Silicon enhances the accumulation of diterpenoid phytoalexins in rice: a potential mechanism for blast resistance

ABSTRACT Although several reports underscore the importance of silicon (Si) in controlling Magnaporthe grisea on rice, no study has associated this beneficial effect with specific mechanisms of host defense responses against this fungal attack. In this study, however, we provide evidence that higher levels of momilactone phytoalexins were found in leaf extracts from plants inoculated with M. grisea and amended with silicon (Si(+)) than in leaf extracts from inoculated plants not amended with silicon (Si(-) ) or noninoculated Si(+) and Si(-) plants. On this basis, the more efficient stimulation of the terpenoid pathway in Si(+) plants and, consequently, the increase in the levels of momilactones appears to be a factor contributing to enhanced rice resistance to blast. This may explain the lower level of blast severity observed on leaves of Si(+) plants at 96 h after inoculation with M. grisea. The results of this study strongly suggest that Si plays an active role in the resistance of rice to blast rather than the formation of a physical barrier to penetration by M. grisea.     

The influence of silicon on components of resistance to blast in susceptible, partially resistant, and resistant cultivars of rice

ABSTRACT The application of silicon (Si) fertilizers reduces the severity of blast, caused by Magnaporthe grisea, in irrigated and upland rice; however, little research has been conducted to examine the epidemiological and etiological components of this reduction. Four cultivars of rice with differential susceptibilities to race IB-49 of M. grisea were fertilized with three rates of a calcium silicate fertilizer and inoculated with the pathogen to test the effects of Si on the following components of resistance to blast: incubation period, latent period, infection efficiency, lesion size, rate of lesion expansion, sporulation per lesion, and diseased leaf area. For each cultivar, the incubation period was lengthened by increased rates of Si, and the numbers of sporulating lesions, lesion size, rate of lesion expansion, diseased leaf area, and number of spores per lesion were reduced. Lesion size and sporulation per lesion were lowered by 30 to 45%, and the number of sporulating lesions per leaf and diseased leaf area were significantly reduced at the highest rate of Si. The net effect of Si on these components of resistance is an overall reduction in the production of conidia on plants infected with M. grisea, thereby slowing the epidemic rate of blast.     

Expression Analysis of Rice Defense-Related Genes in Turfgrass in Response to Magnaporthe grisea

ABSTRACT Magnaporthe grisea (anamorph = Pyricularia grisea) causes blast on rice (Oryza sativa) and gray leaf spot on turfgrass. Gray leaf spot is a serious disease on St. Augustinegrass (Stenotaphrum secundatum), perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne), and tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea). Virulence assays performed in this study revealed that M. grisea collected from rice could also cause disease on St. Augustinegrass and tall fescue. One rice isolate, Che86061, caused similar disease reactions on susceptible cultivars of rice and St. Augustinegrass and an incompatible interaction on resistant cultivars of both species. To explore whether similar defense-related genes are expressed in rice and St. Augustinegrass, a rice cDNA library was screened using pooled cDNAs derived from M. grisea-infected St. Augustinegrass. Thirty rice EST (expressed sequence tag) clones showing differential expression in St. Augustinegrass following M. grisea inoculation were identified and classified into six putative functional groups. Northern blot analyses of seven EST clones that collectively represented each putative functional group confirmed that the expression of five out of seven EST clones was similar in both rice and St. Augustinegrass. This study represents one of the first attempts to use a broad-scale genomic approach and resources of a model monocot system to study defense gene expression in St. Augustinegrass following M. grisea infection.     

Quantification of Magnaporthe grisea During Infection of Rice Plants Using Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction and Northern Blot/Phosphoimaging Analyses

ABSTRACT Rice blast, caused by Magnaporthe grisea, is a serious fungal disease of rice worldwide. Currently, evaluation of the fungal pathogenicity and host resistance is mainly based on a disease rating or measurement of blast lesion number and size. However, these methods only provide visual estimation rather than accurate measurement of fungal growth in rice plants. In this study, DNA-based real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and RNA-based northern blot/phosphoimaging analyses were evaluated to quantify M. grisea. Both methods were sensitive, specific, and reproducible and could accurately measure the relative growth and absolute biomass of M. grisea. The real-time PCR analysis showed that the growth of M. grisea in seedling leaves of susceptible cultivars (M201 and Wells) was approximately 46 to 80 times higher than that of a resistant cultivar (Drew) at 4 and 6 days after inoculation. The data obtained from the real-time PCR assays also were consistent with that from northern blot/ phosphoimaging analysis. However, the real-time PCR approach was much faster and more convenient in most cases. Therefore, it is an excellent tool for in planta quantification of M. grisea and can be used for reliable assessment of fungal pathogenicity and host resistance.     

