Destructive Fungal Pathogen Research Articles

Thymol-based submicron emulsions exhibit antifungal activity against Fusarium graminearum and inhibit Fusarium head blight in wheat

Fusarium graminearum is a very destructive fungal pathogen that leads to Fusarium head blight (FHB) in wheat, a disease which costs growers millions of dollars annually both in crop losses and in remediation efforts. Current countermeasures include the deployment of wheat varieties with some resistance to FHB in conjunction with timed fungicide treatments. In this article, we introduce a fungicide based on thymol, a naturally occurring plant phenolic derived from essential oils. To overcome the hydrophobicity of thymol, the thymol active was incorporated into a low-surfactant submicron emulsion with and without a carrier oil. The minimum fungicidal concentration of F.graminearum was found to be both 0·02% for thymol emulsions with and without an oil component. Time-to-kill experiments showed that thymol emulsions were able to inactivate F.graminearum in as little as 10s at concentrations above 0·06%. Spraying the thymol emulsions (~0·1% range) on the wheat variety Bobwhite demonstrated significant reductions in FHB infection rate (number of infected spikelets). However, with 0·5% thymol, the wheat heads exhibited premature senescence. Transmission and scanning electron micrographs suggest that the mechanism of antifungal action is membrane mediated, as conidia exposed to thymol showed complete organelle disorganization and evidence of lipid emulsification. The collective experimental data suggest that thymol emulsions may be an effective naturally derived alternative to the current thymol treatments, and chemical fungicides in ameliorating FHB. This is the first thymol-derived nanoemulsion particles resuspended into water and not DMSO, exhibiting the same antibacterial/antifungal activity as previously described thymol and thyme oil treatments. This drastically reduces the environmental footprint thymol will leave if utilized as a fungicide treatment on field crops.

Protoplast transformation as a potential platform for exploring gene function in Verticillium dahliae.

BackgroundLarge efforts have focused on screening for genes involved in the virulence and pathogenicity of Verticillium dahliae, a destructive fungal pathogen of numerous plant species that is difficult to control once the plant is infected. Although Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation (ATMT) has been widely used for gene screening, a quick and easy method has been needed to facilitate transformation.ResultsHigh-quality protoplasts, with excellent regeneration efficiency (65 %) in TB3 broth (yeast extract 30 g, casamino acids 30 g and 200g sucrose in 1L H20), were generated using driselase (Sigma D-9515) and transformed with the GFP plasmid or linear GFP cassette using PEG or electroporation. PEG-mediated transformation yielded 600 transformants per microgram DNA for the linear GFP cassette and 250 for the GFP plasmid; electroporation resulted in 29 transformants per microgram DNA for the linear GFP cassette and 24 for the GFP plasmid. To determine whether short interfering RNAs (siRNAs) can be delivered to the protoplasts and used for silencing genes, we targeted the GFP gene of Vd-GFP (V. dahliae GFP strain obtained in this study) by delivering one of four different siRNAs—19-nt duplex with 2-nt 3′ overhangs (siRNA-gfp1, siRNA-gfp2, siRNA-gfp3 and siRNA-gfp4)—into the Vd-GFP protoplasts using PEG-mediated transformation. Up to 100 % silencing of GFP was obtained with siRNA-gfp4; the other siRNAs were less effective (up to 10 % silencing). Verticillium transcription activator of adhesion (Vta2) gene of V. dahliae was also silenced with four siRNAs (siRNA-vta1, siRNA-vta2, siRNA-vta3 and siRNA-vta4) independently and together using the same approach; siRNA-vta1 had the highest silencing efficiency as assessed by colony diameter and quantitative real time PCR (qRT-PCR) analysis.ConclusionOur quick, easy transformation method can be used to investigate the function of genes involved in growth, virulence and pathogenicity of V. dahliae.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12896-016-0287-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Geographically Distinct and Domain-Specific Sequence Variations in the Alleles of Rice Blast Resistance Gene Pib.

