Project description:This study describes the gel-free phosphoproteomic analysis the phytopathogenic fungi Alternaria brassicicola and Botrytis cinerea grown in vitro under non-limiting conditions.
Project description:Plant microRNAs (miRNAs) have been implicated in plant immunity. These mainly focusing Arabidopsis thaliana threatened by (hemi-)biotrophic pathogens such as the bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas syringae. Here, we show that the Arabidopsis miRNA pathway is important for defense responses against the necrotrophic fungus Alternaria brassicicola. The miRNA pathway mutant ago1 exhibits an exaggerated response when treated with A. brassicicola, proposing that AGO1 is positive regulator. We found a subset of Arabidopsis miRNAs that quickly change their expression and their abundance in AGO1 complexes in plants exposed to A. brassicicola. The miRNAs responding to pathogen treatment are mainly targeting genes encoding metabolic enzymes, proteins involved protein degradation or transposons. In case of miR163, A. brassicicola infection results in increased levels of miRNA precursors and preferential accumulation of an unspliced form of pri-miR163, suggesting that A. brassicicola infection changes the transcriptional and post-regulation of pri-miRNAs. miR163 acts as a negative regulator of plant defense because mir163 mutants are more resistant when treated with A. brassicicola. Taken together, our results reveal the existence of positively and negatively acting Arabidopsis miRNA modulating the defense responses against A. brassicicola and highlight the importance of host miRNAs in the interaction between plants and necrotrophic pathogens.
Project description:Plant microRNAs (miRNAs) have been implicated in plant immunity. These mainly focusing Arabidopsis thaliana threatened by (hemi-)biotrophic pathogens such as the bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas syringae. Here, we show that the Arabidopsis miRNA pathway is important for defense responses against the necrotrophic fungus Alternaria brassicicola. The miRNA pathway mutant ago1 exhibits an exaggerated response when treated with A. brassicicola, proposing that AGO1 is positive regulator. We found a subset of Arabidopsis miRNAs that quickly change their expression and their abundance in AGO1 complexes in plants exposed to A. brassicicola. The miRNAs responding to pathogen treatment are mainly targeting genes encoding metabolic enzymes, proteins involved protein degradation or transposons. In case of miR163, A. brassicicola infection results in increased levels of miRNA precursors and preferential accumulation of an unspliced form of pri-miR163, suggesting that A. brassicicola infection changes the transcriptional and post-regulation of pri-miRNAs. miR163 acts as a negative regulator of plant defense because mir163 mutants are more resistant when treated with A. brassicicola. Taken together, our results reveal the existence of positively and negatively acting Arabidopsis miRNA modulating the defense responses against A. brassicicola and highlight the importance of host miRNAs in the interaction between plants and necrotrophic pathogens.
Project description:We analyzed dual-transcriptome changes in germinating Arabidopsis seeds at three development stages (3, 6 and 10 days after sowing) with or without Alternaria brassicicola. Differentailly expressed genes were identified from both seed and fungus.
Project description:Gibberellin (GA) promotes plant growth by destabilizing DELLA proteins. DELLA proteins integrate multiple hormonal and environmental stress responses. We investigated the role of GA and DELLA proteins in plant defence. We used microarrays to detail the global programme of gene expression controlled by DELLA proteins and identified distinct classes of differentially regulated genes in response to pathogens, hormones or pathogen elicitors. Experiment Overall Design: Five weeks old short day grown Arabidopsis leaf discs were used to treat with flg22 and samples were collected after 1 hour and 2 hour time points. For Alternaria brassicicola, five weeks old plants were drop inoculated with 4x 5µl droplets of Alternaria brassicicola spores (5x105 spores/ml) and samples were collected 3 days post inoculation. Five weeks old plants were infiltrated with Pst DC3000 (2x105cfu/ml) bacteria and samples were collected after 12 hours post infiltration. For methyl jasmonate treatments, five weeks old plants were sprayed with 10µM Methyl Jasmonate solution, covered with plastic bags and samples were collected after one hour.
Project description:We analyzed transcriptome changes from germinating cyp79B2 cyp79B3, qko, and pad3 mutant Arabidopsis seeds. Here were used mutant lines in Col-0 genetic background: a cyp79B2 cyp79B3 double mutant defective in indolic glucosinolate (cyp79B2/B3), a cyp79B2 cyp79B3 myb28 myb29 quadruple mutant defective in indolic and aliphatic glucosinolates (qko), and a camalexin deficient mutant (pad3). Differentially expressed genes were identified at 3, 6 and 10 days after sowing from both the mutant line seeds and from Alternaria brassicicola when inoculated seeds were analyzed.
Project description:Alternaria brassicicola is a successful saprophyte and necrotrophic plant pathogen. Molecular determinants of its life style shift between saprophyte and pathogen, however, are unknown. To identify these determinants we studied nonpathogenic mutants of a transcription factor-coding gene, AbPf2. Frequency and timing of germination and appressorium formation on host plants were similar between the nonpathogenic Δabpf2 mutants and wild-type A. brassicicola. The mutants were also similar in vitro to wild-type A. brassicicola in vegetative growth, conidium production, and responses to chemical stressors, such as a phytoalexin, reactive oxygen species, and osmolites. The mutants, however, did not penetrate host plant tissues, though their hyphae continued to grow on the plant surface. Transcripts of the AbPf2 gene increased exponentially soon after wild-type conidia encountered their host plants. A small amount of AbPf2 protein, monitored by fused green fluorescent protein, was located in both the cytoplasm and nuclei of young, mature conidia. The protein level decreased during saprophytic growth but increased several-fold during pathogenesis. Levels of both the proteins and transcripts sharply declined following colonization of host tissues beyond the initial infection site. When the transcription factor was expressed at an induced level in the wild type during early pathogenesis, the expression of 106 fungal genes was down-regulated in the Δabpf2 mutants. Notably, 33 of the 106 genes encoded secreted proteins, including eight putative effector proteins. Plants inoculated with Δabpf2 mutants expressed higher levels of genes associated with photosynthesis, the pentose phosphate pathway, and primary metabolism, but lower levels of defense-related genes. Our results suggest that conidia of A. brassicicola are programmed as saprophytes, but become parasites upon contact with their hosts. AbPf2 coordinates this transformation by expressing pathogenesis-associated genes, including those coding for effectors.