1
|
Yan J, Li L, Bao J, Wang J, Liu X, Lin F, Zhu X. A glance at structural biology in advancing rice blast fungus research. Virulence 2024; 15:2403566. [PMID: 39285518 PMCID: PMC11407398 DOI: 10.1080/21505594.2024.2403566] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2024] [Revised: 08/08/2024] [Accepted: 09/07/2024] [Indexed: 09/19/2024] Open
Abstract
The filamentous fungus Magnaporthe oryzae is widely recognized as a notorious plant pathogen responsible for causing rice blasts. With rapid advancements in molecular biology technologies, numerous regulatory mechanisms have been thoroughly investigated. However, most recent studies have predominantly focused on infection-related pathways or host defence mechanisms, which may be insufficient for developing novel structure-based prevention strategies. A substantial body of literature has utilized cryo-electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction to explore the relationships between functional components, shedding light on the identification of potential drug targets. Owing to the complexity of protein extraction and stochastic nature of crystallization, obtaining high-quality structures remains a significant challenge for the scientific community. Emerging computational tools such as AlphaFold for structural prediction, docking for interaction analysis, and molecular dynamics simulations to replicate in vivo conditions provide novel avenues for overcoming these challenges. In this review, we aim to consolidate the structural biological advancements in M. oryzae, drawing upon mature experimental experiences from other species such as Saccharomyces cerevisiae and mammals. We aim to explore the potential of protein construction to address the invasion and proliferation of M. oryzae, with the goal of identifying new drug targets and designing small-molecule compounds to manage this disease.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jongyi Yan
- State Key Laboratory for Managing Biotic and Chemical Threats to the Quality and Safety of Agro-Products, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiomics, Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiome (MARA), Institute of Plant Protection and Microbiology, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- State Key Laboratory for Managing Biotic and Chemical Threats to the Quality and Safety of Agro-products, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiomics, Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiome (MARA), Institute of Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Lin Li
- State Key Laboratory for Managing Biotic and Chemical Threats to the Quality and Safety of Agro-Products, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiomics, Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiome (MARA), Institute of Plant Protection and Microbiology, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Jiandong Bao
- State Key Laboratory for Managing Biotic and Chemical Threats to the Quality and Safety of Agro-Products, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiomics, Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiome (MARA), Institute of Plant Protection and Microbiology, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Jiaoyu Wang
- State Key Laboratory for Managing Biotic and Chemical Threats to the Quality and Safety of Agro-Products, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiomics, Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiome (MARA), Institute of Plant Protection and Microbiology, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Xiaohong Liu
- State Key Laboratory for Managing Biotic and Chemical Threats to the Quality and Safety of Agro-products, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiomics, Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiome (MARA), Institute of Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Fucheng Lin
- State Key Laboratory for Managing Biotic and Chemical Threats to the Quality and Safety of Agro-Products, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiomics, Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiome (MARA), Institute of Plant Protection and Microbiology, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- State Key Laboratory for Managing Biotic and Chemical Threats to the Quality and Safety of Agro-products, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiomics, Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiome (MARA), Institute of Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Xianghu Laboratory, Hangzhou, Xianghu, China
| | - Xueming Zhu
- State Key Laboratory for Managing Biotic and Chemical Threats to the Quality and Safety of Agro-Products, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiomics, Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiome (MARA), Institute of Plant Protection and Microbiology, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Derbyshire MC, Raffaele S. Surface frustration re-patterning underlies the structural landscape and evolvability of fungal orphan candidate effectors. Nat Commun 2023; 14:5244. [PMID: 37640704 PMCID: PMC10462633 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-40949-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2023] [Accepted: 08/09/2023] [Indexed: 08/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Pathogens secrete effector proteins to subvert host physiology and cause disease. Effectors are engaged in a molecular arms race with the host resulting in conflicting evolutionary constraints to manipulate host cells without triggering immune responses. The molecular mechanisms allowing effectors to be at the same time robust and evolvable remain largely enigmatic. Here, we show that 62 conserved structure-related families encompass the majority of fungal orphan effector candidates in the Pezizomycotina subphylum. These effectors diversified through changes in patterns of thermodynamic frustration at surface residues. The underlying mutations tended to increase the robustness of the overall effector protein structure while switching potential binding interfaces. This mechanism could explain how conserved effector families maintained biological activity over long evolutionary timespans in different host environments and provides a model for the emergence of sequence-unrelated effector families with conserved structures.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mark C Derbyshire
