Novel factors contributing to fungal pathogenicity at early stages of Setosphaeria turcica infection

The fungal pathogen Setosphaeria turcica causes leaf blight on maize, which leads to considerable crop losses. However, how S. turcica establishes sustained systemic infection is largely unknown. Here, we report several novel factors contributing to S. turcica pathogenicity, identified using a genom...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Molecular plant pathology 2022-01, Vol.23 (1), p.32-44
Main Authors: Meng, Yanan, Zeng, Fanli, Hu, Jingjing, Li, Pan, Xiao, Shenglin, Zhou, Lihong, Gong, Jiangang, Liu, Yuwei, Hao, Zhimin, Cao, Zhiyan, Dong, Jingao
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
appressorium
Biodegradation
Blight
Cell cycle
Cell death
Cell morphology
Cell walls
Cellophane
Corn
Cytology
Cytoskeleton
Disseminated infection
effector
Fungi
Gene expression
Genomes
Glycosidases
Glycosyl hydrolase
Infections
Kinases
Leaf blight
Leaves
Morphogenesis
Morphology
Original
Pathogenicity
Pathogens
Proteins
Setosphaeria turcica
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Summary:The fungal pathogen Setosphaeria turcica causes leaf blight on maize, which leads to considerable crop losses. However, how S. turcica establishes sustained systemic infection is largely unknown. Here, we report several novel factors contributing to S. turcica pathogenicity, identified using a genomic and transcriptional screen at different stages of S. turcica appressorium development. We identified two cytoskeleton regulators, SLM1 and SLM2, that are crucial for hypha and appressorium development. The SLM1 and SLM2 transcripts accumulated during germling stage but their levels were notably reduced at the appressorium stage. Deletion of SLM2 dramatically affected cell morphology, penetration ability, and pathogenicity. We also identified three different types of S. turcica glycosyl hydrolases that are critical for plant cell wall degradation. Their transcripts accumulated during the appressorium infection stage induced by cellophane and maize leaf. Most importantly, we characterized a novel and specific S. turcica effector, appressorium‐coupled effector 1 (StACE1), whose expression is coupled to appressorium formation in S. turcica. This protein is required for maize infection and induces cell death on expression in Nicotiana benthamiana. These observations suggest that the phytopathogen S. turcica is primed in advance with multiple strategies for maize infection, which are coupled to appressorium formation at the early infection stages. The phytopathogen Setosphaeria turcica is primed in advance with multiple strategies for maize infection, which are coupled to appressorium formation at the early infection stages.
ISSN:1464-6722
1364-3703
DOI:10.1111/mpp.13140