FgHAT2 is involved in regulating vegetative growth,conidiation, DNA damage repair,DON production and virulence in Fusarium graminearum

Histone lysine acetylation is catalyzed by acetyltransferases(HATs), which is important in regulating gene expression and physiological function in eukaryotic cells. HATs can be classified into two main types: A-and B-type HATs. Recently, in Fusarium graminearum, it has been reported that A-type HATs are involved in hyphal development, conidiation, sexual reproduction and virulence. However, the biological roles of B-type HATs are unknown. Here we report the identification and characterization of two B-type HATs(FgHat1 and FgHat2) in F. graminearum. Targeted deletion of FgHAT1 did not result in any detectable phenotypes. However, ΔFghat2 mutants were severely defective in vegetative growth, conidia production and morphogenesis, deoxynivalenol(DON) biosynthesis and virulence. Interestingly, deletion of Fg HAT2 resulted in significantly increased sensitivity to the DNA-damaging agent methyl methanesulfonate(MMS). Furthermore, double deletion mutants(ΔFghat1ΔFghat2) displayed similar phenotypes to the ΔFghat2 mutants. Taken together, we conclude that FgHat2 but not FgHat1 plays essential roles in regulating morphogenesis, DNA damage repair, DON production and virulence in F. graminearum.     

Inhibition of KU70 and KU80 by CRISPR interference,not NgAgo interference,increases the efficiency of homologous recombination in pig fetal fibroblasts

Non-homologous end-joining (NHEJ) is a predominant pathway for the repair of DNA double-strand breaks (DSB). It inhibits the efficiency of homologous recombination (HR) by competing for DSB targets. To improve the efficiency of HR, multiple CRISPR interference (CRISPRi) and Natronobacterium gregoryi Argonaute (NgAgo) interference (NgAgoi) systems have been designed for the knockdown of NHEJ key molecules, KU70, KU80, polynucleotide kinase/phosphatase (PNKP), DNA ligase IV (LIG4), and NHEJ1. Suppression of KU70 and KU80 by CRISPRi dramatically promoted (P<0.05) the efficiency of HR to 1.85- and 1.58-fold, respectively, whereas knockdown of PNKP, LIG4, and NHEJ1 repair factors did not significantly increase (P>0.05) HR efficiency. Interestingly, although the NgAgoi system significantly suppressed (P<0.05) KU70, KU80, PNKP, LIG4, and NHEJ1 expression, it did not improve (P>0.05) HR efficiency in primary fetal fibroblasts. Our result showed that both NgAgo and catalytically inactive Cas9 (dCas9) could interfere with the expression of target genes, but the downstream factors appear to be more active following CRISPR-mediated interference than that of NgAgo.     

Overexpression of GmBIN2, a soybean glycogen synthase kinase 3 gene,enhances tolerance to salt and drought in transgenic Arabidopsis and soybean hairy roots

Glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK3) is a kind of serine/threonine kinase widely found in eukaryotes. Many plant GSK3 kinases play important roles in regulating stress responses. This study investigated BRASSINOSTEROID-INSENSITIVE 2 (GmBIN2) gene, a member of the GSK3 protein kinase family in soybean and an orthologue of Arabidopsis BIN2/AtSK21. GmBIN2 expression was increased by salt and drought stresses, but was not significantly affected by the ABA treatment. To examine the function of GmBIN2, transgenic Arabidopsis and transgenic soybean hairy roots were generated. Overexpression of GmBIN2 in Arabidopsis resulted in increased germination rate and root length compared with wild-type plants under salt and mannitol treatments. Overexpression of GmBIN2 increased cellular Ca²⁺ content and reduced Na+ content, enhancing salt tolerance in transgenic Arabidopsis plants. In the soybean hairy root assay, overexpression of GmBIN2 in transgenic roots also showed significantly higher relative root growth rate than the control when subjected to salt and mannitol treatments. Measurement of physiological indicators, including proline content, superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, and relative electrical conductivity, supported this conclusion. Furthermore, we also found that GmBIN2 could up-regulate the expression of some stress-related genes in transgenic Arabidopsis and soybean hairy roots. Overall, these results indicated that GmBIN2 improved tolerance to salt and drought in transgenic Arabidopsis and soybean hairy roots.     

