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Du Y, Zhu J, Tian Z, Long C. PdStuA Is a Key Transcription Factor Controlling Sporulation, Hydrophobicity, and Stress Tolerance in Penicillium digitatum. J Fungi (Basel) 2023; 9:941. [PMID: 37755049 PMCID: PMC10532665 DOI: 10.3390/jof9090941] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2023] [Revised: 09/03/2023] [Accepted: 09/12/2023] [Indexed: 09/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Penicillium digitatum has become one of the main pathogens in citrus due to its high spore production and easy spread. In this study, the function of the APSES transcription factor StuA in P. digitatum was characterized, and the results indicated that it was involved in conidium and conidiophore development. No conidiophores were observed in the mycelium of the ∆PdStuA mutant that had grown for two days, while an abnormal conidiophore was found after another two days of incubation, and only small thin phialides as well as a very small number of spores were formed at the top of the hyphae. Moreover, it was observed that the ∆PdStuA mutant showed various defects, such as reduced hydrophobicity and decreased tolerance to cell wall inhibitors and H2O2. Compared to the original P. digitatum, the colony diameter of the ∆PdStuA mutant was not significantly affected, but the growth of aerial hyphae was obviously induced. In in vivo experiments, the spore production of the ∆PdStuA mutant grown on citrus fruit was remarkably decreased; however, there was no significant difference in the lesion diameter between the mutant and original strain. It could be inferred that less spore production might result in reduced spread in citrus, thereby reducing the green mold infection in citrus fruit during storage. This study provided a gene, PdStuA, which played key role in the sporulation of P. digitatum, and the results might provide a reference for the molecular mechanisms of sporulation in P. digitatum.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yujie Du
- National Key Laboratory for Germplasm Innovation & Utilization of Horticultural Crops, National R&D Center for Citrus Preservation, National Centre of Citrus Breeding, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China; (Y.D.); (J.Z.)
| | - Jinfan Zhu
- National Key Laboratory for Germplasm Innovation & Utilization of Horticultural Crops, National R&D Center for Citrus Preservation, National Centre of Citrus Breeding, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China; (Y.D.); (J.Z.)
| | - Zhonghuan Tian
- National Key Laboratory for Germplasm Innovation & Utilization of Horticultural Crops, National R&D Center for Citrus Preservation, National Centre of Citrus Breeding, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China; (Y.D.); (J.Z.)
| | - Chaoan Long
- National Key Laboratory for Germplasm Innovation & Utilization of Horticultural Crops, National R&D Center for Citrus Preservation, National Centre of Citrus Breeding, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China; (Y.D.); (J.Z.)
- Shenzhen Institute of Nutrition and Health, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
- Shenzhen Branch, Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Genome Analysis Laboratory of the Ministry of Agriculture, Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shenzhen 518000, China
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Krach EK, Skaro M, Wu Y, Arnold J. Characterizing the gene-environment interaction underlying natural morphological variation in Neurospora crassa conidiophores using high-throughput phenomics and transcriptomics. G3 (Bethesda) 2022; 12:jkac050. [PMID: 35293585 PMCID: PMC8982394 DOI: 10.1093/g3journal/jkac050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2022] [Accepted: 02/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Neurospora crassa propagates through dissemination of conidia, which develop through specialized structures called conidiophores. Recent work has identified striking variation in conidiophore morphology, using a wild population collection from Louisiana, United States of America to classify 3 distinct phenotypes: Wild-Type, Wrap, and Bulky. Little is known about the impact of these phenotypes on sporulation or germination later in the N. crassa life cycle, or about the genetic variation that underlies them. In this study, we show that conidiophore morphology likely affects