regard to the evolutionary potential of this major fungal pathogen are also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benoit Laurent
- MycSA, INRA, Université de Bordeaux33882Villenave d'OrnonFrance
| | | | - Cathy Spataro
- MycSA, INRA, Université de Bordeaux33882Villenave d'OrnonFrance
| | - Magalie Moinard
- MycSA, INRA, Université de Bordeaux33882Villenave d'OrnonFrance
| | - Enric Zehraoui
- MycSA, INRA, Université de Bordeaux33882Villenave d'OrnonFrance
| | - Ross D. Houston
- The Roslin Institute, University of EdinburghMidlothianEH25 9RGUK
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31
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Plissonneau C, Hartmann FE, Croll D. Pangenome analyses of the wheat pathogen Zymoseptoria tritici reveal the structural basis of a highly plastic eukaryotic genome. BMC Biol 2018; 16:5. [PMID: 29325559 PMCID: PMC5765654 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-017-0457-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 90] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2017] [Accepted: 11/16/2017] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Structural variation contributes substantially to polymorphism within species. Chromosomal rearrangements that impact genes can lead to functional variation among individuals and influence the expression of phenotypic traits. Genomes of fungal pathogens show substantial chromosomal polymorphism that can drive virulence evolution on host plants. Assessing the adaptive significance of structural variation is challenging, because most studies rely on inferences based on a single reference genome sequence. Results We constructed and analyzed the pangenome of Zymoseptoria tritici, a major pathogen of wheat that evolved host specialization by chromosomal rearrangements and gene deletions. We used single-molecule real-time sequencing and high-density genetic maps to assemble multiple genomes. We annotated the gene space based on transcriptomics data that covered the infection life cycle of each strain. Based on a total of five telomere-to-telomere genomes, we constructed a pangenome for the species and identified a core set of 9149 genes. However, an additional 6600 genes were exclusive to a subset of the isolates. The substantial accessory genome encoded on average fewer expressed genes but a larger fraction of the candidate effector genes that may interact with the host during infection. We expanded our analyses of the pangenome to a worldwide collection of 123 isolates of the same species. We confirmed that accessory genes were indeed more likely to show deletion polymorphisms and loss-of-function mutations compared to core genes. Conclusions The pangenome construction of a highly polymorphic eukaryotic pathogen showed that a single reference genome significantly underestimates the gene space of a species. The substantial accessory genome provides a cradle for adaptive evolution. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12915-017-0457-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clémence Plissonneau
- Plant Pathology, Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zurich, 8092, Zurich, Switzerland.,UMR BIOGER, INRA, AgroParisTech, Université Paris-Saclay, Avenue Lucien Bretignières, BP 01, Thiverval-Grignon, F-78850, France
| | - Fanny E Hartmann
- Plant Pathology, Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zurich, 8092, Zurich, Switzerland.,Ecologie Systématique Evolution, Univ. Paris-Sud, AgroParisTech, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, 91400, Orsay, France
| | - Daniel Croll
- Laboratory of Evolutionary Genetics, Institute of Biology, University of Neuchâtel, CH-2000, Neuchâtel, Switzerland.
