scholarly journals Changes in Photosynthesis Could Provide Important Insight into the Interaction between Wheat and Fungal Pathogens

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (16) ◽  
pp. 8865
Author(s):  
Huai Yang ◽  
Peigao Luo

Photosynthesis is a universal process for plant survival, and immune defense is also a key process in adapting to the growth environment. Various studies have indicated that these two processes are interconnected in a complex network. Photosynthesis can influence signaling pathways and provide both materials and energy for immune defense, while the immune defense process can also have feedback effects on photosynthesis. Pathogen infection inevitably leads to changes in photosynthesis parameters, including Pn, Gs, and Ci; biochemical materials such as SOD and CAT; signaling molecules such as H2O2 and hormones; and the expression of genes involved in photosynthesis. Some researchers have found that changes in photosynthesis activity are related to the resistance level of the host, the duration after infection, and the infection position (photosynthetic source or sink). Interactions between wheat and the main fungal pathogens, such as Puccinia striiformis, Blumeria graminis, and Fusarium graminearum, constitute an ideal study system to elucidate the relationship between changes in host photosynthesis and resistance levels, based on the accessibility of methods for artificially controlling infection and detecting changes in photosynthesis, the presence of multiple pathogens infecting different positions, and the abundance of host materials with various resistance levels. This review is written only from the perspective of plant pathologists, and after providing an overview of the available data, we generally found that changes in photosynthesis in the early stage of pathogen infection could be a causal factor influencing acquired resistance, while those in the late stage could be the result of resistance formation.

Blood ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 110 (11) ◽  
pp. 3848-3848
Author(s):  
Juergen Loeffler ◽  
Markus Mezger ◽  
Hermann Einsele

Abstract Invasive fungal infections with the opportunistic pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus show an increasing incidence due to a higher number of patients with hematological malignancies. Polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs), as part of the innate immunity, recognize fungal pathogens at an early stage after infiltration. Besides phagocytotic mechanisms, PMNs kill pathogens by the release of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Human PMNs were isolated from blood of healthy donors and co-cultivated with A. fumigatus germ tubes for defined time points. Oxidative burst was determined in a kinetic measurement by the use of dichlorfluorescein. In parallel, PMNs were co-cultivated with A. fumigatus germ tubes, followed by whole genome expression analyses (Affymetrix U133 Plus 2.0 Array). We could demonstrate that A. fumigatus germlings of the clinical relevant strain ATCC 9197 represented a strong stimulus for the release of ROS. PMNs actively tracked germlings and directly attached to fungi as demonstrated by real-time microscopy. In addition, co-cultivation of PMNs with A. fumigatus germ tubes resulted in a strong upregulation of genes involved in self-protection against radicals (hämoxygenase, heat shock 70kDa protein HSPA8, thioredoxin, HSPA1B, HSP90AB1, Ferritin). After 6h of co-cultivation, 195 genes showed an at least 4fold altered gene expression. Therein, 4 genes encoding for cytokines and chemokines (IL-8, CCL3, CXCL2, IL1RN) were significantly upregulated. Luminex ELISA analyses confirmed array data and revealing IL-8 to be strongly released (5fold) by PMNs after fungal co-culturing. In conclusion, A. fumigatus had a substantial effect on the activity of human PMNs. In consequence, various defence strategies were activated, including phagocytosis, ROS release and mobilization of other immune effector cells by secretion of chemoattractant cytokines. A better understanding of innate immune defense mechanisms may provide new directions for antifungal therapies.


Fermentation ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 65
Author(s):  
Armin Tarrah ◽  
Shadi Pakroo ◽  
Viviana Corich ◽  
Alessio Giacomini

The existence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in food products, particularly those carrying acquired resistance genes, has increased concerns about the transmission of these genes from beneficial microbes to human pathogens. In this study, we evaluated the antibiotic resistance-susceptibility patterns of 16 antibiotics in eight S. thermophilus strains, whose genome sequence is available, using phenotypic and genomic approaches. The minimal inhibitory concentration values collected revealed intermediate resistance to aminoglycosides, whereas susceptibility was detected for different classes of β-lactams, quinolones, glycopeptide, macrolides, and sulfonamides in all strains. A high tetracycline resistance level has been detected in strain M17PTZA496, whose genome analysis indicated the presence of the tet(S) gene and the multidrug and toxic compound extrusion (MATE) family efflux pump. Moreover, an in-depth genomic analysis revealed genomic islands and an integrative and mobilizable element (IME) in the proximity of the gene tet(S). However, despite the presence of a prophage, genomic islands, and IME, no horizontal gene transfer was detected to Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. lactis DSM 20355 and Lactobacillusrhamnosus GG during 24 h of skim milk fermentation, 2 weeks of refrigerated storage, and 4 h of simulated gastrointestinal transit.