colonization capacity of wild N. crassa isolates through both sporulation distance and germination on different carbon sources. We generated and crossed homokaryotic strains belonging to each phenotypic group to more robustly fit a model for and estimate heritability of the complex trait, conidiophore architecture. Our fitted model suggests at least 3 genes and 2 epistatic interactions contribute to conidiophore phenotype, which has an estimated heritability of 0.47. To uncover genes contributing to these phenotypes, we performed RNA-sequencing on mycelia and conidiophores of strains representing each of the 3 phenotypes. Our results show that the Bulky strain had a distinct transcriptional profile from that of Wild-Type and Wrap, exhibiting differential expression patterns in clock-controlled genes (ccgs), the conidiation-specific gene con-6, and genes implicated in metabolism and communication. Combined, these results present novel ecological impacts of and differential gene expression underlying natural conidiophore morphological variation, a complex trait that has not yet been thoroughly explored.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily K Krach
- Genetics Department, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
| | - Michael Skaro
- Institute of Bioinformatics, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
| | - Yue Wu
- Institute of Bioinformatics, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
| | - Jonathan Arnold
- Genetics Department, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
- Institute of Bioinformatics, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
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Mukhtar I, Chen R, Cheng Y, Khokhar I, Liang C, Li R, Chen X, Chen J. First Report of Powdery Mildew Caused by Podosphaera xanthii on Sigesbeckia orientalis in China. Plant Dis 2021; 106:2535. [PMID: 34645303 DOI: 10.1094/pdis-07-21-1533-pdn] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Sigesbeckia orientalis L., (St Paul's wort) is an annually grown natural herb of Asteraceae with a long therapeutic history for a wide range of inflammation-related diseases in China (Zhong et al. 2019). In June 2020, typical symptoms of powdery mildew were observed on 30% of wild S. orientalis plants grown along the roadsides and gardens in Minjiang University, Fuzhou, China. Circular to irregular white powdery fungal colonies were observed on both surfaces of the leaves and young stems, causing necrosis and premature senescence. Fungal hyphae were epigenous, flexuous to straight, branched, and septate. Appressoria on the hyphae were nipple-shaped or nearly absent. Conidiophores were straight, 30 to 210× 8 to 12 μm, and produced 3 to 7 immature conidia in chains with a crenate outline. Foot-cells were cylindrical, 45 to 75 ×10 to 12 μm, followed by 1 to 2 shorter cells. Conidia were hyaline, ellipsoid-ovoid to barrel-shaped, 25 to 38 × 18 to 23 μm with distinct fibrosin bodies. Germ tubes were produced from a lateral position on the conidia. Chasmothecia were not observed on the infected leaves. Based on anamorph characteristics, fungus was identified as Podosphaera xanthii (Castagne) U. Braun & N. Shishkoff (Braun and Cook 2012). For molecular identification, total genomic DNA was extracted (Mukhtar et al. 2018) from fungal colonies on infected leaves of five collections separately. For each DNA sample, the part of LSU and ITS regions were amplified using primers LSU1/LSU2 and ITS1/ITS4 (Scholin et al. 1994; White et al. 1990), respectively. A BLAST search revealed 100 % sequences similarity with P. xanthii sequences reported on Ageratum conyzoides (KY274485), Eclipta prostrata (MT260063), Euphorbia hirta (KY388505), Sonchus asper (MN134013), and Verbena bonariensis (AB462804). Representative sequences (ITS: MZ613309; LSU: MZ614707) of an isolate were deposited in GenBank. The phylogenetic analysis also grouped the obtain sequences into P. xanthii clade. Pathogenicity was confirmed by gently pressing the infected leaves onto young leaves of five healthy one-month-old S. orientalis plants, while three non-inoculated plants were used as controls. All plants were maintained in a greenhouse at 25 ± 2°C. After, seven days, white powdery colonies were observed on inoculated plants, whereas controls remained mildew-free. On inoculated leaves, the fungus was morphologically and molecularly identical to the