Rice blast is caused by Magnaporthe oryzae, which is the most destructive fungal pathogen affecting rice growing regions worldwide. The rice blast resistance gene Pib confers broad-spectrum resistance against Southeast Asian M. oryzae races. We investigated the allelic diversity of Pib in rice germplasm originating from 12 major rice growing countries. Twenty-five new Pib alleles were identified that have unique single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), insertions and/or deletions, in addition to the polymorphic nucleotides that are shared between the different alleles. These partially or completely shared polymorphic nucleotides indicate frequent sequence exchange events between the Pib alleles. In some of the new Pib alleles, nucleotide diversity is high in the LRR domain, whereas, in others it is distributed among the NB-ARC and LRR domains. Most of the polymorphic amino acids in LRR and NB-ARC2 domains are predicted as solvent-exposed. Several of the alleles and the unique SNPs are country specific, suggesting a diversifying selection of alleles in various geographical locations in response to the locally prevalent M. oryzae population. Together, the new Pib alleles are an important genetic resource for rice blast resistance breeding programs and provide new information on rice-M. oryzae interactions at the molecular level.

Evaluation of Pathological Variations in Alternaria Species Infecting Oilseed Brassicas in Diverse Regions of India for Induction of Systemic Resistance

The 32 isolates of A. brassicae, 20 isolates of A. brassicicola and 3 isolates of A. alternata originating from diverse regions of North-West India, where Alternaria blight is highly prevalent, were investigated for their pathogenicity on various host species. The disease reaction varied with necrotic lesions of 0.4-7.5mm, mostly having brown to black coloured lesions. The isolates caused moderate to severe chlorosis on B. rapa varieties (YSH-401 and Pusa gold) as compared to the B. juncea varieties (Varuna, Rohini, Kranti and PHR-01). The mean disease index varied from 2.22 ± 1.17 to 7.32 ± 0.67 in A. brassicae isolates, 2.38 ± 0.92 to 5.89 ± 0.89 in A. brassicicola isolates and 2.49 ± 0.97 to 5.87 ± 0.91 in A. alternata isolates. Out of seven A. brassicae isolates that tested positive for non-aggressiveness on specific host species, five isolates, on prior inoculation, induced tolerance to highly aggressive strains of A. brassicae in the respective B. juncea and B. rapa varieties. The study thus opens up the possibility of deploying attenuated virulence as naturally occurring biological control for induction of systemic resistance/tolerance in Brassicas against A. brassicae, one of the most destructive fungal pathogen.

Exploring de novo specificity: the Pyrenophora tritici‐repentis–barley interaction

Pyrenophora tritici‐repentis (Ptr) is a destructive fungal pathogen of wheat worldwide. In addition to wheat, Ptr has been isolated from various other hosts in the family Poaceae, yet the nature of its interaction with those hosts is unknown. The Ptr–barley relationship was explored and the existence of a specific interaction between Ptr and barley is described for the first time; symptom development on several barley genotypes was evaluated in bioassays and by toxin infiltration into barley leaves. Ptr ToxB‐producing isolates of the fungus were able to cause significant damage when inoculated onto certain barley genotypes, and Ptr ToxB was able to induce chlorosis in a highly selective manner when infiltrated into those same genotypes. Ptr–barley specificity is subtle and can break with slight changes in temperature after infection. To understand the infection process in barley, a cytological analysis and in planta fungal biomass estimation using quantitative PCR were performed. The fungus penetrates through the host epidermal cells and advances to colonize the mesophyll layer intercellularly, with the infection process on barley closely resembling that on wheat. Here, evidence is provided for a specific interaction between barley and Ptr, expanding understanding of Ptr host specificity and breaking the assumption that the highest level of specificity seen with Ptr is restricted to particular genotypes of the wheat host.

Identification of genes differentially expressed during early interactions between the stem rot fungus (Sclerotium rolfsii) and peanut (Arachis hypogaea) cultivars with increasing disease resistance levels

Sclerotium rolfsii, a destructive soil-borne fungal pathogen causes stem rot of the cultivated peanut, Arachis hypogaea. This study aimed to identify differentially expressed genes associated with peanut resistance and fungal virulence. Four peanut cultivars (A100-32, Georgia Green, GA-07W and York) with increasing resistance levels were inoculated with a virulent S. rolfsii strain to study the early plant–pathogen interaction. 454 sequencing was performed on RNAs from infected tissue collected at 4 days post inoculation, generating 225,793 high-quality reads. Normalized read counts and fold changes were calculated and statistical analysis used to identify differentially expressed genes. Several genes identified as differential in the RNA-seq experiment were selected based on functions of interest and real-time PCR employed to corroborate their differential expression. Expanding the analysis to include all four cultivars revealed a small but interesting set of genes showing colinearity between cultivar resistance and expression levels. This study identified a set of genes possibly related to pathogen response that may be useful marker assisted selection or transgenic disease control strategies. Additionally, a set of differentially expressed genes that have not been functionally characterized in peanut or other plants and warrant additional investigation were identified.

