Calcium-mediated perception and defense responses activated in plant cells by metabolite mixtures secreted by the biocontrol fungus Trichoderma atroviride

• Published in: BMC plant biology 2007-07, Vol.7 (1), p.41-41
• Main Authors: Navazio, Lorella, Baldan, Barbara, Moscatiello, Roberto, Zuppini, Anna, Woo, Sheridan L, Mariani, Paola, Lorito, Matteo
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Botrytis; Botrytis cinerea; Calcium - metabolism; Calcium, Dietary; Chemical properties; Chitinases - metabolism; Chromatin - metabolism; Development; Evaluation; Glycine max; Glycine max - cytology; Glycine max - metabolism; Glycine max - microbiology; Glycine max - physiology; Kinetics; Physiological aspects; Plant defenses; Plants; Reactive Oxygen Species - metabolism; Signal Transduction; Soil fungi; Trichoderma - enzymology; Trichoderma - growth & development; Trichoderma - physiology; Trichoderma atroviride
• ISSN: 1471-2229; 1471-2229
• DOI: 10.1186/1471-2229-7-41

Calcium is commonly involved as intracellular messenger in the transduction by plants of a wide range of biotic stimuli, including signals from pathogenic and symbiotic fungi. Trichoderma spp. are largely used in the biological control of plant diseases caused by fungal phytopathogens and are able to colonize plant roots. Early molecular events underlying their association with plants are relatively unknown. Here, we investigated the effects on plant cells of metabolite complexes secreted by Trichoderma atroviride wild type P1 and a deletion mutant of this strain on the level of cytosolic free Ca2+ and activation of defense responses. Trichoderma culture filtrates were obtained by growing the fungus alone or in direct antagonism with its fungal host, the necrotrophic pathogen Botrytis cinerea, and then separated in two fractions (>3 and