Horizontal Chromosome Transfer, a Mechanism for the Evolution and Differentiation of a Plant-Pathogenic Fungus

Akagi, Yasunori; Akamatsu, Hajime; Otani, Hiroshi; Kodama, Motoichiro

doi:10.1128/ec.00135-09

Cited by 143 publications

(111 citation statements)

References 48 publications

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“…Host-selective toxin biosynthetic genes of A. alternata pathotypes appeared to be clustered on small chromosomes of Ͻ2.0 Mb in most of the strains tested (2,3,13,15,20,21,33,35). We demonstrated that small chromosomes that contain toxin biosynthetic genes from the strawberry, apple, and tomato pathotypes are conditionally dispensable (CD) chromosomes (2,15,21).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 94%

“…We demonstrated that small chromosomes that contain toxin biosynthetic genes from the strawberry, apple, and tomato pathotypes are conditionally dispensable (CD) chromosomes (2,15,21). We are now focusing on the structural and functional analysis of the 1.05-Mb CD chromosome that contains the AFT genes of the strawberry pathotype to identify the entire gene cluster and to understand the evolution of toxin biosynthesis and the origin of CD chromosomes.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Contribution of Peroxisomes to Secondary Metabolism and Pathogenicity in the Fungal Plant Pathogen Alternaria alternata

et al. 2010

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The filamentous fungus Alternaria alternata includes seven pathogenic variants (pathotypes) which produce different host-selective toxins and cause diseases on different plants. The Japanese pear pathotype produces the host-selective AK-toxin, an epoxy-decatrienoic acid ester, and causes black spot of Japanese pear. Previously, we identified four genes, AKT1, AKT2, AKT3, and AKTR, involved in AK toxin biosynthesis. AKT1, AKT2, and AKT3 encode enzyme proteins with peroxisomal targeting signal type 1 (PTS1)-like tripeptides, SKI, SKL, and PKL, respectively, at the C-terminal ends. In this study, we verified the peroxisome localization of Akt1, Akt2, and Akt3 by using strains expressing N-terminal green fluorescent protein (GFP)-tagged versions of the proteins. To assess the role of peroxisome function in AK-toxin production, we isolated AaPEX6, which encodes a peroxin protein essential for peroxisome biogenesis, from the Japanese pear pathotype and made AaPEX6 disruption-containing transformants from a GFP-Akt1-expressing strain. The ⌬AaPEX6 mutant strains did not grow on fatty acid media because of a defect in fatty acid ␤ oxidation. The import of GFP-Akt1 into peroxisomes was impaired in the ⌬AaPEX6 mutant strains. These strains completely lost AK toxin production and pathogenicity on susceptible pear leaves. These data show that peroxisomes are essential for AK-toxin biosynthesis. The ⌬AaPEX6 mutant strains showed a marked reduction in the ability to cause lesions on leaves of a resistant pear cultivar with defense responses compromised by heat shock. This result suggests that peroxisome function is also required for plant invasion and tissue colonization in A. alternata. We also observed that mutation of AaPEX6 caused a marked reduction of conidiation.Peroxisomes are single-membrane-bound organelles and have a wide range of metabolic functions, including ␤ oxidation of fatty acids, peroxide detoxification, and glyoxylate metabolism (60,62

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 94%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Contribution of Peroxisomes to Secondary Metabolism and Pathogenicity in the Fungal Plant Pathogen Alternaria alternata

et al. 2010

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“…In addition to those discussed earlier, examples include the ETP and fumonisin clusters between ascomycetes, 34,39 penicillin between bacteria and fungi, 42 and genes involved in host-specific toxin production and host specificity between Alternaria pathotypes or species. 43,44 The increasing availability of fungal genome sequences should allow testing of alternative hypotheses.…”

Section: Similar Mechanisms Occur In Other Secondary Metabolism Genementioning

confidence: 99%

Evolutionary Mechanisms Involved in Development of Fungal Secondary Metabolite Gene Clusters

et al. 2014

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“…The transfer of whole chromosomes was also involved in the acquirement of pathogenicity by the tomato pathogens Alternaria alternata and Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici (Akagi et al 2009;Ma et al 2010). Finally, Richards et al (2011) showed how interkingdom gene transfer from filamentous fungi to oomycetes of at least 21 genes with roles in nutrient acquisition, degradation of plant surface components, and suppression of plant defences led to the appearance of plant pathogenic oomycetes.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Widespread horizontal transfer of the cerato-ulmin gene between Ophiostoma novo-ulmi and Geosmithia species

et al. 2014

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a b s t r a c tPrevious work had shown that a sequence homologous to the gene encoding class II hydrophobin cerato-ulmin from the fungus Ophiostoma novo-ulmi, the causal agent of Dutch Elm Disease (DED), was present in a strain of the unrelated species Geosmithia species 5 (Ascomycota: Hypocreales) isolated from Ulmus minor affected by DED. As both fungi occupy the same habitat, even if different ecological niches, the occurrence of horizontal gene transfer was proposed. In the present work we have analysed for the presence of the cerato-ulmin gene 70 Geosmithia strains representing 29 species, isolated from different host plants and geographic locations. The gene was found in 52.1 % of the strains derived from elm trees, while none of those isolated from nonelms possessed it. The expression of the gene in Geosmithia was also assessed by real time PCR in different growth conditions (liquid culture, solid culture, elm sawdust, dual culture with O. novo-ulmi), and was found to be extremely low in all conditions tested. On the basis of these results we propose that the cerato-ulmin gene is not functional in Geosmithia, but can be considered instead a marker of more extensive transfers of genetic material as shown in other fungi.

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Horizontal Chromosome Transfer, a Mechanism for the Evolution and Differentiation of a Plant-Pathogenic Fungus

Cited by 143 publications

References 48 publications

Contribution of Peroxisomes to Secondary Metabolism and Pathogenicity in the Fungal Plant Pathogen Alternaria alternata

Contribution of Peroxisomes to Secondary Metabolism and Pathogenicity in the Fungal Plant Pathogen Alternaria alternata

Evolutionary Mechanisms Involved in Development of Fungal Secondary Metabolite Gene Clusters

Widespread horizontal transfer of the cerato-ulmin gene between Ophiostoma novo-ulmi and Geosmithia species

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