The Epichloë festucae antifungal protein has activity against the plant pathogen Sclerotinia homoeocarpa, the causal agent of dollar spot disease

Tian, Zipeng; Wang, Ruying; Ambrose, Karen; Clarke, Bruce B.; Belanger, Faith C.

doi:10.1038/s41598-017-06068-4

Cited by 44 publications

(51 citation statements)

References 60 publications

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“…The spectrum of epichloëcyclins produced varies between different endophyte strains as a result of differences in encoded GigA sequences; for example, epichloëcyclins A–N have been characterized, but only A–E are present in plants infected with E. festucae strain Fl1 (Johnson et al , 2015). Epichloë species are also known to protect the host, to varying degrees, from a range of fungal pathogens (Gwinn & Gavin, 1992; Bonos et al , 2005; Clarke et al , 2006; Steinebrunner et al , 2008; Niones & Takemoto, 2014, 2015; Tian et al , 2017). In addition to protection from these biotic stresses, Epichloë endophytes also protect hosts from abiotic stresses such as drought (Arachevaleta et al , 1989; Hahn et al , 2007) although the physiological basis of this phenomenon is not known.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lolium perenne apoplast metabolomics for identification of novel metabolites produced by the symbiotic fungus Epichloë festucae

et al. 2020

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Summary Epichloë festucae is an endophytic fungus that forms a symbiotic association with Lolium perenne. Here we analysed how the metabolome of the ryegrass apoplast changed upon infection of this host with sexual and asexual isolates of E. festucae. A metabolite fingerprinting approach was used to analyse the metabolite composition of apoplastic wash fluid from uninfected and infected L. perenne. Metabolites enriched or depleted in one or both of these treatments were identified using a set of interactive tools. A genetic approach in combination with tandem MS was used to identify a novel product of a secondary metabolite gene cluster. Metabolites likely to be present in the apoplast were identified using MarVis in combination with the BioCyc and KEGG databases, and an in‐house Epichloë metabolite database. We were able to identify the known endophyte‐specific metabolites, peramine and epichloëcyclins, as well as a large number of unknown markers. To determine whether these methods can be applied to the identification of novel Epichloë‐derived metabolites, we deleted a gene encoding a NRPS (lgsA) that is highly expressed in planta. Comparative MS analysis of apoplastic wash fluid from wild‐type‐ vs mutant‐infected plants identified a novel Leu/Ile glycoside metabolite present in the former.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lolium perenne apoplast metabolomics for identification of novel metabolites produced by the symbiotic fungus Epichloë festucae

et al. 2020

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“…and Aspergillus spp. (Tian et al 2017). Furthermore, partially purified Efe-AfpA extracted from apoplastic fluid of endophyte-infected red fescue showed in vitro anti-fungal activity against S. homoeocarpa, as did the recombinant product of the Efe-afpA gene expressed in Pichia pastoris.…”

Section: Antibiosismentioning

confidence: 90%

“…E. festucae systemically colonises above ground parts of F. rubra ssp. rubra, a unique property that has not been shown for other fescues (Tian et al 2017). A quantitative transcriptome study of E. festucae-infected F. rubra ssp.…”

Section: Antibiosismentioning

confidence: 95%

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Endophytic fungi as biocontrol agents: elucidating mechanisms in disease suppression

Latz

Jensen

Collinge

et al. 2018

Plant Ecology & Diversity

200

134

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Background: Fungal endophytes occur ubiquitously in plants and are being increasingly studied for their ability to support plant health and protect the host from diseases. Using endophytes in disease control provides potential advantages compared to other bio-control agents since they colonise the plant internally. A thorough understanding of their mechanisms is required in their mutualistic association with plants; both to optimise their efficacy and for registration as plant protection products. Aims: To provide a critical review on the mechanisms employed by endophytic fungi in biological disease control. Furthermore, we draw attention to gaps in our knowledge of the complex interactions between plant, pathogen and endophyte and discuss implications for future research. Methods: Review of literature where endophytic colonisation during the specific interaction has been confirmed. Results: Known disease-reducing mechanisms include direct inhibition of pathogen activity by competition, antibiosis and mycoparasitism and indirect inhibition by induced resistance, where the plant's own defence system is activated to combat the diseases. Relying on in vitro studies of alone can result in misleading conclusions. Conclusions: We need to investigate nature and requirements for establishment of successful plantendophyte interactions, for development of efficient bio-control agents.

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“…The intimate symbiotic relationship and the powerful techniques available to interrogate the Epichloë-grass interaction make this the most well-developed system in which to study an above-ground interaction between a fungus and a plant (Tanaka et al 2012;Schardl 2001). Because Epichloë species can be genetically manipulated, maintained in culture, and used to create experimental infections, the interaction can be studied with the full range of modern molecular techniques (Young et al 2005;Clarke et al 2017;Eaton et al 2015). Deep RNA sequencing of infected grass tissues makes it possible to measure the expression of Epichloë genes in planta.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Repeat elements organize 3D genome structure and mediate transcription in the filamentous fungusEpichloë festucae

Winter

Ganley

Young

et al. 2018

Preprint

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Structural features of genomes, including the three-dimensional arrangement of DNA in the nucleus, are increasingly seen as key contributors to the regulation of gene expression. However, studies on how genome structure and nuclear organization influence transcription have so far been limited to a handful of model species. This narrow focus limits our ability to draw general conclusions about the ways in which three-dimensional structures are encoded, and to integrate information from three-dimensional data to address a broader gamut of biological questions. Here, we generate a complete and gapless genome sequence for the filamentous fungus, Epichloë festucae. Coupling it with RNAseq and HiC data, we investigate how the structure of the genome contributes to the suite of transcriptional changes that an Epichloë species needs to maintain symbiotic relationships with its grass host. Our results reveal a unique "patchwork" genome, in which repeat-rich blocks of DNA with discrete boundaries are interspersed by gene-rich sequences. In contrast to other species, the three-dimensional structure of the genome is anchored by these repeat blocks, which act to isolate transcription in neighbouring gene-rich regions. Genes that are differentially expressed in planta are enriched near the boundaries of these repeat-rich blocks, suggesting that their three-dimensional orientation partly encodes and regulates the symbiotic relationship formed by this organism.A total of 6,709 base-level errors, mostly single base indels (96.9%), were polished using the Pilon finisher with 87x coverage Illumina paired-end sequencing as input. Finally, telomeres were trimmed to the nearest canonical sequence and, where necessary, chromosome sequences were reverse-complemented to place the short arm of the chromosome first by

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The Epichloë festucae antifungal protein has activity against the plant pathogen Sclerotinia homoeocarpa, the causal agent of dollar spot disease

Cited by 44 publications

References 60 publications

Lolium perenne apoplast metabolomics for identification of novel metabolites produced by the symbiotic fungus Epichloë festucae

Lolium perenne apoplast metabolomics for identification of novel metabolites produced by the symbiotic fungus Epichloë festucae

Endophytic fungi as biocontrol agents: elucidating mechanisms in disease suppression

Repeat elements organize 3D genome structure and mediate transcription in the filamentous fungusEpichloë festucae

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