The grapevine polygalacturonase-inhibiting protein (VvPGIP1) reduces Botrytis cinerea susceptibility in transgenic tobacco and differentially inhibits fungal polygalacturonases

Polygalacturonase-inhibiting proteins (PGIPs) selectively inhibit polygalacturonases (PGs) secreted by invading plant pathogenic fungi. PGIPs display differential inhibition towards PGs from different fungi, also towards different isoforms of PGs originating from a specific pathogen. Recently, a PGIP-encoding gene from Vitis vinifera (Vvpgip1) was isolated and characterised. PGIP purified from grapevine was shown to inhibit crude polygalacturonase extracts from Botrytis cinerea, but this inhibitory activity has not yet been linked conclusively to the activity of the Vvpgip1 gene product. Here we use a transgenic over-expression approach to show that the PGIP encoded by the Vvpgip1 gene is active against PGs of B. cinerea and that over-expression of this gene in transgenic tobacco confers a reduced susceptibility to infection by this pathogen. A calculated reduction in disease susceptibility of 47–69% was observed for a homogeneous group of transgenic lines that was statistically clearly separated from untransformed control plants following infection with Botrytis over a 15-day-period. VvPGIP1 was subsequently purified from transgenic tobacco and used to study the specific inhibition profile of individual PGs from Botrytis and Aspergillus. The heterologously expressed and purified VvPGIP1 selectively inhibited PGs from both A. niger and B.␣cinerea, including BcPG1, a PG from B. cinerea that has previously been shown to be essential for virulence and symptom development. Altogether our data confirm the antifungal nature of the VvPGIP1, and the in vitro inhibition data suggest at least in part, that the VvPGIP1 contributed to the observed reduction in disease symptoms by inhibiting the macerating action of certain Botrytis PGs in planta. The ability to correlate inhibition profiles to individual PGs provides a more comprehensive analysis of PGIPs as antifungal genes with biotechnological potential, and adds to our understanding of the importance of PGIP:PG interactions during disease and symptom development in plants.Dirk A. Joubert and Ana R. Slaughter contributed equally to this work.     

Isolation of a polygalacturonase-inhibiting protein (PGIP) from wheat

Evidence for the presence of a polygalacturonase-inhibiting protein (PGIP) from a monocotyledonous cereal is presented. A 40.3-kDa PGIP that was closely associated with the cell wall was acetone-extracted and purified from wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) leaves and stems. Wheat PGIP exhibited a highly selective inhibitory activity against endopolygalacturonase (EPG) from various fungi. Of nine EPG tested, wheat PGIP only inhibited EPG from Cochliobolus sativus, a pathogen of the tribe Poaceae. A short N-terminal amino acid sequence of wheat PGIP shows no similarity to any other characterized PGIP.     

The polygalacturonase-inhibiting protein PGIP2 of Phaseolus vulgaris has evolved a mixed mode of inhibition of endopolygalacturonase PG1 of Botrytis cinerea

Botrytis cinerea is a phytopathogenic fungus that causes gray mold in >1,000 plant species. During infection, it secretes several endopolygalacturonases (PGs) to degrade cell wall pectin, and among them, BcPG1 is constitutively expressed and is an important virulence factor. To counteract the action of PGs, plants express polygalacturonase-inhibiting proteins (PGIPs) that have been shown to inhibit a variety of PGs with different inhibition kinetics, both competitive and noncompetitive. The PG-PGIP interaction promotes the accumulation of oligogalacturonides, fragments of the plant cell wall that are general elicitors of plant defense responses. Here, we characterize the enzymatic activity of BcPG1 and investigate its interaction with PGIP isoform 2 from Phaseolus vulgaris (PvPGIP2) by means of inhibition assays, homology modeling, and molecular docking simulations. Our results indicate a mixed mode of inhibition. This is compatible with a model for the interaction where PvPGIP2 binds the N-terminal portion of BcPG1, partially covering its active site and decreasing the enzyme affinity for the substrate. The structural framework provided by the docking model is confirmed by site-directed mutagenesis of the residues that distinguish PvPGIP2 from the isoform PvPGIP1. The finding that PvPGIP2 inhibits BcPG1 with a mixed-type kinetics further indicates the versatility of PGIPs to evolve different recognition specificities.     

