Sensing light is the fundamental property of visual systems, with vision in animals being based almost exclusively on opsin photopigments 1. Rhodopsin also acts as a photoreceptor linked to ...phototaxis in green algae 2, 3 and has been implicated by chemical means as a light sensor in the flagellated swimming zoospores of the fungus Allomyces reticulatus 4; however, the signaling mechanism in these fungi remains unknown. Here we use a combination of genome sequencing and molecular inhibition experiments with light-sensing phenotype studies to examine the signaling pathway involved in visual perception in the closely related fungus Blastocladiella emersonii. Our data show that in these fungi, light perception is accomplished by the function of a novel gene fusion (BeGC1) of a type I (microbial) rhodopsin domain and guanylyl cyclase catalytic domain. Photobleaching of rhodopsin function prevents accumulation of cGMP levels and phototaxis of fungal zoospores exposed to green light, whereas inhibition of guanylyl cyclase activity negatively affects fungal phototaxis. Immunofluorescence microscopy localizes the BeGC1 protein to the external surface of the zoospore eyespot positioned close to the base of the swimming flagellum 4, 5, demonstrating this is a photoreceptive organelle composed of lipid droplets. Taken together, these data indicate that Blastocladiomycota fungi have a cGMP signaling pathway involved in phototaxis similar to the vertebrate vision-signaling cascade but composed of protein domain components arranged as a novel gene fusion architecture and of distant evolutionary ancestry to type II rhodopsins of animals.
•A rhodopsin-guanylate cyclase gene fusion is involved in B. emersonii phototaxis•The rhodopsin fusion protein BeGC1 is localized to the zoospore eyespot apparatus•Endogenous retinal substitution by retinalA1 reconstitutes green light phototaxis•Zoospore phototaxis uses cGMP as a second messenger similar to vertebrate vision
Avelar et al. use genome sequencing, molecular inhibition, and light-sensing phenotype experiments, combined with immunolocalization data, to show that a type I rhodopsin-guanylyl cyclase fusion protein localizes to the “eyespot” and is involved in green light phototaxis in zoospores of the Blastocladiomycete fungus Blastocladiella emersonii.
Significance Release of outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) is a general feature of Gram-negative bacteria. Most studies have addressed the mechanisms of their formation or the cargo they can carry, but ...other roles remain to be explored further. Here we provide evidence for a novel role for OMVs in Xylella fastidiosa , a bacterial pathogen that colonizes the xylem of important crop plants. OMVs, whose production is suppressed by a quorum-sensing system, serve as an autoinhibitor of cell adhesion to surfaces, thereby blocking attachment-driven biofilm formation that would restrict movement within the xylem and thus colonization of plants. The ubiquity of OMV formation in the bacterial world suggests that these extracellular products may have alternative roles that might modulate movement and biofilm formation.
Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are components of immune defense in many organisms, including plants. They combat pathogens due to their antiviral, antifungal and antibacterial properties, and are ...considered potential therapeutic agents. An example of AMP is Epsilon-Poly-L-lysine (EPL), a polypeptide formed by ~ 25 lysine residues with known antimicrobial activity against several human microbial pathogens. EPL presents some advantages such as good water solubility, thermal stability, biodegradability, and low toxicity, being a candidate for the control of phytopathogens. Our aim was to evaluate the antimicrobial activity of EPL against four phytobacterial species spanning different classes within the Gram-negative phylum Proteobacteria: Agrobacterium tumefaciens (syn. Rhizobium radiobacter), Ralstonia solanacearum, Xanthomonas citri subsp. citri (X. citri), and Xanthomonas euvesicatoria. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the peptide ranged from 80 μg/ml for X. citri to 600 μg/ml for R. solanacearum and X. euvesicatoria. Two hours of MIC exposure led to pathogen death due to cell lysis and was enough for pathogen clearance. The protective and curative effects of EPL were demonstrated on tomato plants inoculated with X. euvesicatoria. Plants showed less disease severity when sprayed with EPL solution, making it a promising natural product for the control of plant diseases caused by diverse Proteobacteria.