Rice Defense Mechanisms Against Cochliobolus miyabeanus and Magnaporthe grisea Are Distinct

ABSTRACT Responses of rice to Magnaporthe grisea and Cochliobolus miyabeanus were compared. In Tetep, a rice cultivar resistant to both fungi, pathogen inoculation rapidly triggered the hypersensitive reaction (HR), resulting in microscopic cell death. In rice cv. Nakdong, susceptible to both pathogens, M. grisea did not cause HR, whereas C. miyabeanus caused rapid cell death similar to that associated with HR, which appeared similar to that observed in cv. Tetep, yet failed to block fungal ramification. Treatment with conidial germination fluid (CGF) from C. miyabeanus induced rapid cell death in both cultivars, suggesting the presence of phytotoxins in CGF. Pretreatment of cv. Nakdong with CGF significantly increased resistance to M. grisea, while the same treatment was ineffective against C. miyabeanus. Similarly, in cv. Nakdong, benzothiadiazole (BTH) significantly increased resistance to M. grisea, but was ineffective against C. miyabeanus. Methyl jasmonate (MeJA) treatment appeared to be ineffective against either fungus. Increased resistance of cv. Nakdong to M. grisea by BTH or CCF treatment was correlated with more rapid induction of three monitored PR genes. Application of MeJA resulted in the expression of JAmyb in cv. Nakdong being induced faster than in untreated plants in response to M. grisea infection. In contrast, the expression pattern of the PR and JAmyb genes in response to C. miyabeanus was nearly identical between cvs. Nakdong and Tetep, and neither BTH nor MeJA treatment significantly modified their expression patterns in response to C. miyabeanus infection. Our results suggest that rice employs distinct mechanisms for its defense against M. grisea versus C. miyabeanus.     

水稻和稻瘟病菌互作中的信号传导及防御反应基因诱导表达的研究

 水稻和稻瘟病菌互作是研究植物与病原菌互作的模式体系。本文利用3个水稻抗稻瘟病近等基因品系(CO39、C101LAC和C101A51)和2个特异性菌株(M209和M210)构成不同亲和程度的互作关系,研究了稻瘟病菌对3个水稻信号传导途径关键酶合成基因、5个防御反应病程相关蛋白基因和1个防御反应转录因子调控基因诱导表达的作用。结果表明:稻瘟病菌诱导了各种互作关系中水稻OsLOX、OsAOS和OsPAL酶合成基因的表达,水稻启动了茉莉酸和水杨酸防御反应信号传导途径。在不亲和的互作反应中,稻瘟病菌能不同程度地诱导水稻OsPR1a、OsPR2、OsPR3-1、OsPR3-2和OsPR4基因的表达,从而有效激活了防御反应系统,使水稻植株表现为抗病;而在亲和的互作反应中,多数OsPR基因的表达水平低、时间短或没有表达,水稻植株表现为感病。OsMyb基因在各种互作关系中有不同的诱导表达。说明这些防御相关基因的诱导表达可能与水稻抗稻瘟病性相关。     

Inhibition of fungal spore adhesion by zosteric Acid as the basis for a novel, nontoxic crop protection technology

ABSTRACT To explore the potential for nontoxic crop protection technologies based on the inhibition of fungal spore adhesion, we have tested the effect of synthetic zosteric acid (p-(sulfo-oxy) cinnamic acid), a naturally occurring phenolic acid in eelgrass (Zostera marina L.) plants, on spore adhesion and infection in two pathosystems: rice blast caused by Magnaporthe grisea and bean anthracnose caused by Colletotrichum lindemuthianum. We have shown that zosteric acid inhibits spore adhesion to model and host leaf surfaces and that any attached spores fail to develop appressoria, and consequently do not infect leaf cells. Low concentrations of zosteric acid that are effective in inhibiting adhesion are not toxic to either fungus or to the host. The inhibition of spore adhesion in the rice blast pathogen is fully reversible. On plants, zosteric acid reduced (rice) or delayed (bean) lesion development. These results suggest that there is potential for novel and environmentally benign crop protection technologies based on manipulating adhesion.     