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Stewart EL, Croll D, Lendenmann MH, Sanchez‐Vallet A, Hartmann FE, Palma‐Guerrero J, Ma X, McDonald BA. Quantitative trait locus mapping reveals complex genetic architecture of quantitative virulence in the wheat pathogen Zymoseptoria tritici. MOLECULAR PLANT PATHOLOGY 2018; 19:201-216. [PMID: 27868326 PMCID: PMC6638037 DOI: 10.1111/mpp.12515] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
We conducted a comprehensive analysis of virulence in the fungal wheat pathogen Zymoseptoria tritici using quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping. High-throughput phenotyping based on automated image analysis allowed the measurement of pathogen virulence on a scale and with a precision that was not previously possible. Across two mapping populations encompassing more than 520 progeny, 540 710 pycnidia were counted and their sizes and grey values were measured. A significant correlation was found between pycnidia size and both spore size and number. Precise measurements of percentage leaf area covered by lesions provided a quantitative measure of host damage. Combining these large and accurate phenotypic datasets with a dense panel of restriction site-associated DNA sequencing (RADseq) genetic markers enabled us to genetically dissect pathogen virulence into components related to host damage and those related to pathogen reproduction. We showed that different components of virulence can be under separate genetic control. Large- and small-effect QTLs were identified for all traits, with some QTLs specific to mapping populations, cultivars and traits and other QTLs shared among traits within the same mapping population. We associated the presence of four accessory chromosomes with small, but significant, increases in several virulence traits, providing the first evidence for a meaningful function associated with accessory chromosomes in this organism. A large-effect QTL involved in host specialization was identified on chromosome 7, leading to the identification of candidate genes having a large effect on virulence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ethan l. Stewart
- Plant Pathology Group, ETH Zürich, Universitätstrasse 2Zürich8092Switzerland
| | - Daniel Croll
- Plant Pathology Group, ETH Zürich, Universitätstrasse 2Zürich8092Switzerland
| | - Mark H. Lendenmann
- Plant Pathology Group, ETH Zürich, Universitätstrasse 2Zürich8092Switzerland
| | | | - Fanny E. Hartmann
- Plant Pathology Group, ETH Zürich, Universitätstrasse 2Zürich8092Switzerland
| | | | - Xin Ma
- Plant Pathology Group, ETH Zürich, Universitätstrasse 2Zürich8092Switzerland
| | - Bruce A. McDonald
- Plant Pathology Group, ETH Zürich, Universitätstrasse 2Zürich8092Switzerland
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33
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Cairns T, Meyer V. In silico prediction and characterization of secondary metabolite biosynthetic gene clusters in the wheat pathogen Zymoseptoria tritici. BMC Genomics 2017; 18:631. [PMID: 28818040 PMCID: PMC5561558 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-017-3969-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2017] [Accepted: 07/31/2017] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Fungal pathogens of plants produce diverse repertoires of secondary metabolites, which have functions ranging from iron acquisition, defense against immune perturbation, to toxic assaults on the host. The wheat pathogen Zymoseptoria tritici causes Septoria tritici blotch, a foliar disease which is a significant threat to global food security. Currently, there is limited knowledge of the secondary metabolite arsenal produced by Z. tritici, which significantly restricts mechanistic understanding of infection. In this study, we analyzed the genome of Z. tritici isolate IP0323 to identify putative secondary metabolite biosynthetic gene clusters, and used comparative genomics to predict their encoded products. RESULTS We identified 32 putative secondary metabolite clusters. These were physically enriched at subtelomeric regions, which may facilitate diversification of cognate products by rapid gene rearrangement or mutations. Comparative genomics revealed a four gene cluster with significant similarity to the ferrichrome-A biosynthetic locus of the maize pathogen Ustilago maydis, suggesting this siderophore is deployed by Z. tritici to acquire iron. The Z. tritici genome also contains several isoprenoid biosynthetic gene clusters, including one with high similarity to a carotenoid/opsin producing locus in several fungi. Furthermore, we identify putative phytotoxin biosynthetic clusters, suggesting Z. tritici can produce an epipolythiodioxopiperazine, and a polyketide and non-ribosomal peptide with predicted structural similarities to fumonisin and the Alternaria alternata AM-toxin, respectively. Interrogation of an existing transcriptional dataset suggests stage specific deployment of numerous predicted loci during infection, indicating an important role of these secondary metabolites in Z. tritici disease. CONCLUSIONS We were able to assign putative biosynthetic products to numerous clusters based on conservation amongst other fungi. However, analysis of the majority of secondary metabolite loci did not enable prediction of a cluster product, and consequently the capacity of these loci to play as yet undetermined roles in disease or other stages of the Z. tritici lifecycle is significant. These data will drive future experimentation for determining the role of these clusters and cognate secondary metabolite products in Z. tritici virulence, and may lead to discovery of novel bioactive molecules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy Cairns
- Institute of Biotechnology, Department of Applied and Molecular Microbiology, Berlin University of Technology, Gustav-Meyer-Allee 25, 13355, Berlin, Germany.