2004 ◽  
Vol 17 (11) ◽  
pp. 1242-1249 ◽  
Author(s):  
Phil H. Smith ◽  
John A. Howie ◽  
Anthony J. Worland ◽  
Rebecca Stratford ◽  
Lesley A. Boyd

Two mutants were isolated in wheat that showed enhanced resistance towards Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici, the fungal causal agent of yellow rust. The altered phenotype of I3-48 is due to a minimum of two mutation events, each showing a partial, additive effect, with one mutation segregating with a deletion on the long arm of chromosome 4D. In the case of I3-54, the enhanced resistance is due to a single, dominant mutation. In both mutants, the expression of the enhanced resistance is growth-stage specific. With I3-54, the full resistance phenotype is apparent from the third seedling leaf onwards, while with I3-48, a full resistance phenotype is only seen on the tenth and subsequent leaves. In addition to the enhanced resistance towards yellow rust, I3-48 also shows enhanced resistance towards brown rust, and I3-54 shows enhanced resistance to powdery mildew.


BMC Genomics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Buerstmayr ◽  
Christian Wagner ◽  
Tetyana Nosenko ◽  
Jimmy Omony ◽  
Barbara Steiner ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Fusarium head blight (FHB) is a devastating disease of wheat worldwide. Resistance to FHB is quantitatively controlled by the combined effects of many small to medium effect QTL. Flowering traits, especially the extent of extruded anthers, are strongly associated with FHB resistance. Results To characterize the genetic basis of FHB resistance, we generated and analyzed phenotypic and gene expression data on the response to Fusarium graminearum (Fg) infection in 96 European winter wheat genotypes, including several lines containing introgressions from the highly resistant Asian cultivar Sumai3. The 96 lines represented a broad range in FHB resistance and were assigned to sub-groups based on their phenotypic FHB severity score. Comparative analyses were conducted to connect sub-group-specific expression profiles in response to Fg infection with FHB resistance level. Collectively, over 12,300 wheat genes were Fusarium responsive. The core set of genes induced in response to Fg was common across different resistance groups, indicating that the activation of basal defense response mechanisms was largely independent of the resistance level of the wheat line. Fg-induced genes tended to have higher expression levels in more susceptible genotypes. Compared to the more susceptible non-Sumai3 lines, the Sumai3-derivatives demonstrated higher constitutive expression of genes associated with cell wall and plant-type secondary cell wall biogenesis and higher constitutive and Fg-induced expression of genes involved in terpene metabolism. Gene expression analysis of the FHB QTL Qfhs.ifa-5A identified a constitutively expressed gene encoding a stress response NST1-like protein (TraesCS5A01G211300LC) as a candidate gene for FHB resistance. NST1 genes are key regulators of secondary cell wall biosynthesis in anther endothecium cells. Whether the stress response NST1-like gene affects anther extrusion, thereby affecting FHB resistance, needs further investigation. Conclusion Induced and preexisting cell wall components and terpene metabolites contribute to resistance and limit fungal colonization early on. In contrast, excessive gene expression directs plant defense response towards programmed cell death which favors necrotrophic growth of the Fg pathogen and could thus lead to increased fungal colonization.


2018 ◽  
Vol 86 (12) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alison Coady ◽  
Anissa R. Ramos ◽  
Joshua Olson ◽  
Victor Nizet ◽  
Kathryn A. Patras

ABSTRACTUrinary tract infections (UTIs) caused by the human fungal pathogenCandida albicansand related species are prevalent in hospitalized patients, especially those on antibiotic therapy, with indwelling catheters, or with predisposing conditions such as diabetes or immunodeficiency. Understanding of key host defenses againstCandidaUTI is critical for developing effective treatment strategies. Tamm-Horsfall glycoprotein (THP) is the most abundant urine protein, with multiple roles in renal physiology and bladder protection. THP protects against bacterial UTI by blocking bacterial adherence to the bladder epithelium, but its role in defense against fungal pathogens is not yet described. Here we demonstrate that THP restricts colonization of the urinary tract byC. albicans. THP binds toC. albicanshyphae, but not the yeast form, in a manner dependent on fungal expression of the Als3 adhesion glycoprotein. THP directly blocksC. albicansadherence to bladder epithelial cellsin vitro, and THP-deficient mice display increased fungal burden in aC. albicansUTI model. This work outlines a previously unknown role for THP as an essential component for host immune defense against fungal urinary tract infection.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beatriz Val Torregrosa ◽  
Mireia Bundo ◽  
Tzyy Jen Chiou ◽  
Victor Flors ◽  
Blanca San Segundo

