Bacterial ectosymbionts and virulence silencing in a Fusarium oxysporum strain

In the present article we have ascertained the presence of a consortium of ectosymbiotic bacteria belonging to Serratia, Achromobacter, Bacillus and Stenotrophomonas genera associated to the mycelium of the antagonistic Fusarium oxysporum MSA 35 [wild-type (WT) strain]. Morphological characterization carried out on the WT strain, on the F. oxysporum MSA 35 without ectosymbionts [cured (CU) strain] and on the pathogenic F. oxysporum f.sp. lactucae (Fuslat 10) showed that the ectosymbionts, present only in the WT strain, caused a depleted production of micro conidia and aerial hyphae, and a change in shape and dimension of the latter. Virulence tests showed that the cured Fusarium was a pathogenic strain and, as shown by polymerase chain reaction and microscope analysis, pathogenicity was correlated with the capability of the cured hyphae of penetrating lettuce roots. Accordingly, the hyphae of the WT strain were impaired in entering the plant roots. Typing experiments provided evidence that both CU and WT strains belong to F. oxysporum f.sp. lactucae. This implies that the antagonistic effect of WT Fusarium is not a fungal trait, but it is due to the interaction with the ectosymbiotic bacteria. Expression analysis showed that fmk1, chsV and pl1 genes involved in F. oxysporum pathogenicity are not expressed in the WT strain whereas they are expressed in the cured fungus. These results, together with the hyphal characteristics, suggest that the inability of WT strain to penetrate the plant roots could be due to alterations in the expression profile of cell wall-degrading enzymes. In conclusion, we demonstrated a modulation of F. oxysporum gene expression in response to the interaction with the ectosymbiotic bacteria. Preliminary researches indicated that the presence of bacteria attached to the hyphae of antagonistic F. oxysporum is not an isolated phenomenon. Further investigations are necessary to better understand the rule and the diffusion of ectosymbiotic bacteria among antagonistic Fusarium.     

A bacterial-fungal metaproteomic analysis enlightens an intriguing multicomponent interaction in the rhizosphere of Lactuca sativa

Fusarium oxysporum MSA 35 [wild-type (WT) strain] is an antagonistic isolate that protects plants against pathogenic Fusaria. This strain lives in association with ectosymbiotic bacteria. When cured of the prokaryotic symbionts [cured (CU) form], the fungus is pathogenic, causing wilt symptoms similar to those of F. oxysporum f.sp. lactucae. The aim of this study was to understand if and how the host plant Lactuca sativa contributes to the expression of the antagonistic/pathogenic behaviors of MSA 35 strains. A time-course comparative analysis of the proteomic profiles of WT and CU strains was performed. Fungal proteins expressed during the early stages of plant-fungus interaction were involved in stress defense, energy metabolism, and virulence and were equally induced in both strains. In the late phase of the interkingdom interaction, only CU strain continued the production of virulence- and energy-related proteins. The expression analysis of lettuce genes coding for proteins involved in resistance-related processes corroborated proteomic data by showing that, at the beginning of the interaction, both fungi are perceived by the plant as pathogen. On the contrary, after 8 days, only the CU strain is able to induce plant gene expression. For the first time, it was demonstrated that an antagonistic F. oxysporum behaves initially as pathogen, showing an interesting similarity with other beneficial organisms such as mychorrizae.     

Expression and role of CYP505A1 in pathogenicity of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lactucae

