Project description:This study provides a first large-scale cloning and characterization of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum milRNAs and milRNAs candidates. Two microRNA-like RNAs (milRNAs) and 42 milRNA candidates were identified by sequence analysis. These milRNAs and candidates provide new insights into the functional roles of small RNAs and adds new resources for the study of plant pathogenic fungi.
2012-05-18 | GSE28730 | GEO
Project description:Nucleosome patterns in four plant pathogenic fungi
Project description:This study provides a first large-scale cloning and characterization of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum milRNAs and milRNAs candidates. Two microRNA-like RNAs (milRNAs) and 42 milRNA candidates were identified by sequence analysis. These milRNAs and candidates provide new insights into the functional roles of small RNAs and adds new resources for the study of plant pathogenic fungi. We constructed a small RNA library from Sclerotinia sclerotiorum.
Project description:Macrophomina phaseolina is a global devastating necrotrophic fungal pathogen. It causes charcoal rot disease in more than 500 host plants. It is essential to understand the host microbe interaction and the diseases pathogenesis which can ensure global agricultural crop production and security. An array of virulence factors of M. phaseolina were identified which were found to be involved in pathogenesis of other plant pathogenic fungi also. In conclusion the present study has provided a better understanding of how necrotrophic fungi M. phaseolina modulates host plant defensive processes.
Project description:Endophytic fungi are root-inhabiting fungi that can promote plant growth in a variety of ways. They can directly stimulate plant growth by producing phytohormones, such as auxin and gibberellins. They can also indirectly promote plant growth by helping plants to acquire nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorus, and by protecting plants from pests and pathogens.In this study, we used a proteomic approach to identify the proteins that are expressed in rice plants after they are treated with endophytic fungi. We found that the treatment with endophytic fungi resulted in the expression of a number of proteins involved in plant growth, nutrient acquisition, and defense. These results suggest that endophytic fungi can promote plant growth and improve plant resilience to stress.
Project description:Endophytic fungi are fungi that live inside the roots of plants. They can promote plant growth through a variety of direct and indirect mechanisms. Direct mechanisms include the production of phytohormones, such as auxin and gibberellins, which can stimulate plant growth. Endophytic fungi can also fix nitrogen, solubilize phosphate, and produce siderophores, which are compounds that chelate iron and make it available to plants. In addition, some endophytic fungi produce antimicrobial metabolites that can protect plants from pests and pathogens. Indirect mechanisms include the induction of systemic resistance, which is a plant's ability to defend itself against pests and pathogens. Endophytic fungi can also help plants to tolerate abiotic stresses, such as drought, salinity, and heavy metals. In this study, we used a proteomic approach to identify the proteins that are expressed in rice plants after they are treated with endophytic fungi. We found that the treatment with endophytic fungi resulted in the expression of a number of proteins involved in plant growth, stress response, and defense. These results suggest that endophytic fungi can promote plant growth and improve plant resilience to stress.
Project description:Combating the action of plant pathogenic microorganisms by antagonistic or mycoparasitic fungi has been announced as an attractive biological alternative to the use of chemical fungicides since more than 20 years, and gains additional importance in current trends to environmentally friendly agriculture. Taxa of the fungal genus Hypocrea/Trichoderma (Ascomycota, Hypocreales, Hypocreaceae) contain prominent examples of such biocontrol agents, because they not only antagonize plant-pathogenic fungi, but are also often rhizosphere competent and can enhance plant growth. Identification of the primary factors that regulate the mycoparasitic behaviour and metabolic activities related to it will therefore allow the full ecological significance of this trait to be explored. We performed the analysis of the genome sequence from two mycoparasitic and rhizosphere competent Trichoderma spp. – T. atroviride and T. virens – and compare it to that of the saprophyte T. reesei. The predicted gene inventory of the T. atroviride and T.virens genome, therefore, points to previously unknown mechanisms operating during biocontrol of plant pathogens. The availability of these genomes provides a unique opportunity to develop a deeper understanding of the processes fundamental to mycoparasitism and its application for the breeding of improved biocontrol strains for plant protection. To investigate the potential role in mycoparasitism, microarrays were used to examine T. virens transcript levels when confronted with a potential prey (the plant pathogen Rhizoctonia solani) before contact, during first physical contact and during overgrowth of the host. The study presented here is the result of this analysis.