Background: Phosphorus is an important macronutrient required for plant growth and development. It is absorbed through the roots in the form of inorganic phosphate (Pi). To cope with Pi limitation, plants have evolved an array of adaptive mechanisms to facilitate Pi acquisition and protect them from stress caused by Pi starvation. The NITROGEN LIMITATION ADAPTION (NLA) gene plays a key role in the regulation of phosphate starvation responses (PSR), its expression being regulated by the microRNA miR827. Stress caused by Pi limiting conditions might also affect the plant response to pathogen infection. However, cross-talk between phosphate signaling pathways and immune responses remains unclear. Results: In this study, we investigated whether NLA plays a role in Arabidopsis immunity. We show that loss-of-function of NLA and MIR827 overexpression causes an increase in phosphate (Pi) content which results in resistance to infection by the fungal pathogen Plectosphaerella cucumerina. The nla mutant plants accumulated callose in their leaves, a response that is also observed in wild-type plants that have been treated with high Pi. We also show that pathogen infection and treatment with fungal elicitors is accompanied by transcriptional activation of MIR827 and down-regulation of NLA. Upon pathogen challenge, nla plants exhibited higher levels of the phytoalexin camalexin compared to wild type plants. Camalexin level also increases in wild type plants treated with high Pi. Furthermore, the nla mutant plants accumulated salicylic acid (SA) and jasmonic acid (JA) in the absence of pathogen infection whose levels further increased upon pathogen. Conclusions: This study shows that NLA acts as a negative regulator of Arabidopsis immunity. Overaccumulation of Pi in nla plants positively affects resistance to infection by fungal pathogens. This piece of information reinforces the idea of signaling convergence between Pi and immune responses for the regulation of disease resistance in Arabidopsis.


Author(s):  
Valeria Moreno Heredia

Yellow rust is caused by the fungus Puccinia striiformis f.sp.tritici (Pst), which due to its great migratory capacity, adaptation to different environments, and high levels of mutation; is one of the most devastating wheat diseases worldwide. Due to this, several strategies have been implemented to control the disease, the best being genetic improvement. The key to develop resistant cultivars is understanding the interactions between wheat and Pst. Therefore, this work synthesizes the most important investigations carried out in the last 30 years regarding: cellular, histological, and molecular interactions between wheat and Pst. This will allow a deeper and more complete understanding of the interaction between resistance and virulence genes in the yellow rust disease. The results of this work revealed that the early stage of infection, in susceptible and resistant cultivars, is the same qualitatively, but not quantitatively. However, a clear difference at the histological and molecular level, in terms of the amount and type of genes expressed, begins 48 hours after infection. It was also found that the haustorium, in addition to absorbing nutrients from the host; can also manipulate its metabolism to benefit itself, and can make some nutrients on its own. Keywords: haustorio, Puccinia striiformis f.sp.tritici, histological, resistance genes, virulence genes. Resumen La roya amarilla es causada por el hongo Puccinia striiformis f.sp.tritici (Pst), el cual debido a su gran capacidad migratoria, adaptación a diferentes ambientes, y niveles altos de mutación; es la enfermedad más devastadoras del trigo a nivel mundial. Debido a esto, varias estrategias han sido implementadas para controlar la enfermedad, siendo la mejor, el mejoramiento genético. La clave para desarrollar cultivares resistentes, es el entendimiento de las interacciones entre el trigo y Pst. Por lo tanto, este trabajo sintetiza las investigaciones más importantes realizadas en los últimos 30 años, en cuanto a interacciones celulares, histológicas y moleculares entre el trigo y Pst. Esto permitirá un entendimiento más profundo y completo de la interacción entre los genes de resistencia y virulencia, en la enfermedad de la roya. Los resultados revelaron que la fase temprana de infección en cultivares susceptibles y resistentes, es igual cualitativamente, pero no cuantitativamente. Sin embargo, una diferencia clara a nivel histológico y molecular, en cuanto a la cantidad y al tipo de genes expresados, empieza 48 hr post infección. También, se halló que el haustorio además de absorber nutrientes del huésped, también manipula el metabolismo de éste para su beneficio y puede elaborar algunos nutrientes por sí mismo. Palabras Clave: haustorio, Puccinia striiformis f.sp.tritici, histológico, genes de resistencia, genes de virulencia.