Surface adhesion strategies are widely employed by bacterial pathogens during establishment and systemic spread in their host. A variety of cell surface appendages such as pili, fimbriae and ...afimbrial adhesins are involved in these processes. The phytopathogen
employs several of these structures for efficient colonization of its insect and plant hosts. Among the adhesins encoded in the
genome, three afimbrial adhesins, XadA1, Hsf/XadA2, and XadA3, are predicted to be trimeric autotransporters with a C-terminal YadA-anchor membrane domain. We analyzed the individual contributions of XadA1, XadA2, and XadA3 to various cellular behaviors both
and
. Using isogenic
mutants, we found that cell-cell aggregation and biofilm formation were severely impaired in the absence of XadA3. No significant reduction of cell-surface attachment was found with any mutant under flow conditions. Acquisition by insect vectors and transmission to grapevines were reduced in the XadA3 deletion mutant. While the XadA3 mutant was hypervirulent in grapevines, XadA1 or XadA2 deletion mutants conferred lower disease severity than the wild-type strain. This insight of the importance of these adhesive proteins and their individual contributions to different aspects of
biology should guide new approaches to reduce pathogen transmission and disease development.
Abstract
Background
The release of the first reference genome of walnut (Juglans regia L.) enabled many achievements in the characterization of walnut genetic and functional variation. However, it is ...highly fragmented, preventing the integration of genetic, transcriptomic, and proteomic information to fully elucidate walnut biological processes.
Findings
Here, we report the new chromosome-scale assembly of the walnut reference genome (Chandler v2.0) obtained by combining Oxford Nanopore long-read sequencing with chromosome conformation capture (Hi-C) technology. Relative to the previous reference genome, the new assembly features an 84.4-fold increase in N50 size, with the 16 chromosomal pseudomolecules assembled and representing 95% of its total length. Using full-length transcripts from single-molecule real-time sequencing, we predicted 37,554 gene models, with a mean gene length higher than the previous gene annotations. Most of the new protein-coding genes (90%) present both start and stop codons, which represents a significant improvement compared with Chandler v1.0 (only 48%). We then tested the potential impact of the new chromosome-level genome on different areas of walnut research. By studying the proteome changes occurring during male flower development, we observed that the virtual proteome obtained from Chandler v2.0 presents fewer artifacts than the previous reference genome, enabling the identification of a new potential pollen allergen in walnut. Also, the new chromosome-scale genome facilitates in-depth studies of intraspecies genetic diversity by revealing previously undetected autozygous regions in Chandler, likely resulting from inbreeding, and 195 genomic regions highly differentiated between Western and Eastern walnut cultivars.
Conclusion
Overall, Chandler v2.0 will serve as a valuable resource to better understand and explore walnut biology.
Xylella fastidiosa is a xylem-limited bacterium in plant hosts and causes Pierce's disease (PD) of grapevines, which differ in susceptibility according to the Vitis species (spp.). In this work we ...compared X. fastidiosa biofilm formation and population dynamics when cultured in xylem saps from PD-susceptible and -resistant Vitis spp. under different conditions. Behaviors in a closed-culture system were compared to those in different sap-renewal cultures that would more closely mimic the physicochemical environment encountered in planta. Significant differences in biofilm formation and growth in saps from PD-susceptible and -resistant spp. were only observed using sap renewal culture. Compared to saps from susceptible V. vinifera, those from PD-resistant V. aestivalis supported lower titers of X. fastidiosa and less biofilm and V. champinii suppressed both growth and biofilm formation, behaviors which are correlated with disease susceptibility. Furthermore, in microfluidic chambers X. fastidiosa formed thick mature biofilm with three-dimensional (3-D) structures, such as pillars and mounds, in saps from all susceptible spp. In contrast, only small aggregates of various shapes were formed in saps from four out of five of the resistant spp.; sap from the resistant spp. V. mustangensis was an exception in that it also supported thick lawns of biofilm but not the above described 3-D structures typically seen in a mature biofilm from the susceptible saps. Our findings provide not only critical technical information for future bioassays, but also suggest further understanding of PD susceptibility.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
releases outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) known to play a role in the systemic dissemination of this pathogen. OMVs inhibit bacterial attachment to xylem wall and traffic lipases/esterases that act on ...the degradation of plant cell wall. Here, we extended the characterization of
OMVs by identifying proteins and metabolites potentially associated with OMVs produced by Temecula1, a Pierce's disease strain, and by 9a5c and Fb7, two citrus variegated chlorosis strains. These results strengthen that one of the OMVs multiple functions is to carry determinants of virulence, such as lipases/esterases, adhesins, proteases, porins, and a pectin lyase-like protein. For the first time, we show that the two citrus variegated chlorosis strains produce
diffusible signaling factor 2 (DSF2) and citrus variegated chlorosis-DSF (likewise, Temecula1) and most importantly, that these compounds of the DSF (
DSF) family are associated with OMV-enriched fractions. Altogether, our findings widen the potential functions of
OMVs in intercellular signaling and host-pathogen interactions.