| | - Vera Meyer
- Institute of Biotechnology, Department of Applied and Molecular Microbiology, Berlin University of Technology, Gustav-Meyer-Allee 25, 13355, Berlin, Germany
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Pereira DA, McDonald BA, Brunner PC. Mutations in the CYP51 gene reduce DMI sensitivity in Parastagonospora nodorum populations in Europe and China. PEST MANAGEMENT SCIENCE 2017; 73:1503-1510. [PMID: 27860315 DOI: 10.1002/ps.4486] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2016] [Revised: 11/10/2016] [Accepted: 11/10/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Sterol demethylation inhibitors (DMIs) have been widely used to manage agronomically important fungal diseases in wheat, but reports of DMI-resistant pathogens continue to mount. Parastagonospora nodorum shows a wide range of sensitivity to DMIs, but until now no molecular mechanisms have been identified to explain these differences. The aim of this study was to correlate the DMI sensitivity of a global collection of P. nodorum isolates with mutations in the CYP51 gene that encodes the target of DMI fungicides. RESULTS Two non-synonymous mutations connected to DMI resistance in other plant pathogenic fungi were detected for the first time in the CYP51 gene of P. nodorum. The two mutations occurred at amino acid position 144, which is homologous to position 137 in other pathogens. The Y144F mutation was detected in China, Denmark, Sweden and Switzerland while the Y144H mutation was found in China and Switzerland. Both mutations were correlated with significantly reduced sensitivity to the DMI fungicide propiconazole. CONCLUSION CYP51 mutations conferred reduced sensitivity against DMIs in field populations of P. nodorum originating from China, Denmark, Sweden and Switzerland. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danilo As Pereira
- Plant Pathology Group, Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zurich/LFW, Universitätstrasse 2, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Bruce A McDonald
- Plant Pathology Group, Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zurich/LFW, Universitätstrasse 2, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Patrick C Brunner
- Plant Pathology Group, Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zurich/LFW, Universitätstrasse 2, Zurich, Switzerland
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Zhong Z, Marcel TC, Hartmann FE, Ma X, Plissonneau C, Zala M, Ducasse A, Confais J, Compain J, Lapalu N, Amselem J, McDonald BA, Croll D, Palma-Guerrero J. A small secreted protein in Zymoseptoria tritici is responsible for avirulence on wheat cultivars carrying the Stb6 resistance gene. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2017; 214:619-631. [PMID: 28164301 DOI: 10.1111/nph.14434] [Citation(s) in RCA: 122] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2016] [Accepted: 12/09/2016] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
Zymoseptoria tritici is the causal agent of Septoria tritici blotch, a major pathogen of wheat globally and the most damaging pathogen of wheat in Europe. A gene-for-gene (GFG) interaction between Z. tritici and wheat cultivars carrying the Stb6 resistance gene has been postulated for many years, but the genes have not been identified. We identified AvrStb6 by combining quantitative trait locus mapping in a cross between two Swiss strains with a genome-wide association study using a natural population of c. 100 strains from France. We functionally validated AvrStb6 using ectopic transformations. AvrStb6 encodes a small, cysteine-rich, secreted protein that produces an avirulence phenotype on wheat cultivars carrying the Stb6 resistance gene. We found 16 nonsynonymous single nucleotide polymorphisms among the tested strains, indicating that AvrStb6 is evolving very rapidly. AvrStb6 is located in a highly polymorphic subtelomeric region and is surrounded by transposable elements, which may facilitate its rapid evolution to overcome Stb6 resistance. AvrStb6 is the first avirulence gene to be functionally validated in Z. tritici, contributing to our understanding of avirulence in apoplastic pathogens and the mechanisms underlying GFG interactions between Z. tritici and wheat.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ziming Zhong
- Plant Pathology Group, ETH Zürich, Universitätstrasse 2, 8092, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Thierry C Marcel
- UMR BIOGER, INRA, AgroParisTech, Université Paris-Saclay, 78850, Thiverval-Grignon, France
| | - Fanny E Hartmann
- Plant Pathology Group, ETH Zürich, Universitätstrasse 2, 8092, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Xin Ma
- Plant Pathology Group, ETH Zürich, Universitätstrasse 2, 8092, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Clémence Plissonneau
- Plant Pathology Group, ETH Zürich, Universitätstrasse 2, 8092, Zürich, Switzerland
- UMR BIOGER, INRA, AgroParisTech, Université Paris-Saclay, 78850, Thiverval-Grignon, France
| | - Marcello Zala
- Plant Pathology Group, ETH Zürich, Universitätstrasse 2, 8092, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Aurélie Ducasse
- UMR BIOGER, INRA, AgroParisTech, Université Paris-Saclay, 78850, Thiverval-Grignon, France
| | - Johann Confais
