Continuous Spectrum of Lifestyles of Plant-Associated Fungi Under Fluctuating Environments: What Genetic Components Determine the Lifestyle Transition?

Abstract

Plants interact with diverse fungal species, ranging from pathogens to beneficial endophytes. The pathogenic and beneficial lifestyles of fungi have often been studied separately and independently, so the aspects of genetic basis that contribute to lifestyle transitions in plant-associated fungi have not been generally addressed. The Colletotrichum genus comprises a highly diverse group of pathogens that infect and cause anthracnose diseases in a wide range of plant hosts. On the other hand, some of the Colletotrichum species act as beneficial endophytes and promote plant growth under conditions of stress. The presence of diverse Colletotrichum species with contrasting infection strategies thus provides a suitable model system in which to explore the molecular basis for discriminating pathogenic and beneficial lifestyles of plant-associated fungi. This chapter reviews recent molecular-based research related to pathogenic and beneficial Colletotrichum species and discusses the possible molecular basis underlying the lifestyle determination, based on the results of comparative genomics and in planta transcriptome analysis.