Tolerance to the fungal pathogen Rhizoctonia solani AG4 of transgenic tobacco expressing the maize ribosome-inactivating protein b-32

The maize b-32 protein is a functional ribosome-inactivating protein (RIP), inhibiting in vitro translation in the cell-free reticulocyte-derived system and having specific N-glycosidase activity on 28S rRNA. Previous results indicated that opaque-2 (o2) mutant kernels, lacking b-32, show an increased susceptibility to fungal attack and insect feeding and that ectopic expression in plants of a barley and a pokeweed RIP leads to increased tolerance to fungal and viral infection. This prompted us to test whether b-32 might functi on as a protectant against pathogens. The b32.66 cDNA clone under the control of the potato wun1 gene promoter was introduced into tobacco by Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation. Out of 23 kanamycin resistant regenerated shoots, 16 contained a PCR fragment of the corrrect size spanning the boundary between the promoter used and the coding region of the b-32 gene. Eight independently transformed tobacco lines were randomly chosen for protein analysis: all of them expressed b-32 protein. The data presented indicate that transgenic tobacco plants expressing b-32 show an increased tolerance against infection by the soil-borne fungal pathogen Rhizoctonia solani Kuhn     

Suppression of sugar beet damping-off caused by Rhizoctonia solani using bacterial and fungal antagonists

Rhizoctonia damping-off caused by Rhizoctonia solani Kühn, is one of the most damaging sugar beet diseases. It causes serious economic damage wherever sugar beets are grown. Biological control is an efficient and environmentally friendly way to prevent damping-off disease. Suppression of damping-off disease caused by R. solani was carried out by four isolates of Bacillus subtilis (Ehrenberg) Cohn as well as three isolates of each of Trichoderma harzianum Rifai and Trichoderma hamatum (Bonord.) Bainier. The effect of Bacillus and Trichoderma isolates against R. solani was investigated in vitro and tested on sugar beet plants under greenhouse conditions. Isolates of Bacillus and Trichoderma were able to inhibit the growth of R. solani in dual culture. Furthermore, Trichoderma isolates gave high antagonistic effect than isolates of B. subtilis. Under greenhouse conditions, coating seeds by T. harzianum and B. subtilis separately, reduced seedling damping-off significantly. However, applications of T. harzianum increased the percentage of surviving plants more than B. subtilis in comparison to control. The obtained results indicate that T. harzianum and B. subtilis are very effective biocontrol agents that offer potential benefit in sugar beet damping-off and should be harnessed for further biocontrol applications.     

Characterization of antimicrobial peptides against a US strain of the rice pathogen Rhizoctonia solani

AIM: To identify antimicrobial peptides with high lytic activity against Rhizoctonia solani strain LR172, causal agent of rice sheath blight and aerial blight of soyabeans in the US. METHODS AND RESULTS: Among 12 natural and synthetic antimicrobial peptides tested in vitro, the wheat-seed peptide, purothionin, showed the strongest inhibitory activity that was similar to the antifungal antibiotics, nystatin and nikkomycin Z. Cecropin B, a natural peptide from cecropia moth, and synthetic peptide D4E1 produced the highest inhibitory activity against R. solani among linear peptides. Membrane permeabilization levels strongly correlated with antifungal activity of the peptides. Noticeable changes in membrane integrity were observed at concentrations of >/=0.5 micromol l(-1) for purothionin, 2 micromol l(-1) for cecropin B, D4E1, D2A21, melittin, and phor21, and 8 micromol l(-1) for magainin II and phor14. An increase of nuclear membrane permeabilization was observed in fungal cells treated with cecropin B, but not with purothionin. Diffusion of nuclear content was observed by fluorescent microscopy 10 min after adding a lethal concentration of cecropin B. Evaluation by electron microscopy confirmed severe cytoplasmic degradation and plasma membrane vesiculation. Purothionin and cecropin B were the most stable against proteolytic degradation when added to liquid cultures of R. solani. CONCLUSIONS: Purothionin, cecropin B, D4E1 and phor21 were shown to exhibit high in vitro lytic activity against R. solani strain LR172 for rice and soyabean. These peptides are greater than 16 amino acids long and rapidly increase fungal membrane permeabilization. Resistance to proteolysis is important for sufficient antifungal activity of antimicrobial peptides. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: Selected antimicrobial peptides offer an attractive alternative to traditional chemicals that could be utilized in molecular breeding to develop crops resistant to rice sheath blight and aerial blight of soyabean.     