Assessment of blast disease resistance in transgenic PRms rice using a gfp-expressing Magnaporthe oryzae strain

Rice blast caused by the fungus Magnaporthe oryzae (anamorph Pyricularia grisea ) is one of the most devastating diseases of cultivated rice worldwide. In this study, a green fluorescent protein ( gfp )-expressing M. oryzae strain was generated and used to investigate the infection process in a commercial rice cultivar. Expression of the gfp gene did not affect the pathogenicity of the M. oryzae transformants. Confocal microscopy allowed in vivo imaging of this pathogen during infection of rice tissues. Magnaporthe oryzae pathogenicity was examined on both leaf and root tissues. In roots of wild-type plants, the fungus penetrated into epidermal and cortical cells, and colonized the central cylinder and xylem vessels. However, the dimorphic growth pattern typically observed during the biotrophic and necrotrophic stages of leaf colonization was not observed during colonization of root tissues. Furthermore, events occurring during infection of rice plants constitutively expressing the maize pathogenesis-related PRms gene were characterized and compared with those occurring during the interaction of this pathogen with untransformed rice plants. Fungal penetration was drastically reduced and delayed in tissues of PRms plants compared to untransformed plants. These results indicated that the gfp -expressing M. oryzae represents a strategic tool for the assessment of blast disease resistance in transgenic rice which can be also applied to the analysis of the M. oryzae interaction with other cultivars or mutants of important crop species.     

禾谷丝核菌(Rhizoctonia cerealis)原生质体制备与再生的研究

禾谷丝核菌(Rhizoctonia cerealis)是引起我国小麦纹枯病的主要致病菌。为了建立高效稳定的禾谷丝核菌遗传转化体系,本试验比较研究了不同细胞壁降解酶、酶液浓度、酶处理温度和时间等因素对禾谷丝核菌原生质体制备的影响,利用正交设计试验优化了原生质体再生条件。结果表明,液体培养6d的菌丝,采用15mg/mL溶壁酶+10mg/mL蜗牛酶组成的混合酶液,30℃下酶解4h,可以获得较高的原生质体释放量,可达到3.0×106个/mL;禾谷丝核菌原生质体再生的最佳条件是以SuTC缓冲液作为渗透压稳定剂悬浮原生质体,采用单层混菌法接种于TB3再生培养基,原生质体再生率可达到58.6%。禾谷丝核菌原生质体制备和原生质体再生条件的优化,为深入研究禾谷丝核菌生长发育的分子遗传学基础和进一步探索小麦纹枯病的致病机理奠定了基础。     

Dehydro-alpha-lapachone isolated from Catalpa ovata stems: activity against plant pathogenic fungi

The methanol extract of stems of Catalpa ovata G Don exhibits potent in vivo antifungal activity against Magnaporthe grisea (Hebert) Barr (rice blast) on rice plants, Botrytis cinerea Pers ex Fr (tomato grey mould) and Phytophthora infestans (Mont) de Bary (tomato late blight) on tomato plants, Puccinia recondita Rob ex Desm (wheat leaf rust) on wheat plants and Blumeria graminis (DC) Speer f. sp. hordei Marchal (barley powdery mildew) on barley plants. An antifungal substance was isolated and identified as dehydro-alpha-lapachone from mass and nuclear magnetic resonance spectral data. It completely inhibited the mycelial growth of B. cinerea, Colletotrichum acutatum Simmonds, Colletotrichum gloeosporioides Simmonds, M. grisea and Pythium ultimum Trow over a range of 0.4-33.3 mg litre(-1). It also controlled the development of rice blast, tomato late blight, wheat leaf rust, barley powdery mildew and red pepper anthracnose (Colletotrichum coccodes (Wallr) S Hughes). The chemical was particularly effective in suppressing red pepper anthracnose by 95% at a concentration of 125 mg litre(-1).     

Cytological Evidence of an Active Role of Silicon in Wheat Resistance to Powdery Mildew (Blumeria graminis f. sp. tritici)

ABSTRACT Silicon (Si) amendments in the form of exogenously supplied nutrient solution or calcium silicate slag protect wheat plants from powdery mildew disease caused by the fungus Blumeria graminis f. sp. tritici. The most striking difference between Si- and Si+ plants challenged with B. graminis f. sp. tritici was the extent of epidermal cell infection and colonization by B. graminis f. sp. tritici. Histological and ultrastructural analyses revealed that epidermal cells of Si+ plants reacted to B. graminis f. sp. tritici attack with specific defense reactions including papilla formation, production of callose, and release of electron-dense osmiophilic material identified by cytochemical labeling as glycosilated phenolics. Phenolic material not only accumulated along the cell wall but also was associated with altered integrity of haustoria in a manner similar to localized phytoalexins as reported from other pathosystems. These results strongly suggest that Si mediates active localized cell defenses against B. graminis f. sp. tritici attack.     