- UMR BIOGER, INRA, AgroParisTech, Université Paris-Saclay, 78850, Thiverval-Grignon, France
| | - Jérôme Compain
- UR URGI, INRA, Université Paris-Saclay, 78026, Versailles, France
| | - Nicolas Lapalu
- UMR BIOGER, INRA, AgroParisTech, Université Paris-Saclay, 78850, Thiverval-Grignon, France
- UR URGI, INRA, Université Paris-Saclay, 78026, Versailles, France
| | - Joëlle Amselem
- UR URGI, INRA, Université Paris-Saclay, 78026, Versailles, France
| | - Bruce A McDonald
- Plant Pathology Group, ETH Zürich, Universitätstrasse 2, 8092, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Daniel Croll
- Plant Pathology Group, ETH Zürich, Universitätstrasse 2, 8092, Zürich, Switzerland
- Laboratory of Evolutionary Genetics, University of Neuchâtel Institute of Biology Rue Emile-Argand 11, CH-2000, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
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Plissonneau C, Benevenuto J, Mohd-Assaad N, Fouché S, Hartmann FE, Croll D. Using Population and Comparative Genomics to Understand the Genetic Basis of Effector-Driven Fungal Pathogen Evolution. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2017; 8:119. [PMID: 28217138 PMCID: PMC5289978 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2017.00119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2016] [Accepted: 01/20/2017] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Epidemics caused by fungal plant pathogens pose a major threat to agro-ecosystems and impact global food security. High-throughput sequencing enabled major advances in understanding how pathogens cause disease on crops. Hundreds of fungal genomes are now available and analyzing these genomes highlighted the key role of effector genes in disease. Effectors are small secreted proteins that enhance infection by manipulating host metabolism. Fungal genomes carry 100s of putative effector genes, but the lack of homology among effector genes, even for closely related species, challenges evolutionary and functional analyses. Furthermore, effector genes are often found in rapidly evolving chromosome compartments which are difficult to assemble. We review how population and comparative genomics toolsets can be combined to address these challenges. We highlight studies that associated genome-scale polymorphisms with pathogen lifestyles and adaptation to different environments. We show how genome-wide association studies can be used to identify effectors and other pathogenicity-related genes underlying rapid adaptation. We also discuss how the compartmentalization of fungal genomes into core and accessory regions shapes the evolution of effector genes. We argue that an understanding of genome evolution provides important insight into the trajectory of host-pathogen co-evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clémence Plissonneau
- Plant Pathology, Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH ZurichZurich, Switzerland
- UMR, BIOGER, INRA, AgroParisTech, Université Paris-SaclayThiverval-Grignon, France
| | - Juliana Benevenuto
- College of Agriculture “Luiz de Queiroz”, University of São PauloSão Paulo, Brazil
| | - Norfarhan Mohd-Assaad
- Plant Pathology, Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH ZurichZurich, Switzerland
- School of Biosciences and Biotechnology, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan MalaysiaSelangor, Malaysia
| | - Simone Fouché
- Plant Pathology, Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH ZurichZurich, Switzerland
| | - Fanny E. Hartmann
- Plant Pathology, Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH ZurichZurich, Switzerland
| | - Daniel Croll
- Plant Pathology, Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH ZurichZurich, Switzerland
- Laboratory of Evolutionary Genetics, Institute of Biology, University of NeuchatelNeuchatel, Switzerland
- *Correspondence: Daniel Croll,
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Zhan F, Xie Y, Zhu W, Sun D, McDonald BA, Zhan J. Linear Correlation Analysis of Zymoseptoria tritici Aggressiveness with In Vitro Growth Rate. PHYTOPATHOLOGY® 2016; 106:1255-1261. [PMID: 27348342 DOI: 10.1094/phyto-12-15-0338-r] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
Zymoseptoria tritici is a globally distributed plant-pathogenic fungus causing Septoria tritici blotch of wheat. In this study, the in vitro growth rates and aggressiveness of 141 genetically distinct isolates sampled from four wheat fields on three continents were assessed to determine the association of these two ecological parameters. Aggressiveness was assessed on two spring wheat cultivars (‘Toronit’ and ‘Greina’) in a greenhouse using percentages of leaf area covered by lesions and pycnidia. We found a positive correlation between aggressiveness of pathogen strains on the two cultivars, consistent with a quantitative and host-nonspecific interaction in this pathosystem. We also found a positive correlation between aggressiveness and average growth rate at two temperatures, suggesting that in vitro pathogen growth rate may make a significant contribution to pathogen aggressiveness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fangfang Zhan