山东省玉米纹枯菌融合群类型及遗传多样性

从山东省14个县市区采集的玉米纹枯病标本上分离获得103个玉米纹枯菌菌株。核荧光染色确定菌丝细胞核的数目,以及利用配对培养法确定不同菌株细胞是否融合。结果表明这些菌株分别属于多核丝核菌的AG-1-IA、AG-1-IB、AG-1-IC、AG-3、AG-4-HG-I、AG-5和WAG-Z融合群和双核丝核菌的AG-Ba融合群,其中AG-1-IA类型菌株数量占菌株总数的60.19%,为优势融合群。通过inter-simple sequence repeats（ISSR）标记技术进行菌株的遗传多样性分析,获得45个ISSR分子标记,其中91.1%的片段具有多态性,表明种群间存在丰富的遗传多样性。UPGMA聚类分析将103个菌株分成6个遗传聚类群,遗传聚类群的菌株组成说明遗传群组的划分与菌株的地理来源和菌株融合群类型均存在一定的相关性。     

Variations in culture morphology and pathogenicity among protoplast-regenerated strains of Rhizoctonia solani

Abstract Protoplast-regenerated cultures derived from mycelia of cereal-infecting field isolates of Rhizoctonia solani exhibited major variations in cultural morphology and in pathogenicity. Each field isplate yielded three of four distinct morphological types of protoplast cultures. The presence of the new morphological phenotypes was attributed to the selection of homokaryons arising from protoplasts with single nuclei. Highly pathogenic field isolates produced protoplast cultures with higher virulence than those from weakly virulent pathogenic isolates, and homokaryotic strains were generally less pathogenic than the parental field isolate.     

A simple and rapid nuclear staining method for Rhizoctonia solani Kuhn

Abstract

We developed a modified staining technique using acridine orange to stain the nuclei of Rhizoctonia solani. Acridine orange solution was prepared in acetic acid buffer, pH 7.2. Staining for 15 min was critical for observing the nuclei. All of the isolates were found to be multinucleated. The nuclei appeared bright green with light orange background. This method is simple, rapid and reproducible.     

Greek indigenous streptomycetes as biocontrol agents against the soil‐borne fungal plant pathogen Rhizoctonia solani

Aims

To examine the biocontrol potential of multiactive Greek indigenous Streptomyces isolates carrying antifungal activity against Rhizoctonia solani that causes damping‐off symptoms on beans.

Methods and Results

A total of 605 Streptomyces isolates originated from 12 diverse Greek habitats were screened for antifungal activity against R. solani DSM843. Almost one‐third of the isolates proved to be antagonistic against the fungus. From the above isolates, six were selected due to their higher antifungal activity, identified by analysing their 16S rRNA gene sequence and studied further. The obtained data showed the following: firstly, the isolates ACTA1383 and ACTA1557 exhibited the highest antagonistic activity, and therefore, they were selected for in vivo experiments using bean seeds as target; secondly, in solid and liquid culture experiments under optimum antagonistic conditions, the medium extracts from the isolates OL80, ACTA1523, ACTA1551 and ACTA1522 suppressed the growth of the fungal mycelium, while extracts from ACTA 1383 and ACTA1557 did not show any activity.

Conclusions

These results corresponded important indications for the utility of two Greek indigenous Streptomyces isolates (ACTA1557 and ACTA1383) for the protection of the bean crops from R. solani damping‐off symptoms, while four of them (isolates OL80, ACTA1523, ACTA1551 and ACTA1522) seem to be promising producers of antifungal metabolites.

Significance and Impact of the Study

This is the first study on the biocontrol of R. solani using multiactive Streptomyces isolates originated from ecophysiologically special Greek habitats. Our study provides basic information to further explore managing strategies to control this critical disease.     

Quantification of mycoparasitism by the nematode-trapping fungus Arthrobotrys oligospora on Rhizoctonia solani and the influence of nutrient levels

Abstract The influence of nutrient level, type of carbon source and nitrogen concentration on the parasitism of Arthrobotrys oligospora on Rhizoctonia solani were investigated by quantification of coiling frequency. Changes in coiling frequency were also compared with changes in hyphal density and colony radial growth rate. Increasing concentrations of corn meal agar gave increasing coiling frequency up to a concentration of half the recomended strength. At higher concentrations the coiling frequency was constant, although the hyphal density of both fungi increased over the whole concentration range. Coiling frequency was positively correlated with the probability of hyphal encounter, calculated as the product of the hyphal densities of the two fungi, except at high CMA concentrations. Amongst several carbohydrates tested, glucose resulted in the highest, and sucrose the lowest, coiling frequency. The effect of the different carbohydrates on coiling frequency was not correlated with the hyphal densities of the fungi. Addition of a nitrogen source, NaNO₃, removed the differences in coiling frequency between glucose and sucrose and increased coiling frequencies on both sugars.     

