Abstract
Crops constantly experience various biotic stresses during their life cycle, and Fusarium spp. remain one of the most serious groups of pathogens affecting plants. The ability to manipulate the expression of certain microorganism genes via RNAi creates the opportunity for new-generation dsRNA-based preparations to control a large number of diseases. In this study, we applied virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS), and spray-induced gene silencing (SIGS) to silence the trichothecene-producing gene TRI5 in F. culmorum as a means to reduce its aggressiveness on spring wheat. Treatment of the fungus with dsTRI5RNA in vitro reduced deoxynivalenol (DON) and 3-acetyldeoxynivalenol (3-A-DON) accumulations by 53–85% and 61–87%, respectively, and reduced TRI5 expression by 84–97%. VIGS decreased the proportion of infected wheat spikelets by 73%, but upregulation was observed for TRI5. SIGS on wheat leaves and ears using certain dsTRI5RNA amounts negatively impacted F. culmorum growth. However, when performing in vivo analyses of TRI5 mRNA levels, the upregulation of the gene was determined in the variants where fungal colonization was restricted, suggesting a compensatory reaction of the pathogen to RNAi.
Highlights
Fusarium culmorum and Fusarium graminearum are spread throughout the world, affecting a large number of crops
To synthesize dsRNA, a 161 bp gene fragment was chosen that has no homology with the sequences of other organisms present in public databases, with the wheat genome, excluding the organisms present in public databases, with the wheat genome, excluding non-specific silencing of plant genes
virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) and/or spray-induced gene silencing (SIGS) led to reduced infections on wheat heads or wheat leaves, respectively
Summary
Fusarium culmorum and Fusarium graminearum are spread throughout the world, affecting a large number of crops They cause fusarium head blight (FHB), a wilting of the ears of grain species after infection through the floret. They pose a threat to animal and human health through toxin-contaminated plant material. Both species are able to produce significant amounts of trichothecene mycotoxins that cause severe food poisoning. It has been reported that the fungi produce trichothecenes right before actual tissue colonization, weakening the host and most likely leading to an inhibition of plant immune responses [1]. Plant defense reactions can be disrupted or delayed, as an effective immune response directly depends on transcription and translation processes [1]
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