Identification of a DNA nonhomologous end-joining complex in bacteria

In eukaryotic cells, double-strand breaks (DSBs) in DNA are generally repaired by the pathway of homologous recombination or by DNA nonhomologous end joining (NHEJ). Both pathways have been highly conserved throughout eukaryotic evolution, but no equivalent NHEJ system has been identified in prokaryotes. The NHEJ pathway requires a DNA end-binding component called Ku. We have identified bacterial Ku homologs and show that these proteins retain the biochemical characteristics of the eukaryotic Ku heterodimer. Furthermore, we show that bacterial Ku specifically recruits DNA ligase to DNA ends and stimulates DNA ligation. Loss of these proteins leads to hypersensitivity to ionizing radiation in Bacillus subtilis. These data provide evidence that many bacteria possess a DNA DSB repair apparatus that shares many features with the NHEJ system of eukarya and suggest that this DNA repair pathway arose before the prokaryotic and eukaryotic lineages diverged.     

Evaluating the efficacy of an attenuated Streptococcus equi ssp. zooepidemicus vaccine produced by multi-gene deletion in pathogenicity island SeseCisland_4

Streptococcus equi ssp. zooepidemicus(SEZ) is a pathogen associated with a wild range of animal species. Frequent outbreaks have occurred in recent years in pigs, horses, goats and dogs which is liable to infect humans. There is a lack of efficient vaccines against this disease and the occurrence of antibiotic resistance may render drug therapies ineffective. In this study, gene deletion mutant(ΔSEZ) in pathogenicity islands SeseCisland_4 was constructed. The mutant ΔSEZ had a 52-fold decrease in 50% lethal dose(LD_(50)) and had less capacity to adhere epithelial cells. Importantly, immunization of mice with attenuated vaccine ΔSEZ at the dose of 10~2 colony-forming units(CFU) mL~(–1) elicited a significant humoral antibody response, with an antibody titer of 1:12 800. Therefore, 10~2 CFU mL~(–1) might be used as the appropriate immune dose for the attenuated vaccine ΔSEZ, which provided mice with efficient protection against virulent SEZ. In addition, the hyperimmune sera against 10~2 CFU m L–1 attenuated vaccine ΔSEZ could confer significant protection against virulent SEZ infection in the passive immunization experiment and exhibited efficient bactericidal activity in the whole blood assay. Meanwhile, no viable bacteria was detected in blood when mice were immunized with ΔSEZ at the dose of 10~2 CFU mL~(–1) via hypodermic injection. Thereafter, the mutant ΔSEZ at the dose of 10~2 CFU mL~(–1) could confer significant protection in mice and had less negative effects on host, which could be an effective attenuated vaccine candidate for the prevention of SEZ.     

MoFbc1调控稻瘟病菌生长与致病机制初探

真核生物体内,F-box蛋白作为泛素连接酶复合物(Skp1-Cullin1-F-box,SCF)的调节亚基,参与降解底物的特异性识别。为探究F-box家族基因MoFbc1在稻瘟病菌生长发育及侵染致病中的功能,采用生物信息学方法分析Mo Fbc1蛋白结构域并构建进化树。利用同源重组方法获得MoFbc1基因敲除及其回补菌株并进行表型分析。结果表明,MoFbc1敲除菌株在产孢、附着胞形成及致病性等方面与野生型菌株均无显著差异。但其在MM和RDC培养基上生长速率下降,表明MoFbc1基因可能参与调控稻瘟病菌对部分营养物质的利用;突变体对细胞壁胁迫因子CFW、CR敏感,提示其细胞壁结构可能发生改变。结果为进一步揭示基因MoFbc1调控稻瘟病菌生长发育机制奠定基础。     

Structure of a NHEJ polymerase-mediated DNA synaptic complex

Nonhomologous end joining (NHEJ) is a critical DNA double-strand break (DSB) repair pathway required to maintain genome stability. Many prokaryotes possess a minimalist NHEJ apparatus required to repair DSBs during stationary phase, composed of two conserved core proteins, Ku and ligase D (LigD). The crystal structure of Mycobacterium tuberculosis polymerase domain of LigD mediating the synapsis of two noncomplementary DNA ends revealed a variety of interactions, including microhomology base pairing, mismatched and flipped-out bases, and 3' termini forming hairpin-like ends. Biochemical and biophysical studies confirmed that polymerase-induced end synapsis also occurs in solution. We propose that this DNA synaptic structure reflects an intermediate bridging stage of the NHEJ process, before end processing and ligation, with both the polymerase and the DNA sequence playing pivotal roles in determining the sequential order of synapsis and remodeling before end joining.     

