Two Novel Dimorphism-Related Virulence Factors of Zymoseptoria tritici Identified Using Agrobacterium -Mediated Insertional Mutagenesis

• Published in: International journal of molecular sciences 2021-12, Vol.23 (1), p.400
• Main Authors: Yemelin, Alexander, Brauchler, Annamaria, Jacob, Stefan, Foster, Andrew J, Laufer, Julian, Heck, Larissa, Antelo, Luis, Andresen, Karsten, Thines, Eckhard
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Agrobacterium - metabolism; Amino acids; Ascomycota - genetics; Ascomycota - growth & development; Ascomycota - pathogenicity; Base Sequence; Cell Wall - metabolism; Complementation; dimorphic switch; Dimorphism; Disease; DNA, Bacterial - genetics; Economic impact; forward genetics; fungal dimorphism; Fungal Proteins - metabolism; Fungi; Fungicides; Gene Expression Profiling; Gene Expression Regulation, Fungal; Gene Ontology; Genes; Genes, Fungal; Genetics; Genomes; Genotype & phenotype; Host plants; Impact analysis; Inactivation, Metabolic; Infections; Insertional mutagenesis; Kinases; Lipid Metabolism; Metals - metabolism; Mutagenesis; Mutagenesis, Insertional - genetics; Mutation - genetics; Oxidative stress; Oxidative Stress - genetics; Phylogenetics; Pigmentation - genetics; Proteins; Proteolysis; reverse genetics; RNA-Seq; Septoria tritici blotch; Temperature; Transcription, Genetic; Transcriptomes; transcriptomic analysis; Virulence; Virulence - genetics; Virulence factors; Virulence Factors - metabolism; Yeast
• ISSN: 1422-0067; 1661-6596; 1422-0067
• DOI: 10.3390/ijms23010400

Diseases caused by dimorphic phytopathogenic and systemic dimorphic fungi have markedly increased in prevalence in the last decades, and understanding the morphogenic transition to the virulent state might yield novel means of controlling dimorphic fungi. The dimorphic fungus causes significant economic impact on wheat production, and yet the regulation of the dimorphic switch, a key first step in successful plant colonization, is still largely unexplored in this fungus. The fungus is amenable to suppression by fungicides at this switch point, and the identification of the factors controlling the dimorphic switch provides a potential source of novel targets to control blotch (STB). Inhibition of the dimorphic switch can potentially prevent penetration and avoid any damage to the host plant. The aim of the current work was to unveil genetic determinants of the dimorphic transition in by using a forward genetics strategy. Using this approach, we unveiled two novel factors involved in the switch to the pathogenic state and used reverse genetics and complementation to confirm the role of the novel virulence factors and further gained insight into the role of these genes, using transcriptome analysis via RNA-Seq. The transcriptomes generated potentially contain key determinants of the dimorphic transition.