Project description:Alcohol oxidases are ecologically important enzymes which facilitate a number of plant-fungal interactions. Within Ascomycota they are primarily associated with methylotrophy, as a peroxisomal alcohol oxidase (AOX) catalyzing the conversion of methanol to formaldehyde in methylotrophic yeast. In this study we demonstrate that AOX orthologs are phylogenetically conserved proteins which are common in the genomes of non-methylotrophic, plant-associating fungi. Additionally, AOX orthologs are highly expressed during infection in a range of diverse pathosystems. To study the role of AOX in plant colonization, AOX knockout mutants were generated in the broad host range pathogen Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. Disease assays in soybean showed that these mutants had a significant virulence defect as evidenced by markedly reduced stem lesions and mortality rates. Chemical genomics suggest that SsAOX may function as an aromatic alcohol oxidase, and growth assays demonstrate that ΔSsAOX is incapable of properly utilizing plant extract as a nutrient source. Profiling of known aromatic alcohols point towards the monolignol coniferyl alcohol (CoA) as a possible substrate for SsAOX. As CoA and other monolignols are ubiquitous among land plants, the presence of highly conserved AOX orthologs throughout Ascomycota imply that this is a broadly conserved protein used by ascomycete fungi during plant colonization.
Project description:Here, we develop a systems-level approach leveraging powerful next generation sequencing, proteomics and phenotypic studies to rapidly obtain an integrated view of lignocellulose degradation in the earliest free living fungi
Project description:Here, we develop a systems-level approach leveraging powerful next generation sequencing, proteomics and phenotypic studies to rapidly obtain an integrated view of lignocellulose degradation in the earliest free living fungi RNA-seq of Piromyces grown on Glucose, Cellulose, Cellulobiose, Avicel, Filter paper, and time-course of transient glucose pulse (catabolite repression). N>=2
Project description:To determine the mechanisms of improved toxic metal tolerance of A. arenosa inoculated with Mucor sp. whole gemone microarray profiling was employed. Metal toxicity altered the expression of 5169 probe sets; 2861 genes were up-regulated and 2308 down-regulated. Inoculation with the fungi induced changes in the expression of 899 probes from the above presented data set; 492 genes were up-regulated and 314 were down-regulated. The expression of 93 genes (63 and 30, up and down-regulated respectively) was affected by both treatments (Fig. 5A-B). Genes differentially expressed in E+ plants vs E- from mine dump substrate were subject to GO analysis (gene ontology) to identify enriched terms with a cut-off rate of 0.01. The majority of the genes upregulated belonged to ROS metabolism, response to biotic and abiotic stimuli, response to ion starvation and ET biosynthesis and signaling functional categories. Among down-regulated transcripts GO analysis revealed a significant enrichment in the regulation of anthocyanin biosynthesis term.
Project description:Physcomitrella patens gametophores were treated with exudates from the arbuscular mycorrhiza fungi (AMF) Rhizophagus irregularis (formerly known as Glomus intraradices) and Gigaspora margerita for one hour and 24 hours.
Project description:Fungal necromass in soil represents the stable carbon pools. While fungi are known to decompose fungal necromass, how fungi decomopose melanin, remains poorly understood. Recently, Trichoderma species was found to be one of the most commonly associated fungi in soil, we have used a relevant fungal species, Trichoderma reesei, to characterized Genes involved in the decomposition of melanized and non-melanized necromass from Hyaloscypha bicolor.