Mutagenesis of odorant coreceptor Orco reveals the distinct role of olfaction between sexes in Spodoptera frugiperda

Odorant receptor (OR) is crucial for insects to detect and recognize external chemical cues closely related to their survival. The insect OR forms a heteromeric complex composed of a ligand-specific receptor and a ubiquitously odorant receptor coreceptor (Orco). This study used the CRISPR/Cas9 technique to knock out (KO) Orco and reveal its essential role in acting on OR-meditated olfactory behavior in a critical invasive agricultural pest, the fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda. Electroantennogram (EAG) results suggested that the Orco mutants of both male and female moths severely reduced their electrophysiological responses to the eight tested plant volatiles and two sex pheromones. However, the Orco gene played distinct roles in mating behavior between sexes: the mating behavior was fully disrupted in mutated males but not in mutated females. The oviposition result indicated that the Orco KO females displayed reduced egg laying by 24.1% compared with the mated wild type (WT) females. Overall, these results strongly suggest that Orco is an excellent target for disrupting FAW’s normal behavior and provides a feasible pest control approach.     

Involvement of the autophagy-related gene BdATG8 in development and pathogenicity in Botryosphaeria dothidea

Botryosphaeria dothidea is a destructive fungal pathogen that causes Botryosphaeria canker and fruit ring rot on apple worldwide. Autophagy is a process of self-degradation that maintains intracellular homeostasis via lysosomal pathway. To date, the biological role of autophagy in B. dothidea remains unknown. In this study, we identified and characterized the autophagy-related gene BdATG8 in B. dothidea. BdATG8 was able to restore the defect in nitrogen starvation tolerance of Saccharomyces cerevisiae ATG8 deletion mutant. GFP-BdAtg8 was shown to be a useful marker for monitoring autophagy in B. dothidea. Target deletion of BdATG8 (ΔBdAtg8) blocked autophagy and significantly impaired mycelial growth, conidiation and perithecium formation. In addition, ΔBdAtg8 showed significantly increased sensitivity to phytoalexin and oxidative stress, suggesting that BdATG8 plays critical roles in overcoming phytoalexin and reactive oxygen species (ROS)-mediated plant immunity. Pathogenicity assays revealed that ΔBdAtg8 almost lost ability to infect hosts. Overall, our results indicate that BdATG8 plays an important role in fungal development, stress responses and pathogenesis in B. dothidea.     

Genome-wide identification and function analysis of the sucrose phosphate synthase MdSPS gene family in apple

Sucrose phosphate synthase (SPS) is a rate-limiting enzyme that works in conjunction with sucrose-6-phosphate phosphatase (SPP) for sucrose synthesis, and it plays an essential role in energy provisioning during growth and development in plants as well as improving fruit quality. However, studies on the systematic analysis and evolutionary pattern of the SPS gene family in apple are still lacking. In the present study, a total of seven MdSPS and four MdSPP genes were identified from the Malus domestica genome GDDH13 v1.1. The gene structures and their promoter cis-elements, protein conserved motifs, subcellular localizations, physiological functions and biochemical properties were analyzed. A chromosomal location and gene-duplication analysis demonstrated that whole-genome duplication (WGD) and segmental duplication played vital roles in MdSPS gene family expansion. The Ka/Ks ratio of pairwise MdSPS genes indicated that the members of this family have undergone strong purifying selection during domestication. Furthermore, three SPS gene subfamilies were classified based on phylogenetic relationships, and old gene duplications and significantly divergent evolutionary rates were observed among the SPS gene subfamilies. In addition, a major gene related to sucrose accumulation (MdSPSA2.3) was identified according to the highly consistent trends in the changes of its expression in four apple varieties (‘Golden Delicious’, ‘Fuji’, ‘Qinguan’ and ‘Honeycrisp’) and the correlation between gene expression and soluble sugar content during fruit development. Furthermore, the virus-induced silencing of MdSPSA2.3 confirmed its function in sucrose accumulation in apple fruit. The present study lays a theoretical foundation for better clarifying the biological functions of the MdSPS genes during apple fruit development.     