Pierce's disease is a major threat to grapevines caused by the bacterium
. Although devoid of a type 3 secretion system commonly employed by bacterial pathogens to deliver effectors inside host ...cells, this pathogen is able to influence host parenchymal cells from the xylem lumen by secreting a battery of hydrolytic enzymes. Defining the cellular and biochemical changes induced during disease can foster the development of novel therapeutic strategies aimed at reducing the pathogen fitness and increasing plant health. To this end, we investigated the transcriptional, proteomic, and metabolomic responses of diseased
compared to healthy plants. We found that several antioxidant strategies were induced, including the accumulation of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and polyamine metabolism, as well as iron and copper chelation, but these were insufficient to protect the plant from chronic oxidative stress and disease symptom development. Notable upregulation of phytoalexins, pathogenesis-related proteins, and various aromatic acid metabolites was part of the host responses observed. Moreover, upregulation of various cell wall modification enzymes followed the proliferation of the pathogen within xylem vessels, consistent with the intensive thickening of vessels' secondary walls observed by magnetic resonance imaging. By interpreting the molecular profile changes taking place in symptomatic tissues, we report a set of molecular markers that can be further explored to aid in disease detection, breeding for resistance, and developing therapeutics.
Following photosynthesis, sucrose is translocated to sink organs, where it provides the primary source of carbon and energy to sustain plant growth and development. Sugar transporters from the SWEET ...(sugar will eventually be exported transporter) family are rate-limiting factors that mediate sucrose transport across concentration gradients, sustain yields, and participate in reproductive development, plant senescence, stress responses, as well as support plant-pathogen interaction, the focus of this study. We identified 25
genes in the walnut genome and distinguished each by its individual gene structure and pattern of expression in different walnut tissues. Their chromosomal locations,
-acting motifs within their 5' regulatory elements, and phylogenetic relationship patterns provided the first comprehensive analysis of the
gene family of sugar transporters in walnut. This family is divided into four clades, the analysis of which suggests duplication and expansion of the SWEET gene family in
. In addition, tissue-specific gene expression signatures suggest diverse possible functions for
genes. Although these are commonly used by pathogens to harness sugar products from their plant hosts, little was known about their role during
pv.
(
) infection. We monitored the expression profiles of the
genes in different tissues of "Chandler" walnuts when challenged with pathogen
417 and concluded that SWEET-mediated sugar translocation from the host is not a trigger for walnut blight disease development. This may be directly related to the absence of type III secretion system-dependent transcription activator-like effectors (TALEs) in
417, which suggests different strategies are employed by this pathogen to promote susceptibility to this major aboveground disease of walnuts.
Proteome Analysis of Walnut Bacterial Blight Disease H D Sagawa, Cíntia; de A B Assis, Renata; Zaini, Paulo A ...
International journal of molecular sciences,
10/2020, Letnik:
21, Številka:
20
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
The interaction between the plant host, walnut (
; Jr), and a deadly pathogen (
pv.
417; Xaj) can lead to walnut bacterial blight (WB), which depletes walnut productivity by degrading the nut ...quality. Here, we dissect this pathosystem using tandem mass tag quantitative proteomics. Walnut hull tissues inoculated with Xaj were compared to mock-inoculated tissues, and 3972 proteins were identified, of which 3296 are from Jr and 676 from Xaj. Proteins with differential abundance include oxidoreductases, proteases, and enzymes involved in energy metabolism and amino acid interconversion pathways. Defense responses and plant hormone biosynthesis were also increased. Xaj proteins detected in infected tissues demonstrate its ability to adapt to the host microenvironment, limiting iron availability, coping with copper toxicity, and maintaining energy and intermediary metabolism. Secreted proteases and extracellular secretion apparatus such as type IV pilus for twitching motility and type III secretion effectors indicate putative factors recognized by the host. Taken together, these results suggest intense degradation processes, oxidative stress, and general arrest of the biosynthetic metabolism in infected nuts. Our results provide insights into molecular mechanisms and highlight potential molecular tools for early detection and disease control strategies.
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