Abstract
Botrytis cinerea is a critically important phytopathogenic fungus, causing devastating crop losses; signal transduction cascades mediate the “dialogue” among the fungus, plant, and environment. Surface proteins play important roles as front-line receptors. We report the first description of the surfactome of a filamentous fungus. To obtain a complete view of these cascades during infection of B. cinerea, its surfactome has been described by optimization of the “shaving” process and LC–MS/MS at two different infection stages, and with both rapid and late responses to environmental changes. The best results were obtained using PBS buffer in the “shaving” protocol. The surfactome obtained comprises 1010 identified proteins. These have been categorized by gene ontology and protein–protein interactions to reveal new potential pathogenicity/virulence factors. From these data, the percentage of total proteins predicted for the genome of the fungus represented by proteins identified in this and other proteomics studies is calculated at 54%, a big increase over the previous 12%. The new data may be crucial for understanding better its biological activity and pathogenicity. Given its extensive exposure to plants and environmental conditions, the surfactome presents innumerable opportunities for interactions between the fungus and external elements, which should offer the best targets for fungicide development.
Highlights
The life cycle of fungal plant pathogens consists of invading plant tissues and transforming vegetable biomass so that the fungus can live, spread, and reproduce its active structures
Of all the fungal phytopathogens, Botrytis cinerea has been considered the most harmful in the western hemisphere [1], for the damage caused to hundreds of crops of agronomic importance, and because it serves as a molecular model, and there is increasing commercial interest by industry in the development of new environmentally-friendly fungicides [2]
We identified 1010 proteins that are components of the surfactome of the fungus; these have been categorized by gene ontology and protein–protein interactions, and new potential pathogenicity/virulence factors in B. cinerea have been revealed
Summary
The life cycle of fungal plant pathogens consists of invading plant tissues and transforming vegetable biomass so that the fungus can live, spread, and reproduce its active structures. A molecular competition takes place between plant defense strategies and fungal virulence/pathogenicity factors. Of all the fungal phytopathogens, Botrytis cinerea has been considered the most harmful in the western hemisphere [1], for the damage caused to hundreds of crops of agronomic importance, and because it serves as a molecular model, and there is increasing commercial interest by industry in the development of new environmentally-friendly fungicides [2]. B. cinerea owes its pathogenic potential to a large group of genes known as pathogenicity or virulence factors. Those genes have been listed in the plant–host interaction database [3]. B. cinerea has been used to develop defective mutants in those factors in order to elucidate the role of each during the infection process. Only 148 genes have been genetically studied by mutant analysis [4], representing only 1.3%
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary 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.