BackgroundCytochrome P450 enzymes (CYPs) are monooxygenases present in every domain of life. In fungi CYPs are involved in virulence. Fusarium wilt of lettuce, caused by F. oxysporum f. sp. lactucae, is the most serious disease of lettuce. F. oxysporum f.sp. lactucae MSA35 is an antagonistic fungus. Pathogenic formae specialis of F. oxysporum possess a CYP belonging to the new family CYP505. This enzyme hydroxylates saturated fatty acids that play a role in plant defence.MethodsMolecular tools were adopted to search for cyp505 gene in MSA35 genome. cyp505 gene expression analysis in pathogenic and antagonistic Fusarium was performed. The enzyme was expressed in its recombinant form and used for catalytic reactions with fatty acids, the products of which were characterized by mass spectrometry analysis.ResultsA novel MSA35 self-sufficient CYP505 is differentially expressed in antagonistic and pathogenic F. oxysporum. Its expression is induced by the host plant lettuce in both pathogenesis and antagonism during the early phase of the interaction, while it is silenced during the late phase only in antagonistic Fusarium. Mass-spectrometry investigations proved that CYP505A1 mono-hydroxylates lauric, palmitic and stearic acids.ConclusionsThe ability of CYP505A1 to oxidize fatty acids present in the cortical cell membranes together with its differential expression in its Fusarium antagonistic form point out to the possibility that this enzyme is associated with Fusarium pathogenicity in lettuce.General significanceThe CYP505 clan is present in pathogenic fungal phyla, making CYP505A1 enzyme a putative candidate as a new target for the development of novel antifungal molecules.     

A proteomics approach to study synergistic and antagonistic interactions of the fungal–bacterial consortium Fusarium oxysporum wild‐type MSA 35

Fusarium oxysporum is an important plant pathogen that causes severe damage of many economically important crop species. Various microorganisms have been shown to inhibit this soil‐borne plant pathogen, including non‐pathogenic F. oxysporum strains. In this study, F. oxysporum wild‐type (WT) MSA 35, a biocontrol multispecies consortium that consists of a fungus and numerous rhizobacteria mainly belonging to γ‐proteobacteria, was analyzed by two complementary metaproteomic approaches (2‐DE combined with MALDI‐Tof/Tof MS and 1‐D PAGE combined with LC‐ESI‐MS/MS) to identify fungal or bacterial factors potentially involved in antagonistic or synergistic interactions between the consortium members. Moreover, the proteome profiles of F. oxysporum WT MSA 35 and its cured counter‐part CU MSA 35 (WT treated with antibiotics) were compared with unravel the bacterial impact on consortium functioning. Our study presents the first proteome mapping of an antagonistic F. oxysporum strain and proposes candidate proteins that might play an important role for the biocontrol activity and the close interrelationship between the fungus and its bacterial partners.     

Plant colonization by the vascular wilt fungus Fusarium oxysporum requires FOW1, a gene encoding a mitochondrial protein

The soil-borne fungus Fusarium oxysporum causes vascular wilts of a wide variety of plant species by directly penetrating roots and colonizing the vascular tissue. The pathogenicity mutant B60 of the melon wilt pathogen F. oxysporum f. sp. melonis was isolated previously by restriction enzyme-mediated DNA integration mutagenesis. Molecular analysis of B60 identified the affected gene, designated FOW1, which encodes a protein with strong similarity to mitochondrial carrier proteins of yeast. Although the FOW1 insertional mutant and gene-targeted mutants showed normal growth and conidiation in culture, they showed markedly reduced virulence as a result of a defect in the ability to colonize the plant tissue. Mitochondrial import of Fow1 was verified using strains expressing the Fow1-green fluorescent protein fusion proteins. The FOW1-targeted mutants of the tomato wilt pathogen F. oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici also showed reduced virulence. These data strongly suggest that FOW1 encodes a mitochondrial carrier protein that is required specifically for colonization in the plant tissue by F. oxysporum.     

The presence of a virulence locus discriminates Fusarium oxysporum isolates causing tomato wilt from other isolates

Fusarium oxysporum is an asexual fungus that inhabits soils throughout the world. As a species, F. oxysporum can infect a very broad range of plants and cause wilt or root rot disease. Single isolates of F. oxysporum, however, usually infect one or a few plant species only. They have therefore been grouped into formae speciales (f.sp.) based on host specificity. Isolates able to cause tomato wilt (f.sp. lycopersici) do not have a single common ancestor within the F. oxysporum species complex. Here we show that, despite their polyphyletic origin, isolates belonging to f.sp. lycopersici all contain an identical genomic region of at least 8 kb that is absent in other formae speciales and non-pathogenic isolates, and comprises the genes SIX1, SIX2 and SHH1. In addition, SIX3, which lies elsewhere on the same chromosome, is also unique for f.sp. lycopersici. SIX1 encodes a virulence factor towards tomato, and the Six1, Six2 and Six3 proteins are secreted in xylem during colonization of tomato plants. We speculate that these genes may be part of a larger, dispensable region of the genome that confers the ability to cause tomato wilt and has spread among clonal lines of F. oxysporum through horizontal gene transfer. Our findings also have practical implications for the detection and identification of f.sp. lycopersici.     

