Beyond the genomes of Fulvia fulva (syn. Cladosporium fulvum) and Dothistroma septosporum: New insights into how these fungal pathogens interact with their host plants

Fulvia fulva and Dothistroma septosporum are closely related apoplastic pathogens with similar lifestyles but different hosts: F. fulva is a pathogen of tomato, whilst D. septosporum is a pathogen of pine trees. In 2012, the first genome sequences of these pathogens were published, with F. fulva and D. septosporum having highly fragmented and near-complete assemblies, respectively. Since then, significant advances have been made in unravelling their genome architectures. For instance, the genome of F. fulva has now been assembled into 14 chromosomes, 13 of which have synteny with the 14 chromosomes of D. septosporum, suggesting these pathogens are even more closely related than originally thought. Considerable advances have also been made in the identification and functional characterization of virulence factors (e.g., effector proteins and secondary metabolites) from these pathogens, thereby providing new insights into how they promote host colonization or activate plant defence responses. For example, it has now been established that effector proteins from both F. fulva and D. septosporum interact with cell-surface immune receptors and co-receptors to activate the plant immune system. Progress has also been made in understanding how F. fulva and D. septosporum have evolved with their host plants, whilst intensive research into pandemics of Dothistroma needle blight in the Northern Hemisphere has shed light on the origins, migration, and genetic diversity of the global D. septosporum population. In this review, we specifically summarize advances made in our understanding of the F. fulva–tomato and D. septosporum–pine pathosystems over the last 10 years.     

The veA gene of the pine needle pathogen Dothistroma septosporum regulates sporulation and secondary metabolism

Fungi possess genetic systems to regulate the expression of genes involved in complex processes such as development and secondary metabolite biosynthesis. The product of the velvet gene veA, first identified and characterized in Aspergillus nidulans, is a key player in the regulation of both of these processes. Since its discovery and characterization in many Aspergillus species, VeA has been found to have similar functions in other fungi, including the Dothideomycete Mycosphaerella graminicola. Another Dothideomycete, Dothistroma septosporum, is a pine needle pathogen that produces dothistromin, a polyketide toxin very closely related to aflatoxin (AF) and sterigmatocystin (ST) synthesized by Aspergillus spp. Dothistromin is unusual in that, unlike most other secondary metabolites, it is produced mainly during the early exponential growth phase in culture. It was therefore of interest to determine whether the regulation of dothistromin production in D. septosporum differs from the regulation of AF/ST in Aspergillus spp. To begin to address this question, a veA ortholog was identified and its function analyzed in D. septosporum. Inactivation of the veA gene resulted in reduced dothistromin production and a corresponding decrease in expression of dothistromin biosynthetic genes. Expression of other putative secondary metabolite genes in D. septosporum such as polyketide synthases and non-ribosomal peptide synthases showed a range of different responses to loss of Ds-veA. Asexual sporulation was also significantly reduced in the mutants, accompanied by a reduction in the expression of a putative stuA regulatory gene. The mutants were, however, able to infect Pinus radiata seedlings and complete their life cycle under laboratory conditions. Overall this work suggests that D. septosporum has a veA ortholog that is involved in the control of both developmental and secondary metabolite biosynthetic pathways.     

Diverse Lifestyles and Strategies of Plant Pathogenesis Encoded in the Genomes of Eighteen Dothideomycetes Fungi