- Centre for Crop and Disease Management, School of Molecular and Life Sciences, Curtin University, Perth, Australia
| | - Sylvain Raffaele
- Laboratoire des Interactions Plantes Micro-organismes Environnement (LIPME), INRAE, CNRS, Université de Toulouse, 31326, Castanet-Tolosan, France.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Outram MA, Sung YC, Yu D, Dagvadorj B, Rima SA, Jones DA, Ericsson DJ, Sperschneider J, Solomon PS, Kobe B, Williams SJ. The crystal structure of SnTox3 from the necrotrophic fungus Parastagonospora nodorum reveals a unique effector fold and provides insight into Snn3 recognition and pro-domain protease processing of fungal effectors. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2021; 231:2282-2296. [PMID: 34053091 DOI: 10.1101/2020.05.27.120113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2021] [Accepted: 05/20/2021] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Plant pathogens cause disease through secreted effector proteins, which act to promote infection. Typically, the sequences of effectors provide little functional information and further targeted experimentation is required. Here, we utilized a structure/function approach to study SnTox3, an effector from the necrotrophic fungal pathogen Parastagonospora nodorum, which causes cell death in wheat-lines carrying the sensitivity gene Snn3. We developed a workflow for the production of SnTox3 in a heterologous host that enabled crystal structure determination and functional studies. We show this approach can be successfully applied to study effectors from other pathogenic fungi. The β-barrel fold of SnTox3 is a novel fold among fungal effectors. Structure-guided mutagenesis enabled the identification of residues required for Snn3 recognition. SnTox3 is a pre-pro-protein, and the pro-domain of SnTox3 can be cleaved in vitro by the protease Kex2. Complementing this, an in silico study uncovered the prevalence of a conserved motif (LxxR) in an expanded set of putative pro-domain-containing fungal effectors, some of which can be cleaved by Kex2 in vitro. Our in vitro and in silico study suggests that Kex2-processed pro-domain (designated here as K2PP) effectors are common in fungi and this may have broad implications for the approaches used to study their functions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Megan A Outram
- Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, Institute for Molecular Bioscience and Australian Infectious Diseases Research Centre, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - Yi-Chang Sung
- Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia
| | - Daniel Yu
- Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia
| | - Bayantes Dagvadorj
- Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia
| | - Sharmin A Rima
- Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia
| | - David A Jones
- Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia
| | - Daniel J Ericsson
- Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia
- Australian Synchrotron, Macromolecular Crystallography, Clayton, VIC, 3168, Australia
| | - Jana Sperschneider
- Biological Data Science Institute, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia
| | - Peter S Solomon
- Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia
| | - Bostjan Kobe
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, Institute for Molecular Bioscience and Australian Infectious Diseases Research Centre, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - Simon J Williams
- Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Niño-Sánchez J, Chen LH, De Souza JT, Mosquera S, Stergiopoulos I. Targeted Delivery of Gene Silencing in Fungi Using Genetically Engineered Bacteria. J Fungi (Basel) 2021; 7:jof7020125. [PMID: 33572197 PMCID: PMC7914413 DOI: 10.3390/jof7020125] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2020] [Revised: 02/04/2021] [Accepted: 02/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Exploiting RNA interference (RNAi) in disease control through non-transformative methods that overcome the hurdle of producing transgenic plants has attracted much attention over the last years. Here, we explored such a method and used non-pathogenic bacteria as a versatile system for delivering RNAi to fungi. Specifically, the RNaseIII-null mutant strain of Escherichia coli HT115(DE3) was transformed with two plasmid vectors that enabled the constitutive or IPTG-inducible production of double-stranded RNAs (dsRNAs) against genes involved in aflatoxins production in Aspergillus flavus (AflC) or virulence of Botrytis cinerea (BcSAS1). To facilitate the release of the dsRNAs, the bacterial cells were further genetically engineered to undergo a bacteriophage endolysin R-mediated autolysis, following a freeze-thaw cycle. Exposure under in vitro conditions of A. flavus or B. cinerea to living bacteria or their whole-cell autolysates induced silencing of AflC and BcSAS1 in a bacteria concentration-dependent manner, and instigated a reduction in aflatoxins production and mycelial growth, respectively. In planta applications of the living bacteria or their crude whole-cell autolysates produced similar results, thus creating a basis for translational research. These results demonstrate that bacteria can produce biologically active dsRNA against target genes in fungi and that bacteria-mediated RNAi can be used to control fungal pathogens.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jonatan Niño-Sánchez
- Department of Plant Pathology, University of California Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA; (J.N.-S.); (L.-H.C.); (J.T.D.S.); (S.M.)