生防菌根系定殖竞争作用对西瓜枯萎病发病机理的影响

【目的】西瓜枯萎病是由西瓜专化型尖孢镰刀菌(Fusarium oxysporum f.sp.niveum)引起的一种常见的毁灭性土传病害,对镰刀菌同属非致病性菌株与致病性菌株存在的竞争作用进行研究,有助于获得新的具有生防效果的菌株,从而拓宽西瓜枯萎病生物防治的手段。【方法】利用选择性培养基和稀释平板计数法对温室盆栽试验中西瓜根际和非根际土壤及植物组织中非致病性轮枝镰刀菌菌株(Fusarium verticillioides XA)与致病性尖孢镰刀菌(Fusarium oxysporum LD)进行计数,确定其在西瓜植株根际和组织中的定殖情况。【结果】将从田间西瓜枯萎病发病植株根部分离获得的菌株XA和LD接入健康土壤中,接种菌株XA既不会引起西瓜枯萎病发病症状,也不会影响西瓜植株生物量,但接种菌株LD导致严重发病症状。与单接种LD处理相比较,双接种(XA+LD)处理地上部鲜重和地上部干重都分别增加了151.2%和110%。XA菌株能成功定殖于西瓜根系,但在茎基部没有检测到。在接种菌株LD的处理中植物组织和土壤中致病性镰刀菌的数量达到(1.58 4.85)×104CFU/g。与单接种LD处理相比,双接种菌株XA和LD处理植物茎基部、根系、根际土壤和土体土壤致病性镰刀菌的数量分别下降63.3%、66.1%、3.3%和24.4%,根系、根际土壤和土体土壤非致病性镰刀菌的数量增加到(0.35 3.84)×104CFU/g;双接种处理对西瓜枯萎病的防效达57.8%。【结论】非致病性轮枝镰刀菌菌株XA可有效降低致病性尖孢镰刀菌LD对西瓜植株的定殖侵染能力,对西瓜枯萎病具有一定的生防效果。     

Distinct signalling pathways coordinately contribute to virulence of Fusarium oxysporum on mammalian hosts

The filamentous fungus Fusarium oxysporum causes vascular wilt on a wide range of plant species and is an emerging pathogen of humans. A mitogen-activated protein kinase, Fmk1, and a G protein beta subunit, Fgb1, control pathogenicity of F. oxysporum on plants through distinct signalling pathways. In the present report, we studied the genetic interaction between fmk1 and fgb1 and their role in virulence on a mammalian host. The delta fmk1 or delta fgb1 single mutants exhibited similar virulence patterns as the wild type strain in an immunodepressed mouse model. By contrast, double mutants lacking both genes had dramatically reduced virulence. All mutants showed similar in vitro growth or tolerance to temperature and osmotic stress as the wild type strain. However, the delta fgb1 and delta fmk1 strains were reduced in specific extracellular protease activity or adhesion to fibronectin, respectively, two factors previously associated with fungal virulence. Thus, Fmk1 and Fgb1 are components of distinct signalling pathways which collectively control virulence of F. oxysporum on mammalian hosts.     

Identification and biocontrol efficacy of Streptomyces miharaensis producing filipin III against Fusarium wilt

A number of bacterial strains were isolated from the internal tissue of Trapa japonica. Of these, strain KPE62302H, which had a 16S rDNA sequence identical to that of Streptomyces miharaensis showed antifungal activity against several plant pathogens. Treatment of seeds with strain KPE62302H induced a significant reduction in the incidence of Fusarium wilt in tomato plants compared with untreated controls. An antifungal substance (FP-1) was purified from the culture extract of strain KPE62302H using C18 flash and Sephadex LH-20 column chromatography and reverse phase HPLC. Extensive spectrometric analysis using MS and NMR identified this as filipin III. FP-1 inhibited the mycelial growth of plant pathogenic fungi such as Alternaria mali, Aspergillus niger, Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, C. orbiculare, Cylindrocarpon destructans, Diaporthe citiri, Fusarium oxysporum at 1-10 μg ml(-1) and also markedly inhibited the development of Fusarium wilt caused by F. oxysporum f.sp. lycopersici in tomato plants by treatment with 10 μg ml(-1) under greenhouse conditions. The efficacy of FP-1 against Fusarium wilt was comparable to that of the synthetic fungicide benomyl. An egfp -tagged strain of KPE62302H confirmed its ability to colonize tomato plants.     