The effect of inoculating flowers and developing fruits with Botrytis cinerea on post-harvest grey mould of red raspberry

Raspberry flowers were inoculated in the glasshouse and field with dry conidia of Botrytis cinerea and the fruits derived from them subjected to post-harvest rot tests at c. 20°C and high humidity. Apparently healthy fully-ripe picked fruits derived from inoculated flowers developed grey mould faster than those from non-inoculated flowers in all tests. In the glasshouse experiments, fruits from inoculated tightly closed flower buds rotted more slowly than those from inoculated open flowers or those at later developmental stages. Fruits from inoculated whole flowers rotted more rapidly than those from emasculated flowers; the addition of pollen to emasculated flowers had little effect on post-harvest grey mould. In the dry summer of 1984 no fruits in the field from inoculated whole flowers rotted before ripening, but in the wet season of 1985 pre-harvest grey mould was common and the surviving healthy fruits rotted in c. 1 day after picking. Only minor differences were detected in host susceptibility to post-harvest grey mould in both glasshouse and field tests, the ranking of genotypes varied depending on whether or not flowers had been inoculated. The susceptibility of pistils of 40 Rubus genotypes to infection was examined 7 and 28 days after inoculation of stigmas with dry conidia. Conidia germinated on the stigmas and produced hyphae which grew through transmitting tissues of the styles to infect carpels symptomlessly in 17 red raspberries, one blackberry, two Rubus spp. and one hybrid. No germination occurred on stigmas of cv. Carnival and New York Selection 817.     

Secondary structure and post-translational modifications of the leucine-rich repeat protein PGIP (polygalacturonase-inhibiting protein) from Phaseolus vulgaris

A detailed analysis of the secondary structure has been carried out on the polygalacturonase-inhibiting protein (PGIP) from Phaseolus vulgaris, a leucine-rich repeat (LRR) protein present in the cell wall of many plants. Far-UV CD and infrared spectroscopies coupled to constrained secondary structure prediction methods indicated the presence of 12 alpha- and 12 beta-segments, thus allowing a schematic representation of three domains of the protein, namely, the central LRR region and the two cysteine-rich flanking domains. Peptides from endoproteinase-degraded PGIP were analyzed by mass spectrometry, and four disulfide bonds were identified. Mass spectrometric analysis in combination with glycosidase treatments revealed two N-linked oligosaccharides located on Asn 64 and Asn 141. The main structure resembled the typical complex plant N-glycan consisting of a core pentasaccharide beta1,2-xylosylated, carrying an alpha1,3-fucose linked to the innermost N-acetylglucosamine and one outer arm N-acetylglucosamine residue. The schematic representation of PGIP structural domains is discussed in the framework of the structure and function of LRR proteins.     

A polygalacturonase-inhibiting protein from grapevine reduces the symptoms of the endopolygalacturonase BcPG2 from Botrytis cinerea in Nicotiana benthamiana leaves without any evidence for in vitro interaction

Six endopolygalacturonases from Botrytis cinerea (BcPG1 to BcPG6) as well as mutated forms of BcPG1 and BcPG2 were expressed transiently in leaves of Nicotiana benthamiana using agroinfiltration. Expression of BcPG1, BcPG2, BcPG4, BcPG5, and mutant BcPG1-D203A caused symptoms, whereas BcPG3, BcPG6, and mutant BcPG2-D192A caused no symptoms. Expression of BcPG2 caused the most severe symptoms, including wilting and necrosis. BcPG2 previously has been shown to be essential for B. cinerea virulence. The in vivo effect of this enzyme and the inhibition by a polygalacturonase-inhibiting protein (PGIP) was examined by coexpressing Bcpg2 and the Vvpgipl gene from Vitis vinifera in N. benthamiana. Coinfiltration resulted in a substantial reduction of the symptoms inflicted by the activity of BcPG2 in planta, as evidenced by quantifying the variable chlorophyll fluorescence yield. In vitro, however, no interaction between pure VvPGIP1 and pure BcPG2 was detected. Specifically, VvPGIP1 neither inhibited BcPG2 activity nor altered the degradation profile of polygalacturonic acid by BcPG2. Furthermore, using surface plasmon resonance technology, no physical interaction between VvPGIP1 and BcPG2 was detected in vitro. The data suggest that the in planta environment provided a context to support the interaction between BcPG2 and VvPGIP1, leading to a reduction in symptom development, whereas neither of the in vitro assays detected any interaction between these proteins.     