2019 ◽  
Vol 56 (03) ◽  
pp. 577-585
Author(s):  
Wenneng Wu

The fruit surface is an infection court where foodborne pathogens compete with indigenous microbiota for microsites to invade the fruits for nutrients acquisition. However, our current understanding of the structure and functions of fruit microbiome visa-vis postharvest pathogen infection is still nascent. Here, we sequenced the metagenomic DNA to understand the structural and functional attributes of healthy and diseased kiwifruit microbiome. The healthy fruits exhibited higher microbial diversity and distinct microbiome composition compared with diseased fruits. The microbiome of diseased fruit was dominated by fungal pathogens Neofusicoccum parvum and Diplodiaseriata, while the microbiome of healthy fruits were enriched by bacteria from Methylobacteriaceae, Sphingomonadaceae, Nocardioidaceae and fungi in Pleosporaceae. Importantly, the healthy fruit microbiome had a higher relative abundance of genes related to ABC transporter, two-component system, bacterial chemotaxis, bacterial secretion system, but had a lower relative abundance of genes associated with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon degradation, amino sugar and nucleotide sugar metabolism, glycine, serine and threonine metabolism compared with diseased fruits. Our results indicate that pathogen infection disrupts the fruit microbiome. The changes in microbiome composition and functions could also increase the possibility of secondary pathogen infection as the reduced microbial diversity may demonstrate less resistance to pathogens infection. Therefore, monitoring the microbiome dynamics and their functions using metagenomic approaches could be useful to build a predictive understanding of accurate postharvest disease diagnosis and management in the future


2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (5) ◽  
pp. 1211 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jingjing Zhang ◽  
Ziyu Ren ◽  
Yuqing Zhou ◽  
Zheng Ma ◽  
Yanqin Ma ◽  
...  

The circadian clock in plants synchronizes biological processes that display cyclic 24-h oscillation based on metabolic and physiological reactions. This clock is a precise timekeeping system, that helps anticipate diurnal changes; e.g., expression levels of clock-related genes move in synchrony with changes in pathogen infection and help prepare appropriate defense responses in advance. Salicylic acid (SA) is a plant hormone and immune signal involved in systemic acquired resistance (SAR)-mediated defense responses. SA signaling induces cellular redox changes, and degradation and rhythmic nuclear translocation of the non-expresser of PR genes 1 (NPR1) protein. Recent studies demonstrate the ability of the circadian clock to predict various potential attackers, and of redox signaling to determine appropriate defense against pathogen infection. Interaction of the circadian clock with redox rhythm promotes the balance between immunity and growth. We review here a variety of recent evidence for the intricate relationship between circadian clock and plant immune response, with a focus on the roles of redox rhythm and NPR1 in the circadian clock and plant immunity.


2020 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 433-443 ◽  
Author(s):  
Huanpeng Li ◽  
Jiaojiao Wu ◽  
Xiaofeng Shang ◽  
Miaomiao Geng ◽  
Jing Gao ◽  
...  

In Arabidopsis, both pathogen invasion and benzothiadiazole (BTH) treatment activate the nonexpresser of pathogenesis-related genes 1 (NPR1)-mediated systemic acquired resistance, which provides broad-spectrum disease resistance to secondary pathogen infection. However, the BTH-induced resistance in Triticeae crops of wheat and barley seems to be accomplished through an NPR1-independent pathway. In the current investigation, we applied transcriptome analysis on barley transgenic lines overexpressing wheat wNPR1 (wNPR1-OE) and knocking down barley HvNPR1 (HvNPR1-Kd) to reveal the role of NPR1 during the BTH-induced resistance. Most of the previously designated barley chemical-induced (BCI) genes were upregulated in an NPR1-independent manner, whereas the expression levels of several pathogenesis-related (PR) genes were elevated upon BTH treatment only in wNPR1-OE. Two barley WRKY transcription factors, HvWRKY6 and HvWRKY70, were predicted and further validated as key regulators shared by the BTH-induced resistance and the NPR1-mediated acquired resistance. Wheat transgenic lines overexpressing HvWRKY6 and HvWRKY70 showed different degrees of enhanced resistance to Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici pathotype CYR32 and Blumeria graminis f. sp. tritici pathotype E20. In conclusion, the transcriptional changes of BTH-induced resistance in barley were initially profiled, and the identified key regulators would be valuable resources for the genetic improvement of broad-spectrum disease resistance in wheat. [Formula: see text] Copyright © 2020 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license .


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