- First, second, third, and fourth authors: Fujian Key Lab of Plant Virology, Institute of Plant Virology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China; fifth author: Plant Pathology Group, Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zurich, LFW, Zurich, CH-8092, Switzerland; and sixth author: Key Lab for Biopesticide and Chemical Biology, Ministry of Education, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou
| | - Yiekun Xie
- First, second, third, and fourth authors: Fujian Key Lab of Plant Virology, Institute of Plant Virology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China; fifth author: Plant Pathology Group, Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zurich, LFW, Zurich, CH-8092, Switzerland; and sixth author: Key Lab for Biopesticide and Chemical Biology, Ministry of Education, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou
| | - Wen Zhu
- First, second, third, and fourth authors: Fujian Key Lab of Plant Virology, Institute of Plant Virology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China; fifth author: Plant Pathology Group, Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zurich, LFW, Zurich, CH-8092, Switzerland; and sixth author: Key Lab for Biopesticide and Chemical Biology, Ministry of Education, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou
| | - Danli Sun
- First, second, third, and fourth authors: Fujian Key Lab of Plant Virology, Institute of Plant Virology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China; fifth author: Plant Pathology Group, Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zurich, LFW, Zurich, CH-8092, Switzerland; and sixth author: Key Lab for Biopesticide and Chemical Biology, Ministry of Education, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou
| | - Bruce A. McDonald
- First, second, third, and fourth authors: Fujian Key Lab of Plant Virology, Institute of Plant Virology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China; fifth author: Plant Pathology Group, Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zurich, LFW, Zurich, CH-8092, Switzerland; and sixth author: Key Lab for Biopesticide and Chemical Biology, Ministry of Education, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou
| | - Jiasui Zhan
- First, second, third, and fourth authors: Fujian Key Lab of Plant Virology, Institute of Plant Virology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China; fifth author: Plant Pathology Group, Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zurich, LFW, Zurich, CH-8092, Switzerland; and sixth author: Key Lab for Biopesticide and Chemical Biology, Ministry of Education, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou
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Croll D, McDonald BA. The genetic basis of local adaptation for pathogenic fungi in agricultural ecosystems. Mol Ecol 2016; 26:2027-2040. [DOI: 10.1111/mec.13870] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2016] [Revised: 09/13/2016] [Accepted: 09/26/2016] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Croll
- Plant Pathology; Institute of Integrative Biology; ETH Zurich; 8092 Zurich Switzerland
| | - Bruce A. McDonald
- Plant Pathology; Institute of Integrative Biology; ETH Zurich; 8092 Zurich Switzerland
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Abstract
Fungal plant pathogens rapidly evolve virulence on resistant hosts through mutations in genes encoding proteins that modulate the host immune responses. The mutational spectrum likely includes chromosomal rearrangements responsible for gains or losses of entire genes. However, the mechanisms creating adaptive structural variation in fungal pathogen populations are poorly understood. We used complete genome assemblies to quantify structural variants segregating in the highly polymorphic fungal wheat pathogen Zymoseptoria tritici The genetic basis of virulence in Z. tritici is complex, and populations harbor significant genetic variation for virulence; hence, we aimed to identify whether structural variation led to functional differences. We combined single-molecule real-time sequencing, genetic maps, and transcriptomics data to generate a fully assembled and annotated genome of the highly virulent field isolate 3D7. Comparative genomics analyses against the complete reference genome IPO323 identified large chromosomal inversions and the complete gain or loss of transposable-element clusters, explaining the extensive chromosomal-length polymorphisms found in this species. Both the 3D7 and IPO323 genomes harbored long tracts of sequences exclusive to one of the two genomes. These orphan regions contained 296 genes unique to the 3D7 genome and not previously known for this species. These orphan genes tended to be organized in clusters and showed evidence of mutational decay. Moreover, the orphan genes were enriched in genes encoding putative effectors and included a gene that is one of the most upregulated putative effector genes during wheat infection. Our study showed that this pathogen species harbored extensive chromosomal structure polymorphism that may drive the evolution of virulence. IMPORTANCE Pathogen outbreak populations often harbor previously unknown genes conferring virulence. Hence, a key puzzle of rapid pathogen evolution is the origin of such evolutionary novelty in genomes. Chromosomal