海南省香蕉枯萎病病原菌的鉴定

香蕉枯萎病在海南省为首次报道。在Komada改良培养基鉴定的基础上,用温室人工接种法对采自海南省各市县香蕉种植区的18个香蕉和粉蕉假茎分离物进行鉴定。结果表明香蕉枯萎病菌的两种分离物在培养特性和致病性上存在明显区别,分离自粉蕉的12个菌株为1号生理小种,而分离自香蕉的6个菌株为4号生理小种。     

黄瓜枯萎病拮抗放线菌的筛选、鉴定及发酵条件优化

【背景】黄瓜枯萎病是由尖孢镰刀菌(Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cucumerinum)黄瓜专化型引起的土传真菌性病害,严重制约着黄瓜产业的发展。【目的】从河西走廊敦煌地区盐碱土壤中分离筛选出一株对黄瓜枯萎病病菌有良好拮抗效果的放线菌菌株,探究其分类地位及其最优发酵条件。【方法】采用稀释平板涂布法分离放线菌,平板对峙法、抑制菌丝生长速率法筛选拮抗菌株,通过培养特征、生理生化试验及16SrRNA基因序列分析确定其分类地位,利用单因素试验和正交试验方法确定其最优发酵配方及培养条件。【结果】菌株16-3-10鉴定为链霉菌属(Streptomyces sp.)菌株,最优发酵配方(g/L):小米10.0,乳糖20.0,蛋白胨1.0,NaCl 5.0,CaCO3 6.0,最优发酵条件:培养温度28°C,装瓶量50/250 mL,培养3 d,起始pH 10.0,抑菌率达82.50%,比优化前增加153.43%。【结论】菌株16-3-10对黄瓜枯萎病病菌具有显著的拮抗效果,有较好的应用前景。     

Fusarium oxysporum evades I-3-mediated resistance without altering the matching avirulence gene

I-3-Mediated resistance of tomato against Fusarium wilt disease caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici depends on Six1, a protein that is secreted by the fungus during colonization of the xylem. Among natural isolates of F. oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici are several that are virulent on a tomato line carrying only the I-3 resistance gene. However, evasion of I-3-mediated resistance by these isolates is not correlated with mutation of the SIX1 gene. Moreover, the SIX1 gene of an I-3-virulent isolate was shown to be fully functional in that i) the gene product is secreted in xylem sap, ii) deletion leads to a further increase in virulence on the I-3 line as well as reduced virulence on susceptible lines, and iii) the gene confers full avirulence on the I-3 line when transferred to another genetic background. Remarkably, all I-3-virulent isolates were of race 1, suggesting a link between the presence of AVR1 and evasion of I-3-mediated resistance.     

Serological Comparison of Two Races of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lupini

Water-soluble mycelial antigens from two physiological races (2 and 3) of Fusarium oxysporum L. sp. lupini were compared by tandem-crossed immunoelectrophoresis. When antiserum against race 3 was tested some 50 antigens were detected. The two races had apparently almost identical antigenic patterns differing only in one antigen specific to race 3. This specific antigen might be related to the virulence of this fungus.     

Hybridization and breeding of the benomyl resistant mutant, Trichoderma harziantum antagonized to phytopathogenic fungi by protoplast fusion

A diploid strain obtained from heterokaryons of Trichoderma harzianum by protoplast fusion grew on minimal medium containing 100ppm benomyl. This strain inhibited the growth of the phytopathogenic fungus Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. raphani on paired cultures and also protected against radish yellows and a drop in germination induced by F. oxysporum f. sp. raphani.