Effects of Bacillus subtilis CF-3 volatile organic compounds on the transcriptome and proteome of Monilinia fructicola reveal a potential mechanism of action

Insights into the Interaction between the Biocontrol Agent Bacillus amyloliquefaciens QST 713, the Pathogen Monilinia fructicola and Peach Fruit

“…In addition to the above-mentioned compounds, B. amyloliquefaciens QST 713 also produces strong antifungal VOCs [49]. These metabolites directly affect fungal integrity and structure, causing hyphal deformity, spore perforation and the inhibition of sporulation, an irregular internal cell structure, cell membrane disruption, permeability and lysis, leading to the significant suppression of fungal growth and pathogenesis [12,[50][51][52][53]. Thus, we suggest that the secretion of such a broad spectrum of antimicrobial compounds enhanced the biocontrol efficacy of QST 713 against M. fructicola and participated in the reduction in brown rot symptoms when formulated in postharvest conditions.…”

“…To explore the transcriptomic changes that occurred in peach fruits in the presence of both B. amyloliquefaciens QST 713 and M. fructicola, a total RNA-seq analysis was carried out on fruit samples challenged only with the fungus (MF treatment), those co-inoculated with both the biocontrol agent and the pathogen (QST 713+MF treatment) and untreated, mock-inoculated (CT treatment) fruits. Thus, RNA-seq analysis was performed on 27 fruit samples using three biological replicates for each treatment across the three time points (12,24 and 48 HAI). Approximately 89.79% of the 1.240.918.950 high-quality PE reads that were produced were mapped to the peach genome assembly (Table S1).…”

“…species are considered as the most studied microorganisms regarding the biological control of plant diseases. These BCAs depict several direct or indirect modes of action at their disposal, such as the biosynthesis of antifungal volatiles, antibiotics and cell-wall-degrading enzymes, or/and the induction of plants disease-resistant mechanisms [10,12,13]. Several Bacillus species have posed an increasing interest as efficient BCAs of pre-and postharvest diseases against important pathogens such as Colletotrichum spp., Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, Alternaria alternata and Fusarium spp., while their suppression mechanisms have been thoroughly studied [10,12,14].…”