Plant Pathogenic Fungi Associated with Coraebus florentinus (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) Attacks in Declining Oak Forests

Pinna, Claudia M.A.; Linaldeddu, Benedetto Teodoro; Deiana, Vitale; Maddau, Lucia; Montecchio, Lucio; Lentini, Andrea

doi:10.3390/f10060488

Cited by 25 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 64 publications

(53 reference statements)

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“…Here, we used inoculation experiments to test the pathogenicity of two Cryphonectria species closely related to one of the most lethal invasive forest pathogens, namely Cryphonectria parasitica. One species (C. japonica) is still not present in Europe, whereas the other (C. naterciae) seems to be currently restricted to Portugal and some areas in Italy (Bragança et al, 2011;Pinna et al, 2019). Inoculation experiments have previously been used to identify potential new host species of other invasive plant pathogens.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Testing the Pathogenic Potential of Cryphonectria parasitica and Related Species on Three Common European Fagaceae

Dennert

Rigling

Meyer

et al. 2020

Front. For. Glob. Change

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Invasions by non-native pathogens represent a major threat to managed and natural ecosystems worldwide. Although necessary for adopting preventive strategies, the identification of invasive species before they are introduced is particularly difficult. Indeed, most pathogenic species that have become established in the last decades were first described only after they became invasive. To prevent further biological invasions, not only the early identification of potential new invasive plant pathogens is crucial, but also the assessment of their potential host range. In this study, we determined the pathogenicity and the saprotrophic ability of three Cryphonectria species toward three potential hosts in the family Fagaceae. For this, seedlings and dormant stems of European chestnut (Castanea sativa), pedunculate oak (Quercus robur) and European beech (Fagus sylvatica) were inoculated with different genotypes of C. parasitica (Asian species, invasive in Europe), C. naterciae (European species), and C. japonica (Asian species, not present in Europe). Lesion growth was measured and mortality assessed for 4 months. The highest damage was caused by C. parasitica on European chestnut, while C. japonica and C. naterciae induced significantly smaller lesions on this host species. All three Cryphonectria species did not grow saprophytically on F. sylvatica and Q. robur, but successfully colonized dormant stems of C. sativa. In the context of biological invasions, our study shows that the Asian C. japonica most likely represents a much less severe threat than C. parasitica for the tested European host species. Nonetheless, the ability of C. naterciae and C. japonica to saprotrophically colonize fresh chestnut wood may suggest that they could become established in chestnut forests and eventually infect weakened chestnut trees or other hosts not tested in this study.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Testing the Pathogenic Potential of Cryphonectria parasitica and Related Species on Three Common European Fagaceae

Dennert

Rigling

Meyer

et al. 2020

Front. For. Glob. Change

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“… Cryphonectria decipiens [ 44 ]) was isolated from Castanea sativa and Quercus spp. in Portugal, Sardinia, and Algeria ( 45 – 47 ). Inoculation experiments showed that both C. japonica and C. naterciae are significantly less virulent on Ca.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparative Genomics Analyses of Lifestyle Transitions at the Origin of an Invasive Fungal Pathogen in the GenusCryphonectria