Three aspartic acid residues of polygalacturonase-inhibiting protein (PGIP) from Phaseolus vulgaris are critical for inhibition of Fusarium phyllophilum PG

Polygalacturonase-inhibiting proteins (PGIPs) are plant cell wall proteins that specifically inhibit the activity of endo polygalacturonases (PGs) produced by fungi during the infection process. The interaction with PGIPs limits the destructive potential of PGs and may trigger plant defence responses through the release of elicitor active oligogalacturonides. In order to pinpoint the residues of PvPGIP2 from Phaseolus vulgaris involved in the interaction with PGs, we used site-directed mutagenesis to mutate the residues D131, D157 and D203, and tested for the inhibitory activity of the mutant proteins expressed in Pichia pastoris against Fusarium phyllophilum and Aspergillus niger PGs. Here, we report that mutation of these residues affects the inhibition capacity of PvPGIP2 against F. phyllophilum PG.     

Development of real-time PCR (TaqMan) assays for the detection and quantification of Botrytis cinerea in planta.

Real-time PCR assays based on TaqMan chemistry have been developed for the detection and quantification of Botrytis cinerea, suitable for a wide range of different host plant species. Assays were designed to the beta-tubulin gene, the intergenic spacer (IGS) region of the nuclear ribosomal DNA and also to a previously published, species-specific sequence characterised amplified region (SCAR) marker; the assays were compared to a published method based on SYBR Green I technology. The assays designed to the IGS region and SCAR marker proved to be highly specific for B. cinerea but assays designed to the beta-tubulin gene and the previously published assay designed to the cutinase-A gene both cross-react with B. fabae. The assay designed to the IGS region was the most sensitive and was able to reliably detect and quantify as little as 20 fg of B. cinerea DNA. The method incorporates the detection of a gene from the plant host to compensate for variations in extraction efficiency and size of sample tested. The assays designed were used to follow the progression of infection of B. cinerea in plant material inoculated with spores to the point of symptom induction. They should be ideally suited to investigating infection processes in-planta and could be used to investigate aspects of infection/plant pathogenesis, by B. cinerea and are particularly suited to the detection and quantification of the pathogen prior to the development of symptoms.     

灰葡萄孢菌激发子pebC1在毕赤酵母中的分泌表达及其生物活性分析

为了实现激发子PebC1编码基因在毕赤酵母中的分泌表达,采用PCR方法从灰葡萄孢菌BC-4-2-2-1菌株中扩增获得激发子PebC1的编码序列,将其亚克隆至酵母分泌型表达载体pPIC9K中,以此片段构建了pPIC9K-pebC1重组表达质粒。重组表达质粒经Bgl Ⅱ线性化处理,电击转化至毕赤酵母宿主菌GS115,经MD、G418-YPD平板和PCR法筛选,获得了重组毕赤酵母菌GS115/pPIC9K-pebC1。用甲醇诱导重组酵母菌表达目标蛋白,发酵液经SDS-PAGE电泳分析,在约39 kDa处出现特异目标条带。Western blotting检测结果说明,重组表达产物具有良好的抗原性。生物活性检测表明,酵母重组表达蛋白PebC1能够诱导拟南芥和黄瓜幼苗对灰霉病的抗性。     

The microbial oxidation of (-)-beta-pinene by Botrytis cinerea

(-)-beta-pinene, a flavor and fragrance monoterpene is an important constituent of essential oils of many aromatic plants. It was oxidized by a plant-pathogenic fungus, Botrytis cinerea to afford four metabolites characterized as (-)-6a-hydroxy-beta-pinene, (-)-4beta,5beta-dihydroxy-beta-pinene, (-)-2beta,3beta-dihydroxypinane, and (-)-4beta-hydroxy-beta-pinene-6-one by detailed spectroscopic studies along with other known metabolites.