The class Dothideomycetes is one of the largest groups of fungi with a high level of ecological diversity including many plant pathogens infecting a broad range of hosts. Here, we compare genome features of 18 members of this class, including 6 necrotrophs, 9 (hemi)biotrophs and 3 saprotrophs, to analyze genome structure, evolution, and the diverse strategies of pathogenesis. The Dothideomycetes most likely evolved from a common ancestor more than 280 million years ago. The 18 genome sequences differ dramatically in size due to variation in repetitive content, but show much less variation in number of (core) genes. Gene order appears to have been rearranged mostly within chromosomal boundaries by multiple inversions, in extant genomes frequently demarcated by adjacent simple repeats. Several Dothideomycetes contain one or more gene-poor, transposable element (TE)-rich putatively dispensable chromosomes of unknown function. The 18 Dothideomycetes offer an extensive catalogue of genes involved in cellulose degradation, proteolysis, secondary metabolism, and cysteine-rich small secreted proteins. Ancestors of the two major orders of plant pathogens in the Dothideomycetes, the Capnodiales and Pleosporales, may have had different modes of pathogenesis, with the former having fewer of these genes than the latter. Many of these genes are enriched in proximity to transposable elements, suggesting faster evolution because of the effects of repeat induced point (RIP) mutations. A syntenic block of genes, including oxidoreductases, is conserved in most Dothideomycetes and upregulated during infection in L. maculans, suggesting a possible function in response to oxidative stress.     

Role of Lipid Composition and Lipid Peroxidation in the Sensitivity of Fungal Plant Pathogens to Aluminum Chloride and Sodium Metabisulfite

Aluminum chloride and sodium metabisulfite have shown high efficacy at low doses in controlling postharvest pathogens on potato tubers. Direct effects of these two salts included the loss of cell membrane integrity in exposed pathogens. In this work, four fungal potato pathogens were studied in order to elucidate the role of membrane lipids and lipid peroxidation in the relative sensitivity of microorganisms exposed to these salts. Inhibition of mycelial growth in these fungi varied considerably and revealed sensitivity groups within the tested fungi. Analysis of fatty acids in these fungi demonstrated that sensitivity was related to high intrinsic fatty acid unsaturation. When exposed to the antifungal salts, sensitive fungi demonstrated a loss of fatty acid unsaturation, which was accompanied by an elevation in malondialdehyde content (a biochemical marker of lipid peroxidation). Our data suggest that aluminum chloride and sodium metabisulfite could induce lipid peroxidation in sensitive fungi, which may promote the ensuing loss of integrity in the plasma membrane. This direct effect on fungal membranes may contribute, at least in part, to the observed antimicrobial effects of these two salts.     

The Genetic and Molecular Basis of Plant Resistance to Pathogens

Plant pathogens have evolved numerous strategies to obtain nutritive materials from their host,and plants in turn have evolved the preformed physical and chemical barriers as well as sophisticated two-tiered immune system to combat pathogen attacks.Genetically, plant resistance to pathogens can be divided into qualitative and quantitative disease resistance,conditioned by major gene(s) and multiple genes with minor effects,respectively.Qualitative disease resistance has been mostly detected in plant defense against biotrophic pathogens,whereas quantitative disease resistance is involved in defense response to all plant pathogens,from biotrophs,hemibiotrophs to necrotrophs.Plant resistance is achieved through interception of pathogen-derived effectors and elicitation of defense response.In recent years,great progress has been made related to the molecular basis underlying host-pathogen interactions.In this review,we would like to provide an update on genetic and molecular aspects of plant resistance to pathogens.     

A New Method To Monitor Airborne Inoculum of the Fungal Plant Pathogens Mycosphaerella brassicicola and Botrytis cinerea

We describe a new microtiter immunospore trapping device (MTIST device) that uses a suction system to directly trap air particulates by impaction in microtiter wells. This device can be used for rapid detection and immunoquantification of ascospores of Mycosphaerella brassicicola and conidia of Botrytis cinerea by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) under controlled environmental conditions. For ascospores of M. brassicicola correlation coefficients (r²) of 0.943 and 0.9514 were observed for the number of MTIST device-impacted ascospores per microtiter well and the absorbance values determined by ELISA, respectively. These values were not affected when a mixed fungal spore population was used. There was a relationship between the number of MTIST device-trapped ascospores of M. brassicicola per liter of air sampled and the amount of disease expressed on exposed plants of Brassica oleracea (Brussels sprouts). Similarly, when the MTIST device was used to trap conidia of B. cinerea, a correlation coefficient of 0.8797 was obtained for the absorbance values generated by the ELISA and the observed number of conidia per microtiter well. The relative collection efficiency of the MTIST device in controlled plant growth chambers with limited airflow was 1.7 times greater than the relative collection efficiency of a Burkard 7-day volumetric spore trap for collection of M. brassicicola ascospores. The MTIST device can be used to rapidly differentiate, determine, and accurately quantify target organisms in a microflora. The MTIST device is a portable, robust, inexpensive system that can be used to perform multiple tests in a single sampling period, and it should be useful for monitoring airborne particulates and microorganisms in a range of environments.     