fungus on the original specimens. P. xanthii has been reported as a significant damaging pathogen on a wide range of plants in China (Farr and Rossman 2021). To our knowledge, this is the first report of powdery mildew caused by P. xanthii on S. orientalis in China as well as worldwide. S. orientalis is one of the most important commercial Chinese medicinal herbs and the occurrence of powdery mildew is a threat to its production, quality, and marketability. References: Braun, U., and Cook, R. T. A. 2012. The Taxonomic Manual of the Erysiphales (Powdery Mildews). CBS Biodiversity Series 11: CBS. Utrecht, The Netherlands. Farr, D. F., and Rossman, A. Y. 2021. Fungal Databases. Syst. Mycol. Microbiol. Lab., USDA ARS, 9 October 2021. Mukhtar, I., et al. 2018. Sydowia.70:155. Scholin, C. A., et al. 1994. J. Phycol. 30:999. White, T. J., et al. 1990. Page 315 in: PCR Protocols: A Guide to Methods and Applications. Academic Press, San Diego, CA. Zhong, Z., et al., 2019. Chin. Med. (U. K.) 14, 1-12. 10.1186/s13020-019-0260-y.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irum Mukhtar
- Minjiang University, 26465, Institute of Oceanography, Minhou district, Fuzhou, China, 350108;
| | - Ruanni Chen
- Minjiang University, 26465, Fuzhou, Fujian, China;
| | - Yunying Cheng
- Minjiang University, 26465, Institute of Oceanography, Fuzhou, Fujian, China;
| | - Ibatsam Khokhar
- Forman Christian College, 66877, Biological Sciences, Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan;
| | - Chen Liang
- Minjiang University, 26465, Institute of Oceanography, Fuzhou, Fujian, China;
| | - Ruiting Li
- Minjiang University, 26465, Institute of Oceanography, Fuzhou, Fujian, China;
| | | | - Jianming Chen
- Minjiang University, 26465, Institute of Oceanography, Fuzhou, Fujian, China;
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Chen M, Yang HY, Cao YR, Hui QQ, Fan HF, Zhang CC, Han JJ, Guo ZY, Xu J, Zhang KQ, Liang LM. Functional Characterization of Core Regulatory Genes Involved in Sporulation of the Nematophagous Fungus Purpureocillium lavendulum. mSphere 2020; 5:e00932-20. [PMID: 33115838 DOI: 10.1128/mSphere.00932-20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The nematophagous fungus Purpureocillium lavendulum is a natural enemy of plant-parasitic nematodes, which cause severe economic losses in agriculture worldwide. The production of asexual spores (conidia) in P. lavendulum is crucial for its biocontrol activity against nematodes. In this study, we characterized the core regulatory genes involved in conidiation of P. lavendulum at the molecular level. The central regulatory pathway is composed of three genes, P. lavendulumbrlA (PlbrlA), PlabaA, and PlwetA, which regulate the early, middle, and late stages of asexual development, respectively. The deletion of PlbrlA completely inhibited conidiation, with only conidiophore stalks produced. PlAbaA determines the differentiation of conidia from phialides. The deletion of PlwetA affected many phenotypes related to conidial maturation, including abscission of conidia from conidium strings, thickening of the cell wall layers, vacuole generation inside the cytoplasm, production of trehalose, tolerance to heat shock, etc. Comparative analyses showed that the upstream regulators of the core regulatory pathway of conidiation, especially the “fluffy” genes, were different from those in Aspergillus. Besides their roles in conidiation, the central regulators also influence the production of secondary metabolites, such as the leucinostatins, in P. lavendulum. Our study revealed a set of essential genes controlling conidiation in P. lavendulum and provided a framework for further molecular genetic studies on fungus-nematode interactions and for the biocontrol of plant-parasitic nematodes. IMPORTANCE Plant-parasitic nematodes cause serious damage to crops throughout the world. Purpureocillium lavendulum is a nematophagous fungus which is a natural enemy of nematodes and a potential biocontrol agent against plant-parasitic nematodes. The conidia play an important role during infection of nematodes. In this study, we identified and characterized genes involved in regulating asexual development of P. lavendulum. We found that these genes not only regulate conidiation but also influence secondary-metabolite production. This work provides a basis for future studies of fungus-nematode interactions and nematode biocontrol.
