Survival trade-offs in plant roots during colonization by closely related beneficial and pathogenic fungi

The sessile nature of plants forced them to evolve mechanisms to prioritize their responses to simultaneous stresses, including colonization by microbes or nutrient starvation. Here, we compare the genomes of a beneficial root endophyte, Colletotrichum tofieldiae and its pathogenic relative C. incan...

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Published in:	Nature communications 2016-05, Vol.7 (1), p.11362-11362, Article 11362
Main Authors:	Hacquard, Stéphane, Kracher, Barbara, Hiruma, Kei, Münch, Philipp C, Garrido-Oter, Ruben, Thon, Michael R, Weimann, Aaron, Damm, Ulrike, Dallery, Jean-Félix, Hainaut, Matthieu, Henrissat, Bernard, Lespinet, Olivier, Sacristán, Soledad, Ver Loren van Themaat, Emiel, Kemen, Eric, McHardy, Alice C, Schulze-Lefert, Paul, O'Connell, Richard J
Format:	Article
Language:	eng
Subjects:	Arabidopsis - immunology Arabidopsis - metabolism Chitin - metabolism Colletotrichum - genetics Colletotrichum - metabolism Endophytes - genetics Endophytes - metabolism Fungi Genome, Fungal - genetics Genomes Infections Life Sciences Pathogens Phosphates - deficiency Plant growth Plant Roots - metabolism Starvation Symbiosis - immunology Symbiosis - physiology
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Summary:	The sessile nature of plants forced them to evolve mechanisms to prioritize their responses to simultaneous stresses, including colonization by microbes or nutrient starvation. Here, we compare the genomes of a beneficial root endophyte, Colletotrichum tofieldiae and its pathogenic relative C. incanum, and examine the transcriptomes of both fungi and their plant host Arabidopsis during phosphate starvation. Although the two species diverged only 8.8 million years ago and have similar gene arsenals, we identify genomic signatures indicative of an evolutionary transition from pathogenic to beneficial lifestyles, including a narrowed repertoire of secreted effector proteins, expanded families of chitin-binding and secondary metabolism-related proteins, and limited activation of pathogenicity-related genes in planta. We show that beneficial responses are prioritized in C. tofieldiae-colonized roots under phosphate-deficient conditions, whereas defense responses are activated under phosphate-sufficient conditions. These immune responses are retained in phosphate-starved roots colonized by pathogenic C. incanum, illustrating the ability of plants to maximize survival in response to conflicting stresses.
ISSN:	2041-1723 2041-1723