Abstract
BackgroundThe Ceratocystis genus harbors a large number of phytopathogenic fungi that cause xylem parenchyma degradation and vascular destruction on a broad range of economically important plants. Ceratocystis cacaofunesta is a necrotrophic fungus responsible for lethal wilt disease in cacao. The aim of this work is to analyze the genome of C. cacaofunesta through a comparative approach with genomes of other Sordariomycetes in order to better understand the molecular basis of pathogenicity in the Ceratocystis genus.ResultsWe present an analysis of the C. cacaofunesta genome focusing on secreted proteins that might constitute pathogenicity factors. Comparative genome analyses among five Ceratocystidaceae species and 23 other Sordariomycetes fungi showed a strong reduction in gene content of the Ceratocystis genus. However, some gene families displayed a remarkable expansion, in particular, the Phosphatidylinositol specific phospholipases-C (PI-PLC) family. Also, evolutionary rate calculations suggest that the evolution process of this family was guided by positive selection. Interestingly, among the 82 PI-PLCs genes identified in the C. cacaofunesta genome, 70 genes encoding extracellular PI-PLCs are grouped in eight small scaffolds surrounded by transposon fragments and scars that could be involved in the rapid evolution of the PI-PLC family. Experimental secretome using LC–MS/MS validated 24% (86 proteins) of the total predicted secretome (342 proteins), including four PI-PLCs and other important pathogenicity factors.ConclusionAnalysis of the Ceratocystis cacaofunesta genome provides evidence that PI-PLCs may play a role in pathogenicity. Subsequent functional studies will be aimed at evaluating this hypothesis. The observed genetic arsenals, together with the analysis of the PI-PLC family shown in this work, reveal significant differences in the Ceratocystis genome compared to the classical vascular fungi, Verticillium and Fusarium. Altogether, our analyses provide new insights into the evolution and the molecular basis of plant pathogenicity.
Highlights
The Ceratocystis genus harbors a large number of phytopathogenic fungi that cause xylem parenchyma degradation and vascular destruction on a broad range of economically important plants
A total of 1411 genes were assigned to 115 Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) metabolic pathways, and the following functions were highlighted based on the largest numbers of genes in these categories: biosynthesis of antibiotics (151), purine metabolism (128), pyrimidine metabolism (42), thiamine metabolism (41), oxidative phosphorylation (34), and pyruvate metabolism (32) (Additional file 2)
The results show that the C. fimbriata proteome was distributed among Gene ontology (GO) and KEGG categories in a pattern similar to C. cacaofunesta (Additional file 2)
Summary
The Ceratocystis genus harbors a large number of phytopathogenic fungi that cause xylem parenchyma degradation and vascular destruction on a broad range of economically important plants. Ceratocystis cacaofunesta is a necrotrophic fungus responsible for lethal wilt disease in cacao. Pathogens of Ceratocystis genus cause diverse diseases, such as root and tuber rot, canker stains and vascular wilt [8, 9] in a broad range of economically important crops around the world [5, 10]. C. cacaofunesta causes plant cell death during host colonization [2]. It can reproduce asexually, through vegetative propagation and conidia formation, and sexually [2, 16]. These insect vectors are attracted by volatiles compounds produced by the fungus [20]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