Baseline sensitivity and efficacy of thifluzamide in Rhizoctonia solani

Thifluzamide is a SDHI (succinate dehydrogenase inhibitor) fungicide, which interferes with succinate ubiquinone reductase in the mitochondrial electron transport chain of fungi. Presently, jinggangmycin is the major fungicide extensively used for the control of rice sheath blight caused by Rhizoctonia solani and resistance to jinggangmycin was first reported to occur in China. A total of 128 isolates of R. solani from Anhui Province of China were characterised for the baseline sensitivity to thifluzamide. The isolates were very sensitive to thifluzamide and the baseline sensitivity curve was unimodal with an average EC₅₀ value of 0.058 ± 0.012 µg mL^?1. However, EC₅₀ values of boscalid (another SDHI fungicide) for inhibition of mycelial growth of 22 arbitrarily selected R. solani isolates ranged from 1.89 to 2.68 µg mL^?1. Thifluzamide applied at 110 µg mL^?1 exhibited excellent protective and curative activity against rice sheath blight and provided 81.1–91.0% protective or curative control efficacy. In field trials in 2010 and 2011, control efficacies of thifluzamide at 82 g.a.i ha^?1 15 and 30 days after second application were 84.2% and 86.7%, respectively, suggesting excellent activity against sheath blight. There was a statistically significant difference in the efficacy between thifluzamide and boscalid or jinggangmycin. These results suggested that thifluzamide should be a good alternative fungicide to jinggangmycin for the control of rice sheath blight.     

核酸技术在立枯丝核菌分类与生态学研究中的应用

立枯丝核菌是一种传播广、危害大的土传病原菌,对其展开的研究已涉及各个方面并逐渐深入,近几年借助于核酸技术对其所展开的研究更成为热点。对核酸技术在立枯丝核菌的分类学研究(主要包括G Cmol%含量测定、核酸杂交、各种DNA指纹技术、特异PCR扩增、测序DNA的序列分析)、监测群体动态变化的生态学研究(实时荧光PCR技术)中的应用作一简要的介绍。     

A fungal growth model fitted to carbon-limited dynamics of Rhizoctonia solani

Here, a quasi-steady-state approximation was used to simplify a mathematical model for fungal growth in carbon-limiting systems, and this was fitted to growth dynamics of the soil-borne plant pathogen and saprotroph Rhizoctonia solani. The model identified a criterion for invasion into carbon-limited environments with two characteristics driving fungal growth, namely the carbon decomposition rate and a measure of carbon use efficiency. The dynamics of fungal spread through a population of sites with either low (0.0074 mg) or high (0.016 mg) carbon content were well described by the simplified model with faster colonization for the carbon-rich environment. Rhizoctonia solani responded to a lower carbon availability by increasing the carbon use efficiency and the carbon decomposition rate following colonization. The results are discussed in relation to fungal invasion thresholds in terms of carbon nutrition.     

两株棉花立枯病拮抗菌MH1和MH25的筛选与鉴定

从棉花根际分离了1277个细菌分离物, 以棉花立枯病病原真菌立枯丝核菌(Rhizoctonia solani Kuhn)为靶标菌, 通过平板对峙法获得25个具有拮抗性能的分离物, 其中MH1和MH25具有较强的拮抗性能, 且拮抗性能稳定, 具有较好的生防潜力。经过形态观察、生理生化特征分析及16S rDNA序列分析, MH1为短芽孢杆菌(Brevibacillus brevis), MH25为枯草芽孢杆菌(Bacillus subtilis)。MH1和MH25的16S rDNA序列在GenBank中注册号分别为: EF488102, EF488103。     

Improving the Genome Annotation of Rhizoctonia solani Using Proteogenomics

Background Rhizoctonia solani is a pathogenic fungus that causes serious diseases in many crops, including rice, wheat, and soybeans. In crop production, it is very important to understand the pathogenicity of this fungus, which is still elusive. It might be helpful to comprehensively understand its genomic information using different genome annotation strategies.MethodsAiming to improve the genome annotation of R. solani, we performed a proteogenomic study based on the existing data. Based on our study, a total of 1060 newly identified genes, 36 revised genes, 139 single amino acid variants (SAAVs), 8 alternative splicing genes, and diverse post-translational modifications (PTMs) events were identified in R. solani AG3. Further functional annotation on these 1060 newly identified genes was performed through homology analysis with its 5 closest relative fungi.ResultsBased on this, 2 novel candidate pathogenic genes, which might be associated with pathogen-host interaction, were discovered. In addition, in order to increase the reliability and novelty of the newly identified genes in R. solani AG3, 1060 newly identified genes were compared with the newly published available R. solani genome sequences of AG1, AG2, AG4, AG5, AG6, and AG8. There are 490 homologous sequences. We combined the proteogenomic results with the genome alignment results and finally identified 570 novel genes in R. solani.ConclusionThese findings extended R. solani genome annotation and provided a wealth of resources for research on R. solani.     

