Tomato Xylem Sap Hydrophobins Vdh4 and Vdh5 Are Important for Late Stages of <i>Verticillium dahliae</i> Plant Infection
<i>Verticillium dahliae</i> causes economic losses to a wide range of crops as a vascular fungal pathogen. This filamentous ascomycete spends long periods of its life cycle in the plant xylem, a unique environment that requires adaptive processes. Specifically, fungal proteins produced i...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-11-01
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| Series: | Journal of Fungi |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2309-608X/8/12/1252 |
| _version_ | 1827638228220379136 |
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| author | Isabel Maurus Miriam Leonard Alexandra Nagel Jessica Starke James W. Kronstad Rebekka Harting Gerhard H. Braus |
| author_facet | Isabel Maurus Miriam Leonard Alexandra Nagel Jessica Starke James W. Kronstad Rebekka Harting Gerhard H. Braus |
| author_sort | Isabel Maurus |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <i>Verticillium dahliae</i> causes economic losses to a wide range of crops as a vascular fungal pathogen. This filamentous ascomycete spends long periods of its life cycle in the plant xylem, a unique environment that requires adaptive processes. Specifically, fungal proteins produced in the xylem sap of the plant host may play important roles in colonizing the plant vasculature and in inducing disease symptoms. RNA sequencing revealed over 1500 fungal transcripts that are significantly more abundant in cells grown in tomato xylem sap compared with pectin-rich medium. Of the 85 genes that are strongly induced in the xylem sap, four genes encode the hydrophobins Vdh1, Vdh2, Vdh4 and Vdh5. Vdh4 and Vhd5 are structurally distinct from each other and from the three other hydrophobins (Vdh1-3) annotated in <i>V. dahliae</i> JR2. Their functions in the life cycle and virulence of <i>V. dahliae</i> were explored using genetics, cell biology and plant infection experiments. Our data revealed that Vdh4 and Vdh5 are dispensable for <i>V. dahliae</i> development and stress response, while both contribute to full disease development in tomato plants by acting at later colonization stages. We conclude that Vdh4 and Vdh5 are functionally specialized fungal hydrophobins that support pathogenicity against plants. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T16:13:36Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-1bf908caf74340c7806eb92286c00b47 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2309-608X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T16:13:36Z |
| publishDate | 2022-11-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Fungi |
| spelling | doaj.art-1bf908caf74340c7806eb92286c00b472023-11-24T15:59:19ZengMDPI AGJournal of Fungi2309-608X2022-11-01812125210.3390/jof8121252Tomato Xylem Sap Hydrophobins Vdh4 and Vdh5 Are Important for Late Stages of <i>Verticillium dahliae</i> Plant InfectionIsabel Maurus0Miriam Leonard1Alexandra Nagel2Jessica Starke3James W. Kronstad4Rebekka Harting5Gerhard H. Braus6Department of Molecular Microbiology and Genetics, Institute of Microbiology and Genetics and Goettingen Center for Molecular Biosciences (GZMB), University of Goettingen, Grisebachstr. 8, D-37077 Goettingen, GermanyDepartment of Molecular Microbiology and Genetics, Institute of Microbiology and Genetics and Goettingen Center for Molecular Biosciences (GZMB), University of Goettingen, Grisebachstr. 8, D-37077 Goettingen, GermanyDepartment of Molecular Microbiology and Genetics, Institute of Microbiology and Genetics and Goettingen Center for Molecular Biosciences (GZMB), University of Goettingen, Grisebachstr. 8, D-37077 Goettingen, GermanyDepartment of Molecular Microbiology and Genetics, Institute of Microbiology and Genetics and Goettingen Center for Molecular Biosciences (GZMB), University of Goettingen, Grisebachstr. 8, D-37077 Goettingen, GermanyMichael Smith Laboratories, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of British Columbia, 301-2185 East Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, CanadaDepartment of Molecular Microbiology and Genetics, Institute of Microbiology and Genetics and Goettingen Center for Molecular Biosciences (GZMB), University of Goettingen, Grisebachstr. 8, D-37077 Goettingen, GermanyDepartment of Molecular Microbiology and Genetics, Institute of Microbiology and Genetics and Goettingen Center for Molecular Biosciences (GZMB), University of Goettingen, Grisebachstr. 8, D-37077 Goettingen, Germany<i>Verticillium dahliae</i> causes economic losses to a wide range of crops as a vascular fungal pathogen. This filamentous ascomycete spends long periods of its life cycle in the plant xylem, a unique environment that requires adaptive processes. Specifically, fungal proteins produced in the xylem sap of the plant host may play important roles in colonizing the plant vasculature and in inducing disease symptoms. RNA sequencing revealed over 1500 fungal transcripts that are significantly more abundant in cells grown in tomato xylem sap compared with pectin-rich medium. Of the 85 genes that are strongly induced in the xylem sap, four genes encode the hydrophobins Vdh1, Vdh2, Vdh4 and Vdh5. Vdh4 and Vhd5 are structurally distinct from each other and from the three other hydrophobins (Vdh1-3) annotated in <i>V. dahliae</i> JR2. Their functions in the life cycle and virulence of <i>V. dahliae</i> were explored using genetics, cell biology and plant infection experiments. Our data revealed that Vdh4 and Vdh5 are dispensable for <i>V. dahliae</i> development and stress response, while both contribute to full disease development in tomato plants by acting at later colonization stages. We conclude that Vdh4 and Vdh5 are functionally specialized fungal hydrophobins that support pathogenicity against plants.https://www.mdpi.com/2309-608X/8/12/1252hydrophobinRNA sequencing<i>Verticillium dahliae</i>virulence |
| spellingShingle | Isabel Maurus Miriam Leonard Alexandra Nagel Jessica Starke James W. Kronstad Rebekka Harting Gerhard H. Braus Tomato Xylem Sap Hydrophobins Vdh4 and Vdh5 Are Important for Late Stages of <i>Verticillium dahliae</i> Plant Infection Journal of Fungi hydrophobin RNA sequencing <i>Verticillium dahliae</i> virulence |
| title | Tomato Xylem Sap Hydrophobins Vdh4 and Vdh5 Are Important for Late Stages of <i>Verticillium dahliae</i> Plant Infection |
| title_full | Tomato Xylem Sap Hydrophobins Vdh4 and Vdh5 Are Important for Late Stages of <i>Verticillium dahliae</i> Plant Infection |
| title_fullStr | Tomato Xylem Sap Hydrophobins Vdh4 and Vdh5 Are Important for Late Stages of <i>Verticillium dahliae</i> Plant Infection |
| title_full_unstemmed | Tomato Xylem Sap Hydrophobins Vdh4 and Vdh5 Are Important for Late Stages of <i>Verticillium dahliae</i> Plant Infection |
| title_short | Tomato Xylem Sap Hydrophobins Vdh4 and Vdh5 Are Important for Late Stages of <i>Verticillium dahliae</i> Plant Infection |
| title_sort | tomato xylem sap hydrophobins vdh4 and vdh5 are important for late stages of i verticillium dahliae i plant infection |
| topic | hydrophobin RNA sequencing <i>Verticillium dahliae</i> virulence |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2309-608X/8/12/1252 |
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