The role of silicon in preventing appressorial penetration by the rice blast fungus

To test the hypothesis that silicon (Si) confers resistance against appressorial penetration of the rice blast fungus, the proportion of appressorial penetration into the leaf epidermis to total appressoria formed was compared among rice plants amended with various rates of silica gel to those plants nonamended. The amounts of Si in the youngest leaves were consistent with the amounts of silica gel applied to the rice plants. Relative Si levels on the adaxial surface of leaves as detected by energy dispersive X-ray analysis also increased with the amounts of silica gel applied. Based on light microscopic observation of the adaxial surface of rice leaves, the proportion of appressorial penetration was reduced by increasing amounts of silica gel applied and increased with the length of period after spray inoculation. Consequently, these results strongly support the hypothesis and suggest that Si in the leaf epidermis may confer resistance against appressorial penetration. Meanwhile, the number of lesions per leaf also decreased with the amount of Si applied, while only a certain part of penetrated appressoria could become sporulating susceptible lesions. This suggests that Si also confers physiological resistance against blast infection after the penetration.     

Identification of specific fragments of HpaG Xooc, a harpin from Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzicola, that induce disease resistance and enhance growth in plants

Harpin proteins from gram-negative plant-pathogenic bacteria can stimulate hypersensitive cell death (HCD) and pathogen defense as well as enhance growth in plants. Two of these diverse activities clearly are beneficial and may depend on particular functional regions of the proteins. Identification of beneficial and deleterious regions might facilitate the beneficial use of harpin-related proteins on crops without causing negative effects like cell death. Here, we report the identification and testing of nine functional fragments of HpaG(Xooc), a 137-amino-acid harpin protein from Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzicola, the pathogen that causes bacterial leaf streak of rice. Polymerase chain reaction-based mutagenesis generated nine proteinaceous fragments of HpaG(Xooc); these caused different responses following their application to Nicotiana tabacum (tobacco) and Oryza sativa (rice). Fragment HpaG62-137, which spans the indicated amino acid residues of the HpaG, induced more intense HCD; in contrast, HpaG10-42 did not cause evident cell death in tobacco. However, both fragments stimulated stronger defense responses and enhanced more growth in rice than the full-length parent protein, HpaG(Xooc). Of the nine fragments, the parent protein and one deletion mutant of HpaG(Xooc) tested, HpaG10-42, stimulated higher levels of rice growth and resulted in greater levels of resistance to X. oryzae pv. oryzae and Magnaporthe grisea. These pathogens cause bacterial leaf blight and rice blast, respectively, the two most important diseases of rice world-wide. HpaG10-42 was more active than HpaG(Xooc) in inducing expression of several genes that regulate rice defense and growth processes and activating certain signaling pathways, which may explain the greater beneficial effects observed from treatment with that fragment. Overall, our results suggest that HpaG10-42 holds promise for practical agricultural use to induce disease resistance and enhance growth of rice.     

广东水稻橙叶病发病条件及防治研究

离体条件下,植物激素ＮＡＡ和ＡＢＡ对稻瘟病菌的孢子萌芽没有影响,ＡＢＡ对菌丝生长也没有影响,ＮＡＡ对菌丝生长有一定的抑制作用。在稻株上,ＮＡＡ能减轻稻瘟病的发生,且对烯丙异噻唑有增效作用;ＡＢＡ则加重病害的发生,对烯丙异噻唑有拮抗作用。     

三环唑对稻瘟病菌再侵染的抑制作用初探

在实验室条件下模拟稻瘟病菌Magnaporthe grisea再侵染发生的全过程,研究了三环唑对稻瘟病菌再侵染的抑制作用及其机制。在接种稻瘟病菌48 h后喷雾处理,10 μg/mL三环唑的防病效果只有28.58%,表明三环唑对稻瘟病的治疗效果较差;10 μg/mL三环唑处理过的发病植株作为再侵染源引起周围未经药剂处理的健康水稻的发病程度要比未经药剂处理的病株作为再侵染源引起的低63.28%。进一步的研究表明,三环唑抑制稻瘟病菌再侵染的主要机制是抑制再侵染源的孢子产生和降低分生孢子的释放及致病能力。     