- Department of Microbiology and Plant Pathology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521, USA
| | - Li-Hung Chen
- Department of Plant Pathology, University of California Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA; (J.N.-S.); (L.-H.C.); (J.T.D.S.); (S.M.)
- Department of Plant Pathology, National Chung-Hsing University, Taichung 40227, Taiwan
| | - Jorge Teodoro De Souza
- Department of Plant Pathology, University of California Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA; (J.N.-S.); (L.-H.C.); (J.T.D.S.); (S.M.)
- Department of Plant Pathology, Federal University of Lavras (UFLA), Lavras, MG 37200-000, Brazil
| | - Sandra Mosquera
- Department of Plant Pathology, University of California Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA; (J.N.-S.); (L.-H.C.); (J.T.D.S.); (S.M.)
- Department of Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad EAFIT, Medellín 050022, Colombia
| | - Ioannis Stergiopoulos
- Department of Plant Pathology, University of California Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA; (J.N.-S.); (L.-H.C.); (J.T.D.S.); (S.M.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +1-530-400-9802
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Nie H, Zhang L, Zhuang H, Yang X, Qiu D, Zeng H. Secreted protein MoHrip2 is required for full virulence of Magnaporthe oryzae and modulation of rice immunity. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2019; 103:6153-6167. [PMID: 31154490 DOI: 10.1007/s00253-019-09937-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2019] [Revised: 05/20/2019] [Accepted: 05/21/2019] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
MoHrip2, identified from Magnaporthe oryzae as an elicitor, can activate plant defense responses either in the form of recombinant protein in vitro or ectopic expressed protein in rice. However, its intrinsic function in the infective interaction of M. oryzae-rice is largely unknown. Here, we found that mohrip2 expression was significantly induced at stages of fungal penetration and colonization. Meanwhile, the induced MoHrip2 mainly accumulated in the rice apoplast by outlining the entire invasive hyphae during infection, and its secretion was via the conventional endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-to-Golgi pathway, demonstrating the nature of MoHrip2 as an apoplastic effector. What's more, the disease facilitating function of MoHrip2 was revealed by the significantly compromised virulence of Δmohrip2 mutants on rice seedlings and even on the wounded rice leaves. Inoculations of these mutant strains on rice leaf sheaths showed a reduction in penetration and subsequent expansion of fungal growth, which is probably due to activated host immunity including the expression of certain defense-related genes and the production of certain phytoalexins. Altogether, these results demonstrated the necessity of MoHrip2 in suppression of host immunity and the full virulence of M. oryzae.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Haizhen Nie
- The State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100081, China
| | - Lin Zhang
- The State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100081, China
| | - Huiqian Zhuang
- The State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100081, China
| | - Xiufen Yang
- The State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100081, China
| | - Dewen Qiu
- The State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100081, China
| | - Hongmei Zeng
- The State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100081, China.
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Wang Z, Han Q, Zi Q, Lv S, Qiu D, Zeng H. Enhanced disease resistance and drought tolerance in transgenic rice plants overexpressing protein elicitors from Magnaporthe oryzae. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0175734. [PMID: 28419172 PMCID: PMC5395183 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0175734] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2016] [Accepted: 03/30/2017] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Exogenous application of the protein elicitors MoHrip1 and MoHrip2, which were isolated from the pathogenic fungus Magnaporthe oryzae (M. oryzae), was previously shown to induce a hypersensitive response in tobacco and to enhance resistance to rice blast. In this work, we successfully transformed rice with the mohrip1 and mohrip2 genes separately. The MoHrip1 and MoHrip2 transgenic rice plants displayed higher resistance to rice blast and stronger tolerance to drought stress than wild-type (WT) rice and the vector-control pCXUN rice. The expression of salicylic acid (SA)- and abscisic acid (ABA)-related genes was also increased, suggesting that these two elicitors may trigger SA signaling to protect the rice from damage during pathogen infection and regulate the ABA content to increase drought tolerance in transgenic rice. Trypan blue staining indicated that expressing MoHrip1 and MoHrip2 in rice plants inhibited hyphal growth of the rice blast fungus. Relative water content (RWC), water usage efficiency (WUE) and water loss rate (WLR) were measured to confirm the high capacity for water retention in transgenic rice. The MoHrip1 and MoHrip2 transgenic rice also exhibited enhanced agronomic traits such as increased plant height and tiller number.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Zhenzhen Wang
- The State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Qiang Han
- The State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Qian Zi
- The State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Shun Lv
- The State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Dewen Qiu
- The State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Hongmei Zeng
- The State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
- * E-mail:
| |
Collapse
|