Colletotrichum gloeosporioides is an important pathogen of tropical and subtropical fruits. The C. gloeosporioides pelB gene was disrupted in the fungus via homologous recombination. Three independent isolates, GD-14, GD-23, and GD-29, did not produce or secrete pectate lyase B (PLB) and exhibited 25% lower pectate lyase (PL) and pectin lyase (PNL) activities and 15% higher polygalacturonase (PG) activity than the wild type. The PLB mutants exhibited no growth reduction on glucose, Na polypectate, or pectin as the sole carbon source at pH 3.8 or 6.0, except for a 15% reduction on pectin at pH 6.0. When pelB mutants were inoculated onto avocado fruits, however, a 36 to 45% reduction in estimated decay diameter was observed compared with the two controls, the wild type and undisrupted transformed isolate. In addition, these pelB mutants induced a significantly higher host phenylalanine ammonia lyase activity as well as the antifungal diene, which is indicative of higher host resistance. These results suggest that PLB is an important factor in the attack of C. gloeosporioides on avocado fruit, probably as a result of its virulence factor and role in the induction of host defense mechanisms.

SUMMARY The preformed (Z,Z)-1-acetoxy-2-hydroxy-4-oxo-heneicosa-12,15-diene (AFD) is the most active antifungal compound in avocado; it affects the quiescence of Colletotrichum gloeosporioides in unripe fruit. One of the genes encoding Delta(12) fatty acid desaturase (avfad12) was hypothesized to take part in the biosynthesis of AFD, and its expression pattern and enzymatic activity were determined in relation to the content of AFD. Using avfad12-3 as a probe, high levels of expression were detected in young fruits and leaves, where the level of AFD was highest. In contrast, Northern analysis of RNA from mature leaves and fruits showed no transcripts from the avfad12 gene family and lower AFD content. The transcripts from the avfad12 gene family, the enzymatic activity of Delta(12) fatty acid desaturase, and the level of AFD in unripe-resistant fruits increased transiently when the fruits were inoculated with C. gloeosporioides or exposed to ethylene (40 microL/L), low temperature (4 degrees C) or 1 mm H(2)O(2), but ripe fruits were not affected. The effect of H(2)O(2) on the transcripts from the avfad12 gene family is of specific importance, because reactive oxygen species were produced by unripe-resistant host fruit soon after inoculation of C. gloeosporioides. In addition, the fungus itself produced H(2)O(2) in culture medium at pH 5.0, which is similar to the pH of unripe-resistant fruit, but not at pH 7.0. Treatments that enhanced Delta(12) fatty acid desaturase activity increased the concentration of the AFD precursor, linoleic acid, and its incorporation into AFD; these treatments also caused a delay in decay development. The present results demonstrate temporal relationships among the transcripts from the avfad12 gene family, the synthesis of the precursor of AFD (linoleic acid), the AFD content and quiescence of C. gloeosporioides in unripe fruits.

Inoculation of avocado pericarp tissue with Colletotrichum gloeospori-oides and treatment of avocado cell cultures with the cell wall elicitor of C. gloeosporioidesboth increased the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). However, whereas the production of ROS could be detected within minutes in avocado cell suspensions, it was detected only after 2 h following inoculation of pericarp tissue. Protein kinase inhibitors such as K-252a and staurosporine and the phosphatase inhibitor microcystin-LR inhibited the release of H(2)O(2) from avocado cell suspensions. When 1 mM H(2)O(2) was exogenously applied to pericarp tissue, it enhanced ROS, phenyl-alanine ammonia lyase (PAL) activity, and epicatechin levels. But, when H(2)O(2) treatment was applied following staurosporine treatment, PAL activity was no longer induced. The uninduced ROS production in pericarp tissue of freshly harvested, unripe, resistant fruit was twice as high as in ripe, susceptible fruit. Challenge inoculation of resistant fruit further increased the ROS level; however, this increase did not occur in susceptible fruits. The current findings are consistent with the hypothesis that production of ROS is induced by fungal infection of unripe fruits and, consequently, may modulate resistance, resulting in the inhibition of fungal development and quiescence.

No abstract

No abstract