Transmission of rice blast from seeds to adult plants in a non‐systemic way

Rice blast, caused by the fungal pathogen Magnaporthe oryzae, is a serious threat to rice production worldwide. In temperate regions, where rice is not cultivated for several months each year, little is known about the initial onset of the disease in the field. The main overwintering and primary inoculum sources reported are infested residues and seeds, but the subsequent steps of the disease cycle are largely unknown, even though a systemic infection has been proposed but not demonstrated. The present work follows rice blast progression in infected seeds from germination to seedling stage, with direct and detailed microscopic observations under both aerobic conditions and water seeding. With the use of GFP‐marked M. oryzae strains, it was shown that spores are produced from contaminated seeds, infect emerging seedling tissues (coleoptile and primary root) and produce mycelium that colonizes the newly formed primary leaf and secondary roots. Using different rice cultivars exhibiting distinct levels of resistance/susceptibility to M. oryzae at the 2/4‐leaf stage, it was observed that resistance or susceptibility of a considered genotype is already established at the seedling stage. The results also showed that when plants are inoculated either at ripening stage (mature panicles), heading stage (flowering/immature panicles) or even before heading (flag leaf fully developed), they produce infested seeds. These seeds produce contaminated seedlings that mostly die and serve as an inoculum source for healthy neighbouring plants, which gradually develop disease symptoms on leaves. The possible rice blast disease cycle was reconstructed on irrigated rice in temperate regions.     

稻瘟病菌效应蛋白MoIEEP1功能初探

由稻瘟病菌引起的稻瘟病是全球最严重的植物真菌病害之一, 严重威胁水稻生产安全?效应蛋白是病原菌与植物对抗过程中分泌产生的一种蛋白质, 可作为毒力因子促进侵染或作为无毒因子触发防御反应?本研究对实验室前期筛选到的在稻瘟病菌侵染早期诱导表达的效应蛋白(infection-induced expression effector protein 1, MoIEEP1)进行了功能验证与分析?结果表明: MoIeep1 在稻瘟病菌侵染初期8 h表达量最高; 信号肽和亚细胞定位分析验证该蛋白N端含有17个氨基酸的信号肽且在水稻原生质体中呈明亮点状的定位信号, 初步推测该定位信号为过氧化物酶体或线粒体等细胞器; 与野生型菌株Guy11相比, MoIeep1 基因敲除突变体菌丝生长无明显差异, 但其致病性受到影响?以上研究结果为进一步探究该蛋白质的作用机理打下良好基础, 也为揭示其他效应蛋白在稻瘟病菌侵染水稻过程中的功能提供新的理论依据?     

水稻稻瘟病拮抗细菌的筛选与防治初探

从水稻作物根际分离筛选得到的 2 0 8个细菌菌株对稻瘟病病菌具有较强的抑制能力 ;抑菌圈直径在 2 0mm以上的有 65株。选用室内拮抗性较稳定的 8株细菌菌株经两年的田间防病试验 ,不同菌株间防效差异显著 ,其中两年防效较好的菌株是Ma 3 2 (蜡状芽孢杆菌 )和Xi 55(枯草芽孢杆菌 )。一些菌株处理种子对秧苗生长有促进作用。     

Development of novel pesticides based on phytoalexins: Part 2. Quantitative structure-activity relationships of 2-heteroaryl-4-chromanone derivatives

Phytoalexins are low-molecular-weight chemicals that immune systems of plants produce and accumulate in response to infections, especially those of fungal origin. Although their content is not high in plants, yet they have shown unique fungicidal activity and played an important role in the defence system of plants. In searching for novel environmentally benign fungicides with high activity, the structures of flavanone derivatives, one of the most important phytoalexins groups, have been modified via bioisosteric substitution and a series of 2-heteroaryl-4-chromanones were designed and synthesized. They showed good fungicidal activities against rice blast disease, Pyricularia grisea (Sacc). Their IC50 values were tested in vitro and the relationship between structure and fungicidal activity was analyzed quantitatively using a Hansch-Fujita approach. The results showed that hydrophobicity was very important for fungicidal activity and there is apparently an optimum hydrophobic property for the molecules at a log Pow value of about 2.7. In addition, the results indicated that electronic effects played an important role in binding with the receptor and that the C=O group was probably a electron-accepting site. The quantitative structure-retention correlative equation of the title compounds was also established.     

杂交稻对稻瘟病和稻白叶枯病的抗性鉴定

对广东省将推广的54份杂交稻组合对稻瘟病和白叶枯病的抗病性进行了鉴定。对稻瘟病的抗病性鉴定表明:抗病组合共49个,占90.7%;其中,高抗(抗性比≥91%)组合30个,占55.6%。对稻白叶枯病的抗病性鉴定表明:没有高抗(HR)和抗(R)的组合,仅有一个杂交稻组合(西胜2175)表现为中抗(mR),仅占1.9%,其余53个组合都表现感病,占98.1%。进一步分析表明:对稻瘟病表现高抗的30个杂交稻组合都不抗白叶枯病,而中抗白叶枯病的杂交稻组合西胜2175对稻瘟病表现为中抗,抗性比为74%。