rearrangements and structural variation in pathogen populations likely play a key role. However, identifying such polymorphism is challenging, as most genome-sequencing approaches only yield information about point mutations. We combined long-read technology and genetic maps to assemble the complete genome of a strain of a highly polymorphic fungal pathogen of wheat. Comparisons against the reference genome of the species showed substantial variation in the chromosome structure and revealed large regions unique to each assembled genome. These regions were enriched in genes encoding likely effector proteins, which are important components of pathogenicity. Our study showed that pathogen populations harbor extensive polymorphism at the chromosome level and that this polymorphism can be a source of adaptive genetic variation in pathogen evolution.
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Anderson C, Khan MA, Catanzariti AM, Jack CA, Nemri A, Lawrence GJ, Upadhyaya NM, Hardham AR, Ellis JG, Dodds PN, Jones DA. Genome analysis and avirulence gene cloning using a high-density RADseq linkage map of the flax rust fungus, Melampsora lini. BMC Genomics 2016; 17:667. [PMID: 27550217 PMCID: PMC4994203 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-016-3011-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2016] [Accepted: 08/11/2016] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Rust fungi are an important group of plant pathogens that cause devastating losses in agricultural, silvicultural and natural ecosystems. Plants can be protected from rust disease by resistance genes encoding receptors that trigger a highly effective defence response upon recognition of specific pathogen avirulence proteins. Identifying avirulence genes is crucial for understanding how virulence evolves in the field. RESULTS To facilitate avirulence gene cloning in the flax rust fungus, Melampsora lini, we constructed a high-density genetic linkage map using single nucleotide polymorphisms detected in restriction site-associated DNA sequencing (RADseq) data. The map comprises 13,412 RADseq markers in 27 linkage groups that together span 5860 cM and contain 2756 recombination bins. The marker sequences were used to anchor 68.9 % of the M. lini genome assembly onto the genetic map. The map and anchored assembly were then used to: 1) show that M. lini has a high overall meiotic recombination rate, but recombination distribution is uneven and large coldspots exist; 2) show that substantial genome rearrangements have occurred in spontaneous loss-of-avirulence mutants; and 3) identify the AvrL2 and AvrM14 avirulence genes by map-based cloning. AvrM14 is a dual-specificity avirulence gene that encodes a predicted nudix hydrolase. AvrL2 is located in the region of the M. lini genome with the lowest recombination rate and encodes a small, highly-charged proline-rich protein. CONCLUSIONS The M. lini high-density linkage map has greatly advanced our understanding of virulence mechanisms in this pathogen by providing novel insights into genome variability and enabling identification of two new avirulence genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claire Anderson
- Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, 134 Linnaeus Way, Acton, ACT 2601 Australia
| | - Muhammad Adil Khan
- Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, 134 Linnaeus Way, Acton, ACT 2601 Australia
- Current address: ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA 6009 Australia
| | - Ann-Maree Catanzariti
- Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, 134 Linnaeus Way, Acton, ACT 2601 Australia
| | - Cameron A. Jack
- ANU Bioinformatics Consulting Unit, The John Curtin School of Medical Research, The Australian National University, 131 Garran Road, Acton, ACT 2601 Australia
| | - Adnane Nemri
- CSIRO Agriculture, GPO Box 1600, Canberra, ACT 2601 Australia
- Current address: KWS SAAT SE, Grimsehlstraße 31, Einbeck, 37574 Germany
| | | | | | - Adrienne R. Hardham
- Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, 134 Linnaeus Way, Acton, ACT 2601 Australia
| | | | - Peter N. Dodds
- CSIRO Agriculture, GPO Box 1600, Canberra, ACT 2601 Australia
| | - David A. Jones
- Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, 134 Linnaeus Way, Acton, ACT 2601 Australia
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Grünwald NJ, McDonald BA, Milgroom MG. Population Genomics of Fungal and Oomycete Pathogens. ANNUAL REVIEW OF PHYTOPATHOLOGY 2016; 54:323-46. [PMID: 27296138 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-phyto-080614-115913] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