Genome organisation and expression profiling of ABC protein-encoding genes in Heterobasidion annosum s.l. complex

Members of Heterobasidion annosum species complex are widely regarded as the most destructive fungal pathogens of conifer trees in the boreal and temperate zones of Northern hemisphere. To invade and colonise their host trees, Heterobasidion fungi must overcome components of host chemical defence, including terpenoid oleoresin and phenolic compounds. ABC transporters may play an important role in this process participating in the export of toxic host metabolites and maintaining their intracellular concentration below the critical level. We have identified and phylogenetically classified Heterobasidion genes encoding ABC transporters and closely related ABC proteins. The number of ABC proteins in the Heterobasidion genome is one of the lowest among analysed species of Agaricomycotina. Using quantitative RT-PCR, we have analysed transcriptional response of Heterobasidion ABC transporter-encoding genes to monoterpenes as well as their expression profile during growth on pine wood in comparison to the growth on defined media. Several ABC transporters were up-regulated during growth on pine wood. The ABC-transporter encoding gene ABCG1.1 was induced both during growth of H. annosum on pine wood and upon exposure to monoterpenes. Our experimental data demonstrate the differential responses of Heterobasidion ABC genes to growth conditions and chemical stressors. The presented results suggest a potential role of Heterobasidion ABC-G transporters in the resistance to the components of conifer chemical defence.

An RLP23-SOBIR1-BAK1 complex mediates NLP-triggered immunity.

Plants and animals employ innate immune systems to cope with microbial infection. Pattern-triggered immunity relies on the recognition of microbe-derived patterns by pattern recognition receptors (PRRs). Necrosis and ethylene-inducing peptide 1-like proteins (NLPs) constitute plant immunogenic patterns that are unique, as these proteins are produced by multiple prokaryotic (bacterial) and eukaryotic (fungal, oomycete) species. Here we show that the leucine-rich repeat receptor protein (LRR-RP) RLP23 binds in vivo to a conserved 20-amino-acid fragment found in most NLPs (nlp20), thereby mediating immune activation in Arabidopsis thaliana. RLP23 forms a constitutive, ligand-independent complex with the LRR receptor kinase (LRR-RK) SOBIR1 (Suppressor of Brassinosteroid insensitive 1 (BRI1)-associated kinase (BAK1)-interacting receptor kinase 1), and recruits a second LRR-RK, BAK1, into a tripartite complex upon ligand binding. Stable, ectopic expression of RLP23 in potato (Solanum tuberosum) confers nlp20 pattern recognition and enhanced immunity to destructive oomycete and fungal plant pathogens, such as Phytophthora infestans and Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. PRRs that recognize widespread microbial patterns might be particularly suited for engineering immunity in crop plants.

Sequence-Related Amplified Polymorphism-PCR Analysis for Genetic Diversity in Rhizoctonia solani Populations Infecting Pulse Crops in Different Agro-Ecological Regions of India

A B S T R A C T Rhizoctonia solani is a destructive fungal pathogen infecting wide range of crop plants including pulses causing wet root rot or web blight disease. The present study was aimed to determine the genetic diversity of R. solani populations using Sequence-Related Amplified Polymorphism (SRAP) markers. The SRAP markers were used for genetic diversity analysis of 89 isolates of R. solani belonging to 7 Anastomosis Groups (AGs) isolated from different pulse crops representing 21 states from 16 agro-ecological regions of India. Out of 30 SRAP primer combinations evaluated, 16 combinations provided amplification with 100% polymorphism and the primer combinations Me1/Em1and Me1/Em4 provided the highest number of bands (14). The isolates of R. solani showed high level of genetic variability and grouped into 7 major clusters at 35% genetic similarity by using unweighted pair group method with an arithmetic average analysis. Bootstrap analysis grouped the isolates into five major clusters at 28% genetic similarity and about 95% isolates shared common sub-grouping patterns in both the analysis. The majority of the isolates representing various AGs were grouped together into different sub-clusters. The molecular clusters did not correspond to agro-ecological regions and crops of the origin of the isolates because of the diversity in the hosts and adopt ability of the pathogen under different environmental conditions prevalent in various parts of the country. First time an attempt was made in the present study to determine the genetic variability of the R. solani populations isolated from different pulse crops representing various AGs using SRAP markers.

Verticillium longisporum infection induces organ-specific glucosinolate degradation in Arabidopsis thaliana.

