Widespread horizontal transfer of the cerato-ulmin gene between Ophiostoma novo-ulmi and Geosmithia species

Bettini, P.; Frascella, Arcangela; Kolařík, Miroslav; Comparini, Cecilia; Pepori, Alessia Lucia; Santini, Alberto; Scala, Felice; Scala, Aniello

doi:10.1016/j.funbio.2014.04.007

Cited by 17 publications

(13 citation statements)

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“…The existence of a more complicated relationship between ONU and Geosmithias than just occupying the same habitat and having the same vectors has recently been suggested by the discovery of widespread horizontal gene transfer (HGT) of a genomic fragment comprising the cerato-ulmin ( cu ) gene between the two fungi [ 22 ]. Cerato-ulmin, a class II hydrophobin of about 8 kDa produced by the pathogens O. ulmi , O. novo-ulmi , Ophiostoma himal-ulmi , and by the non-pathogen Ophiostoma quercus [ 23 , 24 ], might play a role in DED by improving the fitness of the fungus [ 25 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Geosmithia-Ophiostoma: a New Fungus-Fungus Association

et al. 2017

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In Europe as in North America, elms are devastated by Dutch elm disease (DED), caused by the alien ascomycete Ophiostoma novo-ulmi. Pathogen dispersal and transmission are ensured by local species of bark beetles, which established a novel association with the fungus. Elm bark beetles also transport the Geosmithia fungi genus that is found in scolytids’ galleries colonized by O. novo-ulmi. Widespread horizontal gene transfer between O. novo-ulmi and Geosmithia was recently observed. In order to define the relation between these two fungi in the DED pathosystem, O. novo-ulmi and Geosmithia species from elm, including a GFP-tagged strain, were grown in dual culture and mycelial interactions were observed by light and fluorescence microscopy. Growth and sporulation of O. novo-ulmi in the absence or presence of Geosmithia were compared. The impact of Geosmithia on DED severity was tested in vivo by co-inoculating Geosmithia and O. novo-ulmi in elms. A close and stable relation was observed between the two fungi, which may be classified as mycoparasitism by Geosmithia on O. novo-ulmi. These results prove the existence of a new component in the complex of organisms involved in DED, which might be capable of reducing the disease impact.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1007/s00248-017-1062-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Geosmithia-Ophiostoma: a New Fungus-Fungus Association

et al. 2017

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“…For example, the acquisition of a toxin‐encoding gene by Pyrenophora tritici‐repentis from Stagonospora nodorum turned a fungus causing occasional spots in wheat leaves into a devastating pest in a matter of decades (Friesen et al ., ; Oliver & Solomon, ). HGT between plant pathogens seems to be fairly widespread and, in certain cases, patterns of repeated HGT between the same groups have been reported (Khaldi et al ., ; Armijos‐Jaramillo, Sukno & Thon, ; Bettini et al ., ; Gluck‐Thaler et al ., ; Qiu et al ., ; Yin et al ., ). HGT has been involved in drastic shifts in lifestyle, such as the acquisition of an entomopathogenic habit from a grass endophyte lifestyle in the genus Metarrhizium (Zhang et al ., ).…”

Section: Metabolic Complexitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Fungal evolution: cellular, genomic and metabolic complexity

Naranjo‐Ortiz

Gabaldón

2020

Biological Reviews

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The question of how phenotypic and genomic complexity are inter‐related and how they are shaped through evolution is a central question in biology that historically has been approached from the perspective of animals and plants. In recent years, however, fungi have emerged as a promising alternative system to address such questions. Key to their ecological success, fungi present a broad and diverse range of phenotypic traits. Fungal cells can adopt many different shapes, often within a single species, providing them with great adaptive potential. Fungal cellular organizations span from unicellular forms to complex, macroscopic multicellularity, with multiple transitions to higher or lower levels of cellular complexity occurring throughout the evolutionary history of fungi. Similarly, fungal genomes are very diverse in their architecture. Deep changes in genome organization can occur very quickly, and these phenomena are known to mediate rapid adaptations to environmental changes. Finally, the biochemical complexity of fungi is huge, particularly with regard to their secondary metabolites, chemical products that mediate many aspects of fungal biology, including ecological interactions. Herein, we explore how the interplay of these cellular, genomic and metabolic traits mediates the emergence of complex phenotypes, and how this complexity is shaped throughout the evolutionary history of Fungi.

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“…If pathogenicity of Geo smithia langdonii has not yet been proved, its effects on the growth of broadleaved trees and on roots have been demonstrated by Cízková et al (2005). Geosmith ia langdonii has also been often isolated in association with Ophiostoma ulmi and O. novoulmi in dying elms affected by DED (Pepori 2012;Bettini et al 2014;Pepori et al 2014). Besides these reported cases of plant pathogenicity, one Geosmithia species, Geosmithia ar gillacea has been shown to cause an invasive mycosis in humans associated to a cystic fibrosis (Giraud et al 2010;De Ravin et al 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

First report of Geosmithia langdonii and Geosmithia spp. isolated from a decaying elm (Ulmus minor) in Geneva, Switzerland

Hänzi

Cochard

Chablais

et al. 2016

Folia Forestalia Polonica

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The mortality of a young elm Ulmus minor in 2014 in Geneva prompted a search for the microorganisms potentially involved. Symptoms included foliar chlorosis and wilting followed by defoliation of branches. Wood symptoms included a brown streaking of sap wood and brown stains in trunk and branches. The comparison of the resulting ITS rDNA sequences to the NCBI Nucleotide database allowed to identify 10 different organisms. The genus Geosmithia represented 48% of the isolates belonging to three species: Geosmithia langdonii (7 isolates) and 2 unknown morphologically and genetically different Geosmithia sp. 1 and sp. 2 (4 isolates). Geosmithia species are very little known ascomycetes, which have been recently shown to be opportunistic pathogens on broadleaved trees and conifers, living as saprobes in galleries of many bark beetle species. In the case described here, Geosmithia langdonii, and the unknown Geosmithia species were found in symptomatic wood while bark beetle galleries were found in close regions of the symptomatic wood. Geosmithia langdonii was the major fungus retrieved from the symptomatic wood and could have contributed, along with other identified fungal species, to a pathogenic complex producing symptoms similar to the ones of the Dutch Elm Disease and led to the dieback of this elm tree. Geosmithia langdonii and 2 yet unknown Geosmithia species (sp. 1 and sp. 2), different from any other reported Geosmithia species are reported from an elm tree in Switzerland for the first time.

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Widespread horizontal transfer of the cerato-ulmin gene between Ophiostoma novo-ulmi and Geosmithia species

Cited by 17 publications

References 75 publications

Geosmithia-Ophiostoma: a New Fungus-Fungus Association

Geosmithia-Ophiostoma: a New Fungus-Fungus Association

Fungal evolution: cellular, genomic and metabolic complexity

First report of Geosmithia langdonii and Geosmithia spp. isolated from a decaying elm (Ulmus minor) in Geneva, Switzerland

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