We are entering a new era in plant pathology in which whole-genome sequences of many individuals of a pathogen species are becoming readily available. Population genomics aims to discover genetic mechanisms underlying phenotypes associated with adaptive traits such as pathogenicity, virulence, fungicide resistance, and host specialization, as genome sequences or large numbers of single nucleotide polymorphisms become readily available from multiple individuals of the same species. This emerging field encompasses detailed genetic analyses of natural populations, comparative genomic analyses of closely related species, identification of genes under selection, and linkage analyses involving association studies in natural populations or segregating populations resulting from crosses. The era of pathogen population genomics will provide new opportunities and challenges, requiring new computational and analytical tools. This review focuses on conceptual and methodological issues as well as the approaches to answering questions in population genomics. The major steps start with defining relevant biological and evolutionary questions, followed by sampling, genotyping, and phenotyping, and ending in analytical methods and interpretations. We provide examples of recent applications of population genomics to fungal and oomycete plant pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Niklaus J Grünwald
- Horticultural Crops Research Laboratory, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Corvallis, Oregon 97330;
- Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon 97331
- Plant Pathology and Plant-Microbe Biology Section, School of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853;
| | - Bruce A McDonald
- Plant Pathology, Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zurich, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland;
| | - Michael G Milgroom
- Plant Pathology and Plant-Microbe Biology Section, School of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853;
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Stewart EL, Hagerty CH, Mikaberidze A, Mundt CC, Zhong Z, McDonald BA. An Improved Method for Measuring Quantitative Resistance to the Wheat Pathogen Zymoseptoria tritici Using High-Throughput Automated Image Analysis. PHYTOPATHOLOGY 2016; 106:782-8. [PMID: 27050574 DOI: 10.1094/phyto-01-16-0018-r] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
Zymoseptoria tritici causes Septoria tritici blotch (STB) on wheat. An improved method of quantifying STB symptoms was developed based on automated analysis of diseased leaf images made using a flatbed scanner. Naturally infected leaves (n = 949) sampled from fungicide-treated field plots comprising 39 wheat cultivars grown in Switzerland and 9 recombinant inbred lines (RIL) grown in Oregon were included in these analyses. Measures of quantitative resistance were percent leaf area covered by lesions, pycnidia size and gray value, and pycnidia density per leaf and lesion. These measures were obtained automatically with a batch-processing macro utilizing the image-processing software ImageJ. All phenotypes in both locations showed a continuous distribution, as expected for a quantitative trait. The trait distributions at both sites were largely overlapping even though the field and host environments were quite different. Cultivars and RILs could be assigned to two or more statistically different groups for each measured phenotype. Traditional visual assessments of field resistance were highly correlated with quantitative resistance measures based on image analysis for the Oregon RILs. These results show that automated image analysis provides a promising tool for assessing quantitative resistance to Z. tritici under field conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ethan L Stewart
- First, fifth, and sixth authors: Plant Pathology, Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zürich, Zürich; second and fourth authors: Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Oregon State University, Corvallis; and third author: Theoretical Biology, Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zürich
| | - Christina H Hagerty
- First, fifth, and sixth authors: Plant Pathology, Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zürich, Zürich; second and fourth authors: Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Oregon State University, Corvallis; and third author: Theoretical Biology, Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zürich
| | - Alexey Mikaberidze
- First, fifth, and sixth authors: Plant Pathology, Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zürich, Zürich; second and fourth authors: Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Oregon State University, Corvallis; and third author: Theoretical Biology, Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zürich
| | - Christopher C Mundt
- First, fifth, and sixth authors: Plant Pathology, Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zürich, Zürich; second and fourth authors: Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Oregon State University, Corvallis; and third author: Theoretical Biology, Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zürich
| | - Ziming Zhong
- First, fifth, and sixth authors: Plant Pathology, Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zürich, Zürich; second and fourth authors: Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Oregon State University, Corvallis; and third author: Theoretical Biology, Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zürich
| | - Bruce A McDonald
- First, fifth, and sixth authors: Plant Pathology, Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zürich, Zürich; second and fourth authors: Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Oregon State University, Corvallis; and third author: Theoretical Biology, Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zürich