Mycoparasitism of Rhizoctonia solani by Endophytic Chaetomium spirale ND35: Ultrastructure and Cytochemistry of the Interaction

The interaction between endophytic biocontrol agent Chaetomium spirale ND35 and the soil‐borne plant pathogen Rhizoctonia solani was studied by light microscopy and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), as well as further investigated by gold cytochemistry to assess the potential role of cell wall degrading enzymes (CWDEs) during the mycoparasitic process. Macroscopic observations of fungal growth in dual cultures revealed that pathogen growth inhibition occurred soon after contact with the antagonist, followed by the overgrowth of C. spirale on the colony of R. solani. The coiling of C. spirale around R. solani and intracellular growth of the antagonist in its host occurred frequently. Moreover, in advanced stage of interaction between the antagonist and the pathogen, The growth and development of C. spirale were associated with highly morphological changes of the host fungal cell, characterized by retraction of plasma membrane and cytoplasm disorganization. Further, TEM investigations through localization by gold immunocytochemistry showed that contact between the two fungi was mediated by an amorphous β‐1,3‐glucan‐enriched matrix originating from cell wall of the antagonist C. spirale and sticking to its host surface. At the same time, the hemispherical wall appositions which were intensely labeled by the antibodies of β‐1, 3‐glucan in cell wall of R. solani were induced to form at sites of potential antagonist entry. However, the antagonist was capable of penetrating this barrier, indicating that β‐1,3‐glucanases were produced during the mycoparasitic process. Localization of N‐acetylglucosamine residues (chitin) with the gold‐labelled wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) implicated that chitinases might be involved in the CWD of R. solani in this antagonistic process as well. This report is the first evidence about mechanisms of the interactions between C. spirale and R. solani in ultrastructural and cytochemical aspects.     

Molecular characterization of Rhizoctonia solani isolates the incitant of soybean root rot

Rhizoctonia solani isolates used in this investigation were identified as anastomosis-4 (AG-40), collected from different localities from Assiut governorate in Egypt. Pathogenicity test of seven isolates of R. solani was evaluated on soybean Giza 111 cultivar under greenhouse conditions. All tested isolates were able to infect soybean plants causing root rot with different degrees of severities, isolate No. 1, 2 and 3 showed significantly highest root rot severity, while isolate No. 5 gave the lowest percentage of root rot rating. The sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis patterns were used to compare three isolates of R. solani. There are no variations among R. solani isolates except a few exceptions according to their protein patterns. DNA markers obtained from all isolates showed genetic similarity among different isolates obtained from different geographical regions barring few exceptions. Correlation between DNA patterns of R. solani isolates and their virulence was detected, but no correlation with anastomosis groups (AG).     

Use of DAPI for Anastomosis Group Typing of Strains of the Fungus Rhizoctonia solani

Strains of Rhizoctonia solani, a common soil-borne, pathogenic fungus of plants, are assigned to one of 11 anastomosis groups (AGs) based on the occurrence of imperfect fusions (anastomoses) between hyphae of a non-typed strain and a tester strain of one of the 11 AG's. Imperfect fusion is characterized by the death of one or more cells in each of the hyphae involved in the fusion. Although hyphae from branches of the same strain of JR. solani may fuse with each other (self-fusion), cell death does not occur. Cell death is accompanied by nuclear degradation and granulation, or plasmolysis of the cytoplasm, which often is not visible using bright-field microscopy. When the DNA-binding fluorochrome DAPI (4', 6-diamidino-2-phenylindole) is used and the hyphal fusions viewed under fluorescence microscopy, no nuclei are observed in fused hyphal cells from two strains of the same AG of R. solani Because DAPI reacts only with living nuclei, lack of staining is presumptive evidence that the fused cells are dead as a result of imperfect fusion. The use of DAPI reduces the time required for making AG determinations compared to standard methods because it eliminates the need to assess cell wall dissolution and cytoplasmic fusion. Also, it is not necessary to trace the hyphae involved in the fusion to their respective origins to ensure that self-fusion has not occurred.