Molecular mechanisms of Ustilaginoidea virens pathogenicity and their utilization in disease control

Abstract

Rice false smut, caused by Ustilaginoidea virens, is one of the most important diseases in rice. The disease not only causes significant yield losses in China and worldwide but also produces multiple types of mycotoxins that pose a serious threat to the health of humans and animals. To effectively prevent and control the disease, the pathogenicity mechanisms of U. virens have been studied preliminarily, and some control strategies have been developed. This review focuses on recent progress in understanding the molecular mechanisms of U. virens pathogenicity, including virulence-related genes, transcriptional regulation of virulence genes, and effector-mediated interactions between rice and U. virens. Based on the molecular mechanisms underlying the rice-U. virens interactions, the possibilities of the pathogenicity genes in U. virens and host immune-related genes as potential targets for biological agents, host-induced gene silencing, and molecular design breeding are also discussed.

Transcriptome and differential expression analysis revealed the pathogenic-related genes in Magnaporthe oryzae during leaf and panicle infection

“…As we all know, the ascomycete fungus Ustilaginoidea virens causes rice false smut (RFS), a unique floret disease. Functional genomics and transcriptome analyses predict that more than 1000 genes are involved in the virulence and pathogenicity of U. virens (Yu et al 2023). These putative virulence factors are closely related to the pathways that have been identified to be implicated in U. virens pathogenicity, mycelial growth, conidiation, and stress tolerance.…”

Rice false smut pathogen: implications for mycotoxin contamination, current status, and future perspectives

“…In addition to yield losses, RFS also causes many mycotoxins to be produced in false smut balls, endangering both human and animal health. These mycotoxins include but are not limited to ustiloxins, ustilaginoidins, and sorbicillinoids (Yu et al, 2023). Cyclic peptide derivatives known as ustiloxins are poisonous to both plants and animals.…”