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43
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Lendenmann MH, Croll D, Palma-Guerrero J, Stewart EL, McDonald BA. QTL mapping of temperature sensitivity reveals candidate genes for thermal adaptation and growth morphology in the plant pathogenic fungus Zymoseptoria tritici. Heredity (Edinb) 2016; 116:384-94. [PMID: 26758189 PMCID: PMC4806695 DOI: 10.1038/hdy.2015.111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2015] [Revised: 10/01/2015] [Accepted: 11/18/2015] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Different thermal environments impose strong, differential selection on populations, leading to local adaptation, but the genetic basis of thermal adaptation is poorly understood. We used quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping in the fungal wheat pathogen Zymoseptoria tritici to study the genetic architecture of thermal adaptation and identify candidate genes. Four wild-type strains originating from the same thermal environment were crossed to generate two mapping populations with 263 (cross 1) and 261 (cross 2) progeny. Restriction site-associated DNA sequencing was used to genotype 9745 (cross 1) and 7333 (cross 2) single-nucleotide polymorphism markers segregating within the mapping population. Temperature sensitivity was assessed using digital image analysis of colonies growing at two different temperatures. We identified four QTLs for temperature sensitivity, with unique QTLs found in each cross. One QTL had a logarithm of odds score >11 and contained only six candidate genes, including PBS2, encoding a mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase associated with low temperature tolerance in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. This and other QTLs showed evidence for pleiotropy among growth rate, melanization and growth morphology, suggesting that many traits can be correlated with thermal adaptation in fungi. Higher temperatures were highly correlated with a shift to filamentous growth among the progeny in both crosses. We show that thermal adaptation has a complex genetic architecture, with natural populations of Z. tritici harboring significant genetic variation for this trait. We conclude that Z. tritici populations have the potential to adapt rapidly to climate change and expand into new climatic zones.
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Affiliation(s)
- M H Lendenmann
- Institute of Integrative Biology, Plant Pathology, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - D Croll
- Institute of Integrative Biology, Plant Pathology, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - J Palma-Guerrero
- Institute of Integrative Biology, Plant Pathology, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - E L Stewart
- Institute of Integrative Biology, Plant Pathology, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - B A McDonald
- Institute of Integrative Biology, Plant Pathology, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
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McDonald MC, McDonald BA, Solomon PS. Recent advances in the Zymoseptoria tritici-wheat interaction: insights from pathogenomics. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2015; 6:102. [PMID: 25759705 PMCID: PMC4338680 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2015.00102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2015] [Accepted: 02/08/2015] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
We examine the contribution of next generation sequencing (NGS) to our understanding of the interaction between the fungal pathogen Zymoseptoria tritici and its wheat host. Recent interspecific whole genome comparisons between Z. tritici and its close relatives provide evidence that Z. tritici has undergone strong adaptive evolution, which is attributed to specialization by Z. tritici on wheat. We also assess the contribution of recent RNA sequencing datasets toward identifying pathogen genes and mechanisms critical for disease. While these studies have yet to report a major effector gene, they illustrate that assembling reads to the reference genome is a robust method to identify fungal transcripts from in planta infections. They also highlight the strong influence that the wheat cultivar has on effector gene expression. Lastly, we suggest future directions for NGS-guided approaches to address largely unanswered questions related to cultivar and lifecycle dependent gene expression and propose that future experiments with Z. tritici be conducted on a single wheat cultivar to enable comparisons across experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megan C. McDonald
- Plant Sciences Division, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | - Bruce A. McDonald
- Plant Pathology Group, Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Peter S. Solomon
- Plant Sciences Division, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
- *Correspondence: Peter S. Solomon, Plant Sciences Division, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, 134 Linnaeus Way, Acton, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia e-mail:
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