Macromolecules Released by a Plant Growth-promoting Rhizobacterium as Elicitors of Systemic Resistance in Tomato to Bacterial and Fungal Pathogens

One of 500 rhizobacteria isolated from soil, rhizosphere and rhizoplane of healthy tomato plants was previously selected in laboratory, greenhouse and field tests as a good inducer of systemic resistance. This plant growth‐promoting rhizobacterium (PGPR) was identified as Bacillus cereus by fatty‐acid analysis. Bacillus cereus bacterial cells were removed from liquid culture by centrifugation and the supernatant repeatedly dialyzed (cut‐off = 12 000 daltons) against distilled water. Dialysates applied to roots protected tomato plants against leaf fungal and bacterial pathogens, evidence that macromolecules synthesized by the PGPR and released into the environment act as elicitors of systemic resistance.     

Adaptation of the Common Ice Plant to High Copper and Zinc Concentrations and Their Potential Using for Phytoremediation

A facultative halophite Mesembryanthemum crystallinum L. (the common ice plant) was shown to grow successively at the high concentrations of Cu and Zn. Although 25 μM CuSO₄ or 800 μM ZnSO₄ retarded markedly plant growth, they did not interfere with the completion of plant development and the formation of viable seeds. In such plants, leaves accumulated more than 200 μg of Cu and 1700 μg of Zn per 1 g of dry weight. A damaging effect of heavy metals (HMs) was manifested in a reduced content of water in leaves and proline accumulation in them. As copper is a metal with transient valence, copper salts are more toxic than zinc salts, which was manifested in a stronger inhibition of the chlorophyll synthesis. Both HMs induced oxidative stress, as evident from increased activities of guaiacol peroxidase and lipoxygenase. Moderate Cu and Zn concentrations did not damage cell membranes in leaves, as evident from the absence of their action on electrolyte leakage either under optimum conditions or after heat treatment. A capability of a substantial HM accumulation by the common ice plant and their considerable transport to shoots (up to 50 μg of Cu and 560 μg of Zn per plant) make it possible to consider the common ice plant as a promising phytoremediator. __________ Translated from Fiziologiya Rastenii, Vol. 52, No. 6, 2005, pp. 848–858. Original Russian Text Copyright ? 2005 by Kholodova, Volkov, Kuznetsov.     

不同孕期孕妇常见阴道炎病原菌分布状况与药物敏感性分析

目的检查不同孕期孕妇常见阴道炎病原菌分布状况,并对其中的假丝酵母菌进行药物敏感性分析。方法选择孕妇96例为观察组,其中早孕期与晚孕期孕妇各48例,并选择健康检查的生育年龄孕妇24例为对照组,观察三组的BV、VVC检出率情况,并对早孕期与晚孕期孕妇的假丝酵母菌进行药物敏感性分析。结果观察组和对照组BV检出率比较无统计学差异;而VVC检出率相比有显著性差异,其中早孕组和晚孕组比较无统计学差异。早孕期与晚孕期孕妇对制霉菌素,酮康唑,克霉唑药物均有高的敏感性。结论阴道炎已是一种常见孕妇感染性疾病,而孕期阴道炎更应引起广大临床医师高度重视,进行分泌物培养培养和药敏试验是必须的。     