The species Verticillium represents a group of highly destructive fungal pathogens, responsible for vascular wilt in a number of crops. The host response to infection by Verticillium longisporum at the level of secondary plant metabolites has not been well explored. Natural variation in the glucosinolate (GLS) composition of four Arabidopsis thaliana accessions was characterized: the accessions Bur-0 and Hi-0 accumulated alkenyl GLS, while 3-hydroxypropyl GLS predominated in Kn-0 and Ler-0. With respect to GLS degradation products, Hi-0 and Kn-0 generated mainly isothiocyanates, whereas Bur-0 released epithionitriles and Ler-0 nitriles. An analysis of the effect on the composition of both GLS and its breakdown products in the leaf and root following the plants’ exposure to V. longisporum revealed a number of organ- and accession-specific alterations. In the less disease susceptible accessions Bur-0 and Ler-0, colonization depressed the accumulation of GLS in the rosette leaves but accentuated it in the roots. In contrast, in the root, the level of GLS breakdown products in three of the four accessions fell, suggestive of their conjugation or binding to a fungal target molecule(s). The plant-pathogen interaction influenced both the organ- and accession-specific formation of GLS degradation products.

Draft Genome Sequence of the Rice Kernel Smut Tilletia horrida Strain QB-1.

Tilletia horrida is the most destructive fungal pathogen of rice (Oryza sativa L.). The 20,105,270-bp draft genome sequence of T. horrida strain QB-1 is reported here. Genes encoding proteins associated with key virulence factors were predicted, and this can provide information for understanding the pathogenic mechanisms in T. horrida.

Population structure and reproductive mode of Didymella fabae in Syria

Didymella fabae is a highly destructive fungal pathogen of faba bean (Vicia faba) that represents a significant yield‐limiting biotic constraint in all locations where the crop is grown. However, nothing is known about the population structure of this pathogen anywhere in the world. Population genetic analyses employing 18 sequence‐tagged microsatellite (STMS) markers covering eight genetic linkage groups and a PCR‐based mating type marker were used to elucidate the genetic structure and reproductive mode of the pathogen in three populations in Syria. High gene diversity within populations but low genetic differentiation among populations was observed and the entire collection of isolates was assigned to a single genetic population using a Bayesian clustering algorithm. Independent analyses were performed based on four unlinked sets of STMS markers to infer reproductive mode. A simulation approach was used to estimate which of the repeated multilocus genotypes were probably the result of asexual reproduction and should be clone‐corrected. A 1:1 ratio of mating types could not be rejected in any clone‐corrected population, probably due to small sample sizes. Likewise, frequency of clones and sample size, but not marker linkage, had strong effects on multilocus gametic disequilibrium. The null hypothesis of random mating was rejected in the majority of populations for both non‐clone‐corrected and clone‐corrected samples and with four sets of unlinked markers indicating a predominance of asexual reproduction in these populations. This represents the first detailed screening of clonal and genetic composition of D. fabae populations in Syria.

ITS1, 5.8S and ITS2 secondary structure modelling for intra-specific differentiation among species of the Colletotrichum gloeosporioides sensu lato species complex.

The Colletotrichum gloeosporioides species complex is among the most destructive fungal plant pathogens in the world, however, identification of member species which are of quarantine importance is impacted by a number of factors that negatively affect species identification. Structural information of the rRNA marker may be considered to be a conserved marker which can be used as supplementary information for possible species identification. The difficulty in using ITS rDNA sequences for identification lies in the low level of sequence variation at the intra-specific level and the generation of artificially-induced sequence variation due to errors in polymerization of the ITS array during DNA replication. Type and query ITS sequences were subjected to sequence analyses prior to generation of predicted consensus secondary structures, including the pattern of nucleotide polymorphisms and number of indel haplotypes, GC content, and detection of artificially-induced sequence variation. Data pertaining to structure stability, the presence of conserved motifs in secondary structures and mapping of all sequences onto the consensus C. gloeosporioides sensu stricto secondary structure for ITS1, 5.8S and ITS2 markers was then carried out. Motifs that are evolutionarily conserved among eukaryotes were found for all ITS1, 5.8S and ITS2 sequences. The sequences exhibited conserved features typical of functional rRNAs. Generally, polymorphisms occurred within less conserved regions and were seen as bulges, internal and terminal loops or non-canonical G–U base-pairs within regions of the double stranded helices. Importantly, there were also taxonomic motifs and base changes that were unique to specific taxa and which may be used to support intra-specific identification of members of the C. gloeosporioides sensu lato species complex.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/2193-1801-3-684) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Sequence exploration reveals information bias among molecular markers used in phylogenetic reconstruction for Colletotrichum species.

