| Title: | Ste2 receptor-mediated chemotropism of Fusarium graminearum contributes to its pathogenicity against wheat |
| Author(s): | Sridhar PS; Trofimova D; Subramaniam R; Gonzalez-Pena Fundora D; Foroud NA; Allingham JS; Loewen MC; |
| Address: | "Department of Biomedical and Molecular Sciences, Queen's University, 18 Stuart St., Kingston, ON, K7L 3N6, Canada. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, 960 Carling Avenue, Ottawa, ON, K1A 0C6, Canada. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, 5403, 1st Avenue South, Lethbridge, AB, T1J 4B1, Canada. Department of Biomedical and Molecular Sciences, Queen's University, 18 Stuart St., Kingston, ON, K7L 3N6, Canada. Michele.Loewen@nrc-cnrc.gc.ca. National Research Council of Canada, 100 Sussex Drive, Ottawa, ON, K1A 0R6, Canada. Michele.Loewen@nrc-cnrc.gc.ca" |
| DOI: | 10.1038/s41598-020-67597-z |
| ISSN/ISBN: | 2045-2322 (Electronic) 2045-2322 (Linking) |
| Abstract: | "Fusarium Head Blight of wheat, caused by the filamentous fungus Fusarium graminearum, leads to devastating global food shortages and economic losses. While many studies have addressed the responses of both wheat and F. graminearum during their interaction, the possibility of fungal chemotropic sensing enabling pathogenicity remains unexplored. Based on recent findings linking the pheromone-sensing G-protein-coupled receptor Ste2 to host-directed chemotropism in Fusarium oxysporum, we investigated the role of the Ste2 receptor and its downstream signaling pathways in mediating chemotropism of F. graminearum. Interestingly, a chemotropic response of growing hyphae towards catalytically active Triticum aestivum 'Roblin' cultivar secreted peroxidases was detected, with deletion of STE2 in F. graminearum leading to loss of the observed response. At the same time, deletion of STE2 significantly decreased infection on germinating wheat coleoptiles, highlighting an association between Ste2, chemotropism and infection by F. graminearum. Further characterization revealed that the peroxidase-directed chemotropism is associated with stimulation of the fungal cell wall integrity mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling cascade. Altogether, this study demonstrates conservation of Ste2-mediated chemotropism by Fusarium species, and its important role in mediating pathogenicity" |
| Keywords: | Agrobacterium tumefaciens Catalysis Cell Wall/metabolism Chemotaxis Fungal Proteins/*metabolism Fusarium/*metabolism Gene Deletion Hyphae/metabolism Ligands MAP Kinase Signaling System Peroxidases/metabolism Pheromones/metabolism Plant Diseases/microbiolo; |
| Notes: | "MedlineSridhar, Pooja S Trofimova, Daria Subramaniam, Rajagopal Gonzalez-Pena Fundora, Dianevys Foroud, Nora A Allingham, John S Loewen, Michele C eng Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't England 2020/07/03 Sci Rep. 2020 Jul 1; 10(1):10770. doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-67597-z" |