Stauber

Prospero

Croll

2020

mSphere

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Emerging fungal pathogens are a threat to forest and agroecosystems, as well as animal and human health. How pathogens evolve from nonpathogenic ancestors is still poorly understood, making the prediction of future outbreaks challenging. Most pathogens have evolved lifestyle adaptations, which were enabled by specific changes in the gene content of the species. Hence, understanding transitions in the functions encoded by genomes gives valuable insight into the evolution of pathogenicity. Here, we studied lifestyle evolution in the genus Cryphonectria, including the prominent invasive pathogen Cryphonectria parasitica, the causal agent of chestnut blight on Castanea species. We assembled and compared the genomes of pathogenic and putatively nonpathogenic Cryphonectria species, as well as sister group pathogens in the family Cryphonectriaceae (Diaporthales, Ascomycetes), to investigate the evolution of genome size and gene content. We found a striking loss of genes associated with carbohydrate metabolism (CAZymes) in C. parasitica compared to other Cryphonectriaceae. Despite substantial CAZyme gene loss, experimental data suggest that C. parasitica has retained wood colonization abilities shared with other Cryphonectria species. Putative effectors substantially varied in number, cysteine content, and protein length among species. In contrast, secondary metabolite gene clusters show a high degree of conservation within the genus. Overall, our results underpin the recent lifestyle transition of C. parasitica toward a more pathogenic lifestyle. Our findings suggest that a CAZyme loss may have promoted pathogenicity of C. parasitica on Castanea species. Analyzing gene complements underlying key nutrition modes can facilitate the detection of species with the potential to emerge as pathogens. IMPORTANCE Forest and agroecosystems, as well as animal and human health, are threatened by emerging pathogens. Following decimation of chestnuts in the United States, the fungal pathogen Cryphonectria parasitica colonized Europe. After establishment, the pathogen population gave rise to a highly successful lineage that spread rapidly across the continent. Core to our understanding of what makes a successful pathogen is the genetic repertoire enabling the colonization and exploitation of host species. Here, we have assembled >100 genomes across two related genera to identify key genomic determinants leading to the emergence of chestnut blight. We found subtle yet highly specific changes in the transition from saprotrophy to latent pathogenicity mostly determined by enzymes involved in carbohydrate metabolism. Large-scale genomic analyses of genes underlying key nutrition modes can facilitate the detection of species with the potential to emerge as pathogens.

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“…sativa and Quercus spp. in Portugal, Sardinia and Algeria (Bragança et al, 2011;Pinna et al, 2019;Smahi et al, 2018). Inoculation experiments showed that both C. japonica and C. naterciae are significantly less virulent on Ca.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparative genomics analyses of lifestyle transitions at the origin of an invasive fungal pathogen in the genusCryphonectria

Stauber

Prospero

Croll

2020

Preprint

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Emerging fungal pathogens are a threat to forest and agroecosystems, as well as animal and human health. How pathogens evolve from non-pathogenic ancestors is still poorly understood making the prediction of future outbreaks challenging. Most pathogens have evolved lifestyle adaptations, which were enabled by specific changes in the gene content of the species. Hence, understanding transitions in the functions encoded by genomes gives valuable insight into the evolution of pathogenicity. Here, we studied lifestyle evolution in the genus Cryphonectria, including the prominent invasive pathogen C. parasitica, the causal agent of chestnut blight on Castanea species. We assembled and compared the genomes of pathogenic and putatively non-pathogenic Cryphonectria species, as well as sister group pathogens in the family Cryphonectriaceae (Diaporthales, Ascomycetes) to investigate the evolution of genome size and gene content. We found a striking loss of genes associated with carbohydrate metabolism (CAZymes) in C. parasitica compared to other Cryphonectriaceae. Despite substantial CAZyme gene loss, experimental data suggests that C. parasitica has retained wood colonization abilities shared with other Cryphonectria species. Putative effectors substantially varied in number, cysteine content and protein length among species. In contrast, secondary metabolite gene clusters show a high degree of conservation within the genus. Overall, our results underpin the recent lifestyle transition of C. parasitica towards a more pathogenic lifestyle. Our findings suggest that a CAZyme loss may have promoted pathogenicity of C. parasitica on chestnuts. Analyzing gene complements underlying key nutrition modes can facilitate the detection of species with the potential to emerge as pathogens.

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Plant Pathogenic Fungi Associated with Coraebus florentinus (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) Attacks in Declining Oak Forests

Cited by 25 publications

References 64 publications

Testing the Pathogenic Potential of Cryphonectria parasitica and Related Species on Three Common European Fagaceae

Testing the Pathogenic Potential of Cryphonectria parasitica and Related Species on Three Common European Fagaceae

Comparative Genomics Analyses of Lifestyle Transitions at the Origin of an Invasive Fungal Pathogen in the GenusCryphonectria

Comparative genomics analyses of lifestyle transitions at the origin of an invasive fungal pathogen in the genusCryphonectria

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