The Colletotrichum gloeosporioides species complex is among the most destructive fungal plant pathogens in the world, however, identification of isolates of quarantine importance to the intra-specific level is confounded by a number of factors that affect phylogenetic reconstruction. Information bias and quality parameters were investigated to determine whether nucleotide sequence alignments and phylogenetic trees accurately reflect the genetic diversity and phylogenetic relatedness of individuals. Sequence exploration of GAPDH, ACT, TUB2 and ITS markers indicated that the query sequences had different patterns of nucleotide substitution but were without evidence of base substitution saturation. Regions of high entropy were much more dispersed in the ACT and GAPDH marker alignments than for the ITS and TUB2 markers. A discernible bimodal gap in the genetic distance frequency histograms was produced for the ACT and GAPDH markers which indicated successful separation of intra- and inter-specific sequences in the data set. Overall, analyses indicated clear differences in the ability of these markers to phylogenetically separate individuals to the intra-specific level which coincided with information bias.

Population structure of the invasive forest pathogen Hymenoscyphus pseudoalbidus.

Understanding the genetic diversity and structure of invasive pathogens in source and in introduced areas is crucial to the revelation of hidden biological features of an organism, to the reconstruction of the course of invasions and to the establishment of effective control measures. Hymenoscyphus pseudoalbidus (anamorph: Chalara fraxinea) is an invasive and highly destructive fungal pathogen found on common ash Fraxinus excelsior in Europe and is native to East Asia. To gain insights into its dispersal mechanisms and history of invasion, we used microsatellite markers and characterized the genetic structure and diversity of H. pseudoalbidus populations at three spatial levels: (i) between Europe and Japan, (ii) in Europe and (iii) at the epidemic's front in Switzerland. Phylogenetic and network analysis demonstrated that individuals from both regions are conspecific. However, populations from Japan harboured a higher genetic diversity and were genetically differentiated from European ones. No evident population structure was found among the 1208 European strains using Bayesian and multivariate clustering analysis. Only the distribution of genetic diversity in space, pairwise population differentiation (GST) and the spatial analysis of principal components revealed a faint geographical pattern around Europe. A significant allele deficiency in most European populations pointed to a recent genetic bottleneck, whereas no pattern of isolation by distance was found. Our data suggest that H. pseudoalbidus was introduced just once by at least two individuals. The potential source region of H. pseudoalbidus is vast, and further investigations are required for a more accurate localization of the source population.

Identification and application of a unique genetic locus in diagnosis of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense tropical race 4

Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense, particularly the tropical race 4 (TR4), is the most destructive fungal pathogen of banana and can cause significant economic losses. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the pathogenicity and virulence of the fungus are poorly understood. In this study, we characterized the mutant W2987, which was derived through T-DNA insertional mutagenesis of a wild-type TR4 isolate. W2987 showed slower growth, produced fewer conidia and was less virulent than the wild-type strain. Thermal asymmetric interlaced-PCR (TAIL-PCR) analysis showed that the T-DNA was inserted in the 3′ untranslated region (UTR) of an open reading frame (ORF) in W2987. BLAST search results indicated that the ORF encodes a hypothetical protein with unknown function. Phylogenetic analysis of the gene sequences from various Fusarium isolates showed that the F. oxysporum f. sp. cubense TR4 isolates were distinct from other F. oxysporum isolates. One pair of primers based on the 3′ UTR sequence of the putative virulence gene amplified a specific PCR product from the F. oxysporum f. sp. cubense TR4 isolates but not from other races and Fusarium species. This result indicates that this genetic locus possibly associated with virulence is unique and reliable for diagnosis and detection of F. oxysporum f. sp. cubense TR4.

Proteomics-based analysis reveals that Verticillium dahliae toxin induces cell death by modifying the synthesis of host proteins

Verticillium dahliae is one of the most destructive soil-borne fungal pathogens that cause vascular wilt diseases in a wide range of important crop plants, including cotton. However, the mechanisms used by this pathogen to infect cotton have not been fully elucidated. In the present study, we first investigated changes in protein abundance during the initial interaction between cotton roots and V. dahliae. Among the proteins that were upregulated upon infection, some were related to reactive oxygen species (ROS); among those downregulated upon infection were proteins involved in normal metabolism or cell structure. Further experiments confirmed that a sudden release of ROS and cell death accompany V. dahliae infection in the cotton vasculature. Further analysis indicated that a culture supernatant of V. dahliae induced lesion formation in tobacco leaves; de novo protein synthesis not active gene expression was required for this induction. Lesion formation was dependent on the age of leaves, but neither the known ROS burst nor the ubiquitin/26S proteasome system are prerequisites.