Characterization of laccase gene StLAC6 and its involvement in the pathogenicity and peroxisome function in Setosphaeria turcica

Laccases, as a kind of multicopper oxidase, play an important role in pigment synthesis and growth in fungi and are involved in their interactions with host plants. In Setosphaeria turcica, 9 laccase-like multicopper oxidases have been identified, and StLAC2 is involved in the synthesis of the melanin that accumulates in the cell wall. The function of another major laccase gene, StLAC6, was studied here. The knockout of StLAC6 had no effect on the growth, morphology or invasion ability of S. turcica, but the morphology and function of peroxisomes of knockout mutants were abnormal. The knockout of the StLAC6 gene resulted in increased contents of phenolic compounds and melanin and the sensitivity to fungicides increased compared with wild type strains. In the mutants of StLAC6, there is a significant change of the expression levels of other laccase genes. This study provides a new insight into laccase functions and the relationship of the laccase gene family in plant pathogenic fungi.     

Study on burrowing nematode,Radopholus similis,pathogenicity test system in tobacco as host

Radopholus similis (Cobb 1893) Thorne (1949) is a destructive migratory endoparasitic plant nematode. In this study, the pathogenic process of R. similis infection in Nicotiana benthamiana (tobacco) was studied using quartz sand culture in laboratory. The results showed that R. similis mainly parasitised the root cortex, leading to cortical cell decomposition and tissue decay. We optimised the inoculation conditions to establish a method for determining the pathogenicity of R. similis as follows: (1) a glass culture tube was filled with quartz sand (about 1/3 of the height) and sterilised twice; (2) 20-day-old N. benthamiana seedlings were transplanted into test tubes and cultivated for 10 days at (25±1)°C; (3) R. similis female nematodes were inoculated in the root rhizosphere at a rate of 150 nematodes per plant; (4) the number of nematodes, disease severity, and growth of the plant at 30 days post-inoculation (dpi) were determined. The pathogenicity of eight R. similis populations from different hosts was determined, which proved the feasibility of this method.     

番茄果实LeNCED2基因的克隆及其表达分析

为了解ABA对果实发育和成熟的调控作用,对与ABA合成相关的LeNCED2基因进行了克隆与分析.采用RT-PCR和RACE技术从番茄品种‘嘉宝'(Solanum lycopersicum cv.Jiabao)果实中克隆得到了一个LeNCED1基因的同源片段,定名为LeNCED2(基因库注册号:EU912387).该基因3'端序列为1635 bp,与LeNCED1基因的DNA序列同源性为72.7%,与马铃薯中的StNCED2基因(AY662343)碱基序列同源性高达95%.碱基序列推导的蛋白序列与LeNCED1基因的同源性为80%.RT-PCR分析显示LeNCED2基因在番茄植株的根、茎、叶、花和萼片上都有表达.Real-time RT-PCR分析显示LeNCED2基因在幼果期表达量较高,随着果实成熟逐渐降低,与ABA含量不一致.而LeNCED1基因在转色期表达量最大且与ABA含量相对应.     

MAPKs and acetyl-CoA are associated with Curvularia lunata pathogenicity and toxin production in maize

Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascades play an important role in extracellular signal transduction and are involved in the pathogenicity of fungal pathogens to host plants. In Curvularia lunata, the roles of two MAPK genes, Clk1 and Clm1, have already been studied. Clk1 is involved in conidia formation and pathogenicity, and Clm1 is closely related to pathogen cell wall formation and pathogenicity to maize leaves. In this study, a third C. lunata MAPK gene, Clh1, which is homologous to hog1, was successfully cloned. We found that a Clh1 deletion mutant had lower intracellular glycerol accumulation than the wild-type stain and was unable to grow normally under osmotic stress conditions. Furthermore, the deletion mutants of three C. lunata MAPK genes (Clk1, Clm1 and Clh1) had lower levels of acetyl-CoA, which is an important intermediate product in the synthesis of melanin and furan toxin, and down-regulated expression of pathogenicity-associated genes. Furthermore, pathogenicity and the ability to produce toxin were restored after adding acetyl-CoA to the culture medium, suggesting that acetyl-CoA is closely involved in the pathogen MAPK signaling pathway.     