Overexpression of the Tomato 13-Lipoxygenase Gene TomloxD Increases Generation of Endogenous Jasmonic Acid and Resistance to Cladosporium fulvum and High Temperature

Expression of the tomato gene encoding 13-lipoxygenase,TomloxD, is stimulated by wounding, pathogen infection, jasmonate, and systemin, but its role during growth and development of tomato (Lycopersicon Spp.) remains unclear. To assess the physiological role of TomloxD, we produced transgenic tomato plants with greatly increased TomloxD content using sense constructs under the control of the CaMV 35S promoter. Overexpression of TomloxD in transgenic tomatoes led to a marked increase in the levels of lipoxygenase activity and content of endogenous jasmonic acid (JA), which suggested that TomloxD can use α-linolenic acid as a substrate to produce (13S)-hydroperoxyoctadecatrienoic acid (13-HPOT); the 13-HPOT produced appears to be metabolized further to synthesize JA. Real-time RT-PCR revealed that the expression levels of defense genes LeHSP90, LePR1, LePR6 and LeZAT in the transformants were higher than those in non-transformed plants. Assay for resistance to pathogenic fungus and high temperature stresses suggested that transgenic plants harboring TomloxD were more tolerant to Cladosporium fulvum and high temperature stress than non-transformed tomato plants. The data presented here indicate clearly that TomloxD is involved in endogenous JA synthesis and tolerance to biotic and abiotic stress. The tomloxD gene has potential applications in engineering cropping plants that are resistant to biotic and/or abiotic stress factors.     

The Solanum pimpinellifolium Cf-ECP1 and Cf-ECP4 genes for resistance to Cladosporium fulvum are located at the Milky Way locus on the short arm of chromosome 1

The interaction between tomato and the leaf mould pathogen Cladosporium fulvum is an excellent model to study gene-for-gene interactions and plant disease resistance gene evolution. Most Cf genes were introgressed into cultivated tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) from wild relatives such as S. pimpinellifolium and novel Cf-ECP genes were recently identified in this species. Our objective is to isolate Cf-ECP1, Cf-ECP2, Cf-ECP4 and Cf-ECP5 to increase our understanding of Cf gene evolution, and the molecular basis for recognition specificity in Cf proteins. The map locations of Cf-ECP2 and Cf-ECP5 have been reported previously and we report here that Cf-ECP1 and Cf-ECP4 map to a different locus on the short arm of chromosome 1. The analysis of selected recombinants and allelism tests showed both genes are located at Milky Way together with Cf-9 and Cf-4. Our results emphasise the importance of this locus in generating novel Cf genes for resistance to C. fulvum. Candidate genes for Cf-ECP1 and Cf-ECP4 were also identified by DNA gel blot analysis of bulked segregant pools. In addition, we generated functional cassettes for expression of the C. fulvum ECP1, ECP2, ECP4 and ECP5 proteins using recombinant Potato Virus X, and three ECPs were also expressed in stable transformed plants. Using marker-assisted selection we have also identified recombinants containing Cf-ECP1, Cf-ECP2, Cf-ECP4 or Cf-ECP5 in cis with a linked T-DNA carrying the non-autonomous Zea mays transposon Dissociation. Using these resources it should now be possible to isolate all four Cf-ECPs using transposon tagging, or a candidate gene strategy. Eleni Soumpourou and Michael Iakovidis contributed equally to this work.     

植物三种不同遗传方式基因的地理家系谱理论与应用初探

将已知用于从地理空间上离散或连续分布群体随机抽取基因样本的基因家系谱理论推广到两性异交植物上。由于存在不同的群体间基因多率,地３种不同遗传方式的植物基因组（核、叶绿体和线粒体ＤＮＡ）分别进行了研究。理论上证明对于不同遗传方式的基因,通过相应调整有效群体大小和迁移率,现有的基因家系谱理论可直接应用于植物群体上,其中一个结论就是当从离散分布群体中随机抽取ｎ个基因样本时,亚群体间的花粉流和种子流的相对比