In Planta Stage-Specific Fungal Gene Profiling Elucidates the Molecular Strategies of Fusarium graminearum Growing inside Wheat Coleoptiles

The ascomycete Fusarium graminearum is a destructive fungal pathogen of wheat (Triticum aestivum). To better understand how this pathogen proliferates within the host plant, we tracked pathogen growth inside wheat coleoptiles and then examined pathogen gene expression inside wheat coleoptiles at 16, 40, and 64 h after inoculation (HAI) using laser capture microdissection and microarray analysis. We identified 344 genes that were preferentially expressed during invasive growth in planta. Gene expression profiles for 134 putative plant cell wall-degrading enzyme genes suggest that there was limited cell wall degradation at 16 HAI and extensive degradation at 64 HAI. Expression profiles for genes encoding reactive oxygen species (ROS)-related enzymes suggest that F. graminearum primarily scavenges extracellular ROS before a later burst of extracellular ROS is produced by F. graminearum enzymes. Expression patterns of genes involved in primary metabolic pathways suggest that F. graminearum relies on the glyoxylate cycle at an early stage of plant infection. A secondary metabolite biosynthesis gene cluster was specifically induced at 64 HAI and was required for virulence. Our results indicate that F. graminearum initiates infection of coleoptiles using covert penetration strategies and switches to overt cellular destruction of tissues at an advanced stage of infection.

Tools to kill: genome of one of the most destructive plant pathogenic fungi Macrophomina phaseolina.

BackgroundMacrophomina phaseolina is one of the most destructive necrotrophic fungal pathogens that infect more than 500 plant species throughout the world. It can grow rapidly in infected plants and subsequently produces a large amount of sclerotia that plugs the vessels, resulting in wilting of the plant.ResultsWe sequenced and assembled ~49 Mb into 15 super-scaffolds covering 92.83% of the M. phaseolina genome. We predict 14,249 open reading frames (ORFs) of which 9,934 are validated by the transcriptome. This phytopathogen has an abundance of secreted oxidases, peroxidases, and hydrolytic enzymes for degrading cell wall polysaccharides and lignocelluloses to penetrate into the host tissue. To overcome the host plant defense response, M. phaseolina encodes a significant number of P450s, MFS type membrane transporters, glycosidases, transposases, and secondary metabolites in comparison to all sequenced ascomycete species. A strikingly distinct set of carbohydrate esterases (CE) are present in M. phaseolina, with the CE9 and CE10 families remarkably higher than any other fungi. The phenotypic microarray data indicates that M. phaseolina can adapt to a wide range of osmotic and pH environments. As a broad host range pathogen, M. phaseolina possesses a large number of pathogen-host interaction genes including those for adhesion, signal transduction, cell wall breakdown, purine biosynthesis, and potent mycotoxin patulin.ConclusionsThe M. phaseolina genome provides a framework of the infection process at the cytological and molecular level which uses a diverse arsenal of enzymatic and toxin tools to destroy the host plants. Further understanding of the M. phaseolina genome-based plant-pathogen interactions will be instrumental in designing rational strategies for disease control, essential to ensuring global agricultural crop production and security.

Contrasting introduction scenarios among continents in the worldwide invasion of the banana fungal pathogen Mycosphaerella fijiensis

Reconstructing and characterizing introduction routes is a key step towards understanding the ecological and evolutionary factors underlying successful invasions and disease emergence. Here, we aimed to decipher scenarios of introduction and stochastic demographic events associated with the global spread of an emerging disease of bananas caused by the destructive fungal pathogen Mycosphaerella fijiensis. We analysed the worldwide population structure of this fungus using 21 microsatellites and 8 sequence-based markers on 735 individuals from 37 countries. Our analyses designated South-East Asia as the source of the global invasion and supported the location of the centre of origin of M.fijiensis within this area. We confirmed the occurrence of bottlenecks upon introduction into other continents followed by widespread founder events within continents. Furthermore, this study suggested contrasting introduction scenarios of the pathogen between the African and American continents. While potential signatures of admixture resulting from multiple introductions were detected in America, all the African samples examined seem to descend from a single successful founder event. In combination with historical information, our study reveals an original and unprecedented global scenario of invasion for this recently emerging disease caused by a wind-dispersed pathogen.