RNAi function, diversity, and loss in the fungal kingdom

Billmyre, R. Blake; Calo, Silvia; Feretzaki, Marianna; Wang, Xuying; Heitman, Joseph

doi:10.1007/s10577-013-9388-2

Cited by 103 publications

(98 citation statements)

References 94 publications

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“…However, intriguing differences between C. neoformans and C. gattii still remain to be discovered. For example, recent work has revealed that in contrast to C. neoformans, C. gattii VGII strains have lost the RNAi mechanism (Billmyre et al 2013). …”

Section: Mycology Life Cyclementioning

confidence: 99%

Cryptococcus neoformans and Cryptococcus gattii, the Etiologic Agents of Cryptococcosis

Kwon‐Chung

Fraser

Doering

et al. 2014

Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Medicine

428

385

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Section: Mycology Life Cyclementioning

confidence: 99%

Cryptococcus neoformans and Cryptococcus gattii, the Etiologic Agents of Cryptococcosis

Kwon‐Chung

Fraser

Doering

et al. 2014

Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Medicine

428

385

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“…The filamentous fungus Neurospora crassa may be useful for investigating the unknowns of homology searching because it possesses a genetically tractable phenomenon called meiotic silencing by unpaired DNA (MSUD) (Aramayo and Selker 2013;Billmyre et al 2013). MSUD scans pairs of homologs for segments of DNA that are not accurately paired between them.…”

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confidence: 99%

Efficient Detection of Unpaired DNA Requires a Member of the Rad54-Like Family of Homologous Recombination Proteins

et al. 2014

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Meiotic silencing by unpaired DNA (MSUD) is a process that detects unpaired regions between homologous chromosomes and silences them for the duration of sexual development. While the phenomenon of MSUD is well recognized, the process that detects unpaired DNA is poorly understood. In this report, we provide two lines of evidence linking unpaired DNA detection to a physical search for DNA homology. First, we have found that a putative SNF2-family protein (SAD-6) is required for efficient MSUD in Neurospora crassa. SAD-6 is closely related to Rad54, a protein known to facilitate key steps in the repair of double-strand breaks by homologous recombination. Second, we have successfully masked unpaired DNA by placing identical transgenes at slightly different locations on homologous chromosomes. This masking falls apart when the distance between the transgenes is increased. We propose a model where unpaired DNA detection during MSUD is achieved through a spatially constrained search for DNA homology. The identity of SAD-6 as a Rad54 paralog suggests that this process may be similar to the searching mechanism used during homologous recombination. MEIOSIS is fundamental to sexual reproduction. During meiosis, chromosomes are replicated, aligned, recombined, and segregated to nuclei that will develop into gametes. Two of these key processes, alignment and recombination, likely require a search for DNA homology between chromosomes (Barzel and Kupiec 2008;Moore and Shaw 2009). Such homology searching is necessary because sexual organisms inherit a copy of each chromosome from each of its parents. These chromosomes, referred to as homologs, must somehow find each other so that alignment, recombination, and segregation can occur.Although recent research has improved our understanding of homology search mechanisms (Forget and Kowalczykowski 2012;Renkawitz et al. 2013), there are many questions that remain unanswered. The filamentous fungus Neurospora crassa may be useful for investigating the unknowns of homology searching because it possesses a genetically tractable phenomenon called meiotic silencing by unpaired DNA (MSUD) (Aramayo and Selker 2013;Billmyre et al. 2013). MSUD scans pairs of homologs for segments of DNA that are not accurately paired between them. If improper pairing (i.e., unpairing) is identified, the offending sequences are silenced for the duration of sexual development. For example, if a hypothetical gene called "gene A" is on the left arm of one chromosome but on the right arm of its homolog, it will be silenced. The same holds true if gene A has been lost from one of the homologs.A functional MSUD response can be easily detected with alleles that affect ascospore (sexual spore) color or shape. Indeed, MSUD was discovered during studies of ascospore maturation-1 (asm-1), a gene required for the production of pigmented (black) ascospores . A cross between an asm-1 + strain and an asm-1 D strain produces mostly unpigmented (white) ascospores. This is because MSUD silences the unpaired asm-1 + all...

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“…The mechanism and the core RNAi machinery, including Dicer, Argonaute and RNA‐dependent RNA‐polymerases (RdRps), appear to be largely conserved in fungi,21 but some differences do exist. In N. crassa and several other fungi such as Mucor circinelloides , additional genes involved in RNAi have been identified, with production of siRNAs by Dicer‐independent pathways 22. Moreover, some fungal species can lack some components of, or the entire, RNAi machinery.…”

Section: Rna Mechanismsmentioning

confidence: 99%

RNAi as an emerging approach to control Fusarium head blight disease and mycotoxin contamination in cereals

Machado

Brown

Urban

et al. 2017

Pest Management Science

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Fusarium graminearum is a major fungal pathogen of cereals worldwide, causing seedling, stem base and floral diseases, including Fusarium head blight (FHB). In addition to yield and quality losses, FHB contaminates cereal grain with mycotoxins, including deoxynivalenol, which are harmful to human, animal and ecosystem health. Currently, FHB control is only partially effective due to several intractable problems. RNA interference (RNAi) is a natural mechanism that regulates gene expression. RNAi has been exploited in the development of new genomic tools that allow the targeted silencing of genes of interest in many eukaryotes. Host‐induced gene silencing (HIGS) is a transgenic technology used to silence fungal genes in planta during attempted infection and thereby reduces disease levels. HIGS relies on the host plant's ability to produce mobile small interfering RNA molecules, generated from long double‐stranded RNA, which are complementary to targeted fungal genes. These molecules are transferred from the plant to invading fungi via an uncharacterised mechanism, to cause gene silencing. Here, we describe recent advances in RNAi‐mediated control of plant pathogenic fungi, highlighting the key advantages and disadvantages. We then discuss the developments and implications of combining HIGS with other methods of disease control. © 2017 The Authors. Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

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RNAi function, diversity, and loss in the fungal kingdom

Cited by 103 publications

References 94 publications

Cryptococcus neoformans and Cryptococcus gattii, the Etiologic Agents of Cryptococcosis

Cryptococcus neoformans and Cryptococcus gattii, the Etiologic Agents of Cryptococcosis

Efficient Detection of Unpaired DNA Requires a Member of the Rad54-Like Family of Homologous Recombination Proteins

RNAi as an emerging approach to control Fusarium head blight disease and mycotoxin contamination in cereals

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