scholarly journals Transcription factor control of virulence in phytopathogenic fungi

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Evan John ◽  
Karam B. Singh ◽  
Richard P. Oliver ◽  
Kar‐Chun Tan
2001 ◽  
Vol 67 (1) ◽  
pp. 75-81 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey A. Rollins ◽  
Martin B. Dickman

ABSTRACT Sclerotinia sclerotiorum acidifies its ambient environment by producing oxalic acid. This production of oxalic acid during plant infection has been implicated as a primary determinant of pathogenicity in this and other phytopathogenic fungi. We found that ambient pH conditions affect multiple processes in S. sclerotiorum. Exposure to increasing alkaline ambient pH increased the oxalic acid accumulation independent of carbon source, sclerotial development was favored by acidic ambient pH conditions but inhibited by neutral ambient pH, and transcripts encoding the endopolygalacturonase gene pg1 accumulated maximally under acidic culture conditions. We cloned a putative transcription factor-encoding gene, pac1, that may participate in a molecular signaling pathway for regulating gene expression in response to ambient pH. The three zinc finger domains of the predicted Pac1 protein are similar in sequence and organization to the zinc finger domains of the A. nidulans pH-responsive transcription factor PacC. The promoter of pac1 contains eight PacC consensus binding sites, suggesting that this gene, like its homologs, is autoregulated. Consistent with this suggestion, the accumulation ofpac1 transcripts paralleled increases in ambient pH. Pac1 was determined to be a functional homolog of PacC by complementation of an A. nidulans pacC-null strain with pac1. Our results suggest that ambient pH is a regulatory cue for processes linked to pathogenicity, development, and virulence and that these processes may be under the molecular regulation of a conserved pH-dependent signaling pathway analogous to that in the nonpathogenic fungus A. nidulans.


Genes ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 343
Author(s):  
Niaz Ali ◽  
Hua Chen ◽  
Chong Zhang ◽  
Shahid Ali Khan ◽  
Mamadou Gandeka ◽  
...  

GOLDEN2-LIKE (GLK) is a member of the myeloblastosis (MYB) family transcription factor and it plays an important role in the regulation of plastid development and stress tolerance. In this study, a gene named AhGLK1b was identified from a cultivated peanut showing down-regulation in response to low calcium with a complete open reading frame (ORF) of 1212 bp. The AhGLK1b has 99.26% and 96.28% sequence similarities with its orthologs in Arachis ipaensis and A. duranensis, respectively. In the peanut, the AhGLK1b was localized in the nucleus and demonstrated the highest expression in the leaf, followed by the embryo. Furthermore, the expression of AhGLK1b was induced significantly in response to a bacterial pathogen, Ralstonia solanacearum infection. Ectopic expression of AhGLK1b in Arabidopsis showed stronger resistance against important phytopathogenic fungi S. sclerotiorum. It also exhibited high resistance to infection of the bacterial pathogen Pst DC3000. AhGLK1b-expressing Arabidopsis induced defense-related genes including PR10 and Phox/Bem 1 (PBI), which are involved in multiple disease resistance. Taken together, the results suggest that AhGLK1b might be useful in providing dual resistance to fungal and bacterial pathogens as well as tolerance to abiotic stresses.


2019 ◽  
Vol 85 (9) ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Bartolini ◽  
S. Cogliati ◽  
D. Vileta ◽  
C. Bauman ◽  
W. Ramirez ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTDifferentBacillusspecies with PGPR (plant growth-promoting rhizobacterium) activity produce potent biofungicides and stimulate plant defense responses against phytopathogenic fungi. However, very little is known about how these PGPRs recognize phytopathogens and exhibit the antifungal response. Here, we report the antagonistic interaction betweenBacillus subtilisand the phytopathogenic fungusFusarium verticillioides. We demonstrate that this bacterial-fungal interaction triggers the induction of the SigB transcription factor, the master regulator ofB. subtilisstress adaptation. Dual-growth experiments performed with live or dead mycelia or culture supernatants ofF. verticillioidesshowed that SigB was activated and required for the biocontrol of fungal growth. Mutations in the different regulatory pathways of SigB activation in the isogenic background revealed that only the energy-related RsbP-dependent arm of SigB activation was responsible for specific fungal detection and triggering the antagonistic response. The activation of SigB increased the expression of the operon responsible for the production of the antimicrobial cyclic lipopeptide surfactin (thesrfAoperon). SigB-deficientB. subtiliscultures produced decreased amounts of surfactin, andB. subtiliscultures defective in surfactin production (ΔsrfA) were unable to control the growth ofF. verticillioides.In vivoexperiments of seed germination efficiency and early plant growth inhibition in the presence ofF. verticillioidesconfirmed the physiological importance of SigB activity for plant bioprotection.IMPORTANCEBiological control using beneficial bacteria (PGPRs) represents an attractive and environment-friendly alternative to pesticides for controlling plant diseases. Different PGPRBacillusspecies produce potent biofungicides and stimulate plant defense responses against phytopathogenic fungi. However, very little is known about how PGPRs recognize phytopathogens and process the antifungal response. Here, we report howB. subtilistriggers the induction of the stress-responsive sigma B transcription factor and the synthesis of the lipopeptide surfactin to fight the phytopathogen. Our findings show the participation of the stress-responsive regulon of PGPRBacillusin the detection and biocontrol of a phytopathogenic fungus of agronomic impact.


Author(s):  
David P. Bazett-Jones ◽  
Mark L. Brown

A multisubunit RNA polymerase enzyme is ultimately responsible for transcription initiation and elongation of RNA, but recognition of the proper start site by the enzyme is regulated by general, temporal and gene-specific trans-factors interacting at promoter and enhancer DNA sequences. To understand the molecular mechanisms which precisely regulate the transcription initiation event, it is crucial to elucidate the structure of the transcription factor/DNA complexes involved. Electron spectroscopic imaging (ESI) provides the opportunity to visualize individual DNA molecules. Enhancement of DNA contrast with ESI is accomplished by imaging with electrons that have interacted with inner shell electrons of phosphorus in the DNA backbone. Phosphorus detection at this intermediately high level of resolution (≈lnm) permits selective imaging of the DNA, to determine whether the protein factors compact, bend or wrap the DNA. Simultaneously, mass analysis and phosphorus content can be measured quantitatively, using adjacent DNA or tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) as mass and phosphorus standards. These two parameters provide stoichiometric information relating the ratios of protein:DNA content.


Nephrology ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. A92-A92
Author(s):  
Takazoe K ◽  
Foti R ◽  
Hurst La ◽  
Atkins Rc ◽  
Nikolic‐Paterson DJ.

2001 ◽  
Vol 120 (5) ◽  
pp. A31-A31
Author(s):  
H KATAOKA ◽  
T JOH ◽  
T OHSHIMA ◽  
Y ITOH ◽  
K SENOO ◽  
...  

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