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Sequencing the genome of Marssonina brunnea reveals fungus-poplar co-evolution.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: The fungus Marssonina brunnea is a causal pathogen of Marssonina leaf spot that devastates poplar plantations by defoliating susceptible trees before normal fall leaf drop. RESULTS: We sequence the genome of M. brunnea with a size of 52 Mb assembled into 89 scaffolds, representing the first sequenced Dermateaceae genome. By inoculating this fungus onto a poplar hybrid clone, we investigate how M. brunnea interacts and co-evolves with its host to colonize poplar leaves. While a handful of virulence genes in M. brunnea, mostly from the LysM family, are detected to up-regulate during infection, the poplar down-regulates its resistance genes, such as nucleotide binding site domains and leucine rich repeats, in response to infection. From 10,027 predicted proteins of M. brunnea in a comparison with those from poplar, we identify four poplar transferases that stimulate the host to resist M. brunnea. These transferas-encoding genes may have driven the co-evolution of M. brunnea and Populus during the process of infection and anti-infection. CONCLUSIONS: Our results from the draft sequence of the M. brunnea genome provide evidence for genome-genome interactions that play an important role in poplar-pathogen co-evolution. This knowledge could help to design effective strategies for controlling Marssonina leaf spot in poplar.

SUBMITTER: Zhu S

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3484023 | biostudies-literature | 2012

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Sequencing the genome of Marssonina brunnea reveals fungus-poplar co-evolution.

Zhu Sheng S Cao You-Zhi YZ Jiang Cong C Tan Bi-Yue BY Wang Zhong Z Feng Sisi S Zhang Liang L Su Xiao-Hua XH Brejova Brona B Vinar Tomas T Xu Meng M Wang Ming-Xiu MX Zhang Shou-Gong SG Huang Min-Ren MR Wu Rongling R Zhou Yan Y

BMC genomics 20120809

<h4>Background</h4>The fungus Marssonina brunnea is a causal pathogen of Marssonina leaf spot that devastates poplar plantations by defoliating susceptible trees before normal fall leaf drop.<h4>Results</h4>We sequence the genome of M. brunnea with a size of 52 Mb assembled into 89 scaffolds, representing the first sequenced Dermateaceae genome. By inoculating this fungus onto a poplar hybrid clone, we investigate how M. brunnea interacts and co-evolves with its host to colonize poplar leaves. W ...[more]

PMID: 22876864

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Project description:Marssonina leaf spot disease of poplar (MLDP), caused by the hemibiotrophic pathogen Marssonina brunnea, frequently results in damage to many poplar species. In nature, two formae speciales of M. brunnea exist that are susceptible to different poplar subgenera. Marssonina brunnea f. sp. monogermtubi infects poplar hosts from Populus sect. Aigeiros (Aig), while M. brunnea f. sp. multigermtubi always infects poplar hosts from Populus sect. Leuce Duby (Leu). Based on the fungal penetration structures, a comprehensive transcriptomic approach was used to investigate the gene expression patterns of these two poplar subgenera at three crucial infection stages. MLDP significantly altered the expression patterns of many genes involved in mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPKs) and calcium signaling, transcription factors, primary and secondary metabolism, and other processes in both poplar subgenera. However, major differences in gene expression were also observed between the two poplar subgenera. Aig was most responsive at the initial infection stage, while Leu largely interacted with M. brunnea at the necrotrophic phase. Furthermore, the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) involved in pathways related to biotic stress also differed substantially between the two poplar subgenera. Further analysis indicated that the genes involved in cell wall metabolism and phenylpropanoid metabolism were differentially expressed in the progression of the disease. By examining the expression patterns of genes related to the defense against disease, we found that several genes annotated with causing hypersensitive cell death were upregulated at the necrotrophic phase of MLDP, inferring that plant immune response potentially happened at this infection stage. The present research elucidated the potential molecular differences between the two susceptible interaction systems in MLDP and provided novel insight into the temporal regulation of genes during the susceptible response. To the best of our knowledge, this study also constitutes the first to reveal the molecular mechanisms of poplar in response to the transition of hemibiotrophic fungal pathogens from the biotrophic phase to the necrotrophic phase.

Dataset Information

Sequencing the genome of Marssonina brunnea reveals fungus-poplar co-evolution.

Publications

Sequencing the genome of Marssonina brunnea reveals fungus-poplar co-evolution.

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