A novel glycoside hydrolase 74 xyloglucanase CvGH74A is a virulence factor in Coniella vitis

Grape white rot is a destructive fungal disease occurring worldwide. Recently, Coniella vitis was identified as the predominant pathogen causing this disease in China. As the periderms of grape shoots are severely degraded by C. vitis, it was speculated that cell wall-degrading enzymes (CWDEs) might play a key role in the pathogenesis of this disease. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the hydrolytic activity of the CWDEs of C. vitis. The results showed that xylanase (Xy) and xyloglucanase (XEG) had high levels of hydrolytic activity both in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, a high-virulence fungal strain exhibited higher levels of Xy and XEG activities compared with a low-virulence strain. The genome of the fungus was found to harbor two XEG-coding genes CvGH74A and CvGH74B, which belonged to the glycoside hydrolase (GH)74 family. The expression level of CvGH74A was found to be high during pathogen infection. CvGH74A gene deletion mutants were generated using the split-marker method. The deletion of CvGH74A decreased both the hydrolytic activities of XEG and Xy and also the ability of the fungus to infect the grape leaves. No differences in the hyphal growth, morphology of colonies, or conidiation were found between the ΔCvGH74A mutant strains and the wild-type strain. Together, these results suggested that CvGH74A acted as an important virulence factor, and its enzymatic activity might regulate the virulence of the pathogen. This study was novel in reporting that GH74 XEG acted as a virulence factor in C. vitis.     

苹果树腐烂病菌分隔蛋白基因VmImp2的功能研究

旨在研究苹果树腐烂病菌(Valsamali) VmImp2基因的功能,以期揭示腐烂病菌的生长发育及致病机理。利用生物信息学软件对 VmImp2进行蛋白序列及进化分析;利用Double-joint PCR和PEG介导原生质转化的方法,获得腐烂病菌 VmImp2的缺失突变体和回补菌株;利用十字交叉法以及伤口接种法,研究 VmImp2对病菌营养生长,繁殖体产生以及致病力的影响。生物信息学分析显示, VmImp2编码1 487个氨基酸,编码蛋白属于PCH(Pombe Cdc15 homology)家族,含有典型的FCH(Fes/CIP homology, F-BAR)和SH3(Src Homology 3)结构域,与梨树腐烂病菌(V.pyri)的Imp2蛋白亲缘最近。对基因进行敲除后,共获得5个缺失突变体菌株。表型分析显示,缺失突变体的营养生长受到明显影响,表现为菌丝更加稀疏,生长速率明显减缓。同时,突变体的繁殖体产生能力以及对枝条的侵染能力基本丧失。5个突变体的表型一致。将基因回补之后,共获得3个回补菌株,突变体表型缺陷基本恢复到野生型水平。说明 VmImp2基因参与苹果树腐烂病菌的营养生长、繁殖体形成以及致病过程。     

稻瘟病菌Mofbox基因缺失突变体构建及生物学表型分析

采用啤酒酵母菌(Saccharomyces cerevisiae)F-box蛋白的氨基酸序列对稻瘟病菌（Magnaporthe oryzae）全基因组数据库进行Blastp分析,找到一个与之同源的、具有典型F-box结构域的蛋白编码基因,命名为Mofbox。采用同源重组原理,将构建的基因敲除载体转化稻瘟病菌,获得该基因缺失突变体2个。研究表明,在稻瘟病菌中,Mofbox缺失后可导致稻瘟病菌生长速率显著下降,分生孢子产孢量和附着胞形成率显著降低,对外源过氧化氢敏感,改变细胞壁完整性,同时降低对大麦和水稻敏感品种CO-39的致病性。