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Abstract
The genus Aspergillus represents a diverse group of fungi that are among the most abundant fungi in the world. Germination of a spore can lead to a vegetative mycelium that colonizes a substrate. The hyphae within the mycelium are highly heterogeneous with respect to gene expression, growth, and secretion. Aspergilli can reproduce both asexually and sexually. To this end, conidiophores and ascocarps are produced that form conidia and ascospores, respectively. This review describes the molecular mechanisms underlying growth and development of Aspergillus.
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Affiliation(s)
- P. Krijgsheld
- Microbiology and Kluyver Centre for Genomics of Industrial Fermentations, Utrecht University, Padualaan 8, 3584 CH Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - R. Bleichrodt
- Microbiology and Kluyver Centre for Genomics of Industrial Fermentations, Utrecht University, Padualaan 8, 3584 CH Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - G.J. van Veluw
- Microbiology and Kluyver Centre for Genomics of Industrial Fermentations, Utrecht University, Padualaan 8, 3584 CH Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - F. Wang
- Microbiology and Kluyver Centre for Genomics of Industrial Fermentations, Utrecht University, Padualaan 8, 3584 CH Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - W.H. Müller
- Biomolecular Imaging, Utrecht University, Padualaan 8, 3584 CH Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - J. Dijksterhuis
- Applied and Industrial Mycology, CBS-KNAW Fungal Biodiversity Centre, Uppsalalaan 8, 3584 CT Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - H.A.B. Wösten
- Microbiology and Kluyver Centre for Genomics of Industrial Fermentations, Utrecht University, Padualaan 8, 3584 CH Utrecht, The Netherlands
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Bleichrodt R, Vinck A, Krijgsheld P, van Leeuwen MR, Dijksterhuis J, Wösten HAB. Cytosolic streaming in vegetative mycelium and aerial structures of Aspergillus niger. Stud Mycol 2012; 74:31-46. [PMID: 23450745 PMCID: PMC3563289 DOI: 10.3114/sim0007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Aspergillus niger forms aerial hyphae and conidiophores after a period of vegetative growth. The hyphae within the mycelium of A. niger are divided by septa. The central pore in these septa allows for cytoplasmic streaming. Here, we studied inter- and intra-compartmental streaming of the reporter protein GFP in A. niger. Expression of the gene encoding nuclear targeted GFP from the gpdA or glaA promoter resulted in strong fluorescence of nuclei within the vegetative hyphae and weak fluorescence in nuclei within the aerial structures. These data and nuclear run on experiments showed that gpdA and glaA are higher expressed in the vegetative mycelium when compared to aerial hyphae, conidiophores and conidia. Notably, gpdA or glaA driven expression of the gene encoding cytosolic GFP resulted in strongly fluorescent vegetative hyphae and aerial structures. Apparently, GFP streams from vegetative hyphae into aerial structures. This was confirmed by monitoring fluorescence of photo-activatable GFP (PA-GFP). In contrast, PA-GFP did not stream from aerial structures to vegetative hyphae. Streaming of PA-GFP within vegetative hyphae or within aerial structures of A. niger occurred at a rate of 10–15 μm s-1. Taken together, these results not only show that GFP streams from the vegetative mycelium to aerial structures but it also indicates that its encoding RNA is not streaming. Absence of RNA streaming would explain why distinct RNA profiles were found in aerial structures and the vegetative mycelium by nuclear run on analysis and micro-array analysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Bleichrodt
- Microbiology and Kluyver Centre for Genomics of Industrial Fermentations, Utrecht University, Padualaan 8, 3584 CH Utrecht, The Netherlands
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