Blumeria graminis

About: Blumeria graminis is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 1320 publications have been published within this topic receiving 38517 citations.

SNARE-protein-mediated disease resistance at the plant cell wall

Abstract: Failure of pathogenic fungi to breach the plant cell wall constitutes a major component of immunity of non-host plant species--species outside the pathogen host range--and accounts for a proportion of aborted infection attempts on 'susceptible' host plants (basal resistance). Neither form of penetration resistance is understood at the molecular level. We developed a screen for penetration (pen) mutants of Arabidopsis, which are disabled in non-host penetration resistance against barley powdery mildew, Blumeria graminis f. sp. hordei, and we isolated the PEN1 gene. We also isolated barley ROR2 (ref. 2), which is required for basal penetration resistance against B. g. hordei. The genes encode functionally homologous syntaxins, demonstrating a mechanistic link between non-host resistance and basal penetration resistance in monocotyledons and dicotyledons. We show that resistance in barley requires a SNAP-25 (synaptosome-associated protein, molecular mass 25 kDa) homologue capable of forming a binary SNAP receptor (SNARE) complex with ROR2. Genetic control of vesicle behaviour at penetration sites, and plasma membrane location of PEN1/ROR2, is consistent with a proposed involvement of SNARE-complex-mediated exocytosis and/or homotypic vesicle fusion events in resistance. Functions associated with SNARE-dependent penetration resistance are dispensable for immunity mediated by race-specific resistance (R) genes, highlighting fundamental differences between these two resistance forms.

Genome expansion and gene loss in powdery mildew fungi reveal tradeoffs in extreme parasitism

Abstract: Powdery mildews are phytopathogens whose growth and reproduction are entirely dependent on living plant cells. The molecular basis of this life-style, obligate biotrophy, remains unknown. We present the genome analysis of barley powdery mildew, Blumeria graminis f.sp. hordei (Blumeria), as well as a comparison with the analysis of two powdery mildews pathogenic on dicotyledonous plants. These genomes display massive retrotransposon proliferation, genome-size expansion, and gene losses. The missing genes encode enzymes of primary and secondary metabolism, carbohydrate-active enzymes, and transporters, probably reflecting their redundancy in an exclusively biotrophic life-style. Among the 248 candidate effectors of pathogenesis identified in the Blumeria genome, very few (less than 10) define a core set conserved in all three mildews, suggesting that most effectors represent species-specific adaptations.

Arabidopsis PEN3/PDR8, an ATP Binding Cassette Transporter, Contributes to Nonhost Resistance to Inappropriate Pathogens That Enter by Direct Penetration

Abstract: Arabidopsis thaliana is a host to the powdery mildew Erysiphe cichoracearum and nonhost to Blumeria graminis f. sp hordei, the powdery mildew pathogenic on barley (Hordeum vulgare). Screening for Arabidopsis mutants deficient in resistance to barley powdery mildew identified PENETRATION3 (PEN3). pen3 plants permitted both increased invasion into epidermal cells and initiation of hyphae by B. g. hordei, suggesting that PEN3 contributes to defenses at the cell wall and intracellularly. pen3 mutants were compromised in resistance to the necrotroph Plectosphaerella cucumerina and to two additional inappropriate biotrophs, pea powdery mildew (Erysiphe pisi) and potato late blight (Phytophthora infestans). Unexpectedly, pen3 mutants were resistant to E. cichoracearum. This resistance was salicylic acid-dependent and correlated with chlorotic patches. Consistent with this observation, salicylic acid pathway genes were hyperinduced in pen3 relative to the wild type. The phenotypes conferred by pen3 result from the loss of function of PLEIOTROPIC DRUG RESISTANCE8 (PDR8), a highly expressed putative ATP binding cassette transporter. PEN3/PDR8 tagged with green fluorescent protein localized to the plasma membrane in uninfected cells. In infected leaves, the protein concentrated at infection sites. PEN3/PDR8 may be involved in exporting toxic materials to attempted invasion sites, and intracellular accumulation of these toxins in pen3 may secondarily activate the salicylic acid pathway.

HIGS: Host-Induced Gene Silencing in the Obligate Biotrophic Fungal Pathogen Blumeria graminis

Abstract: Powdery mildew fungi are obligate biotrophic pathogens that only grow on living hosts and cause damage in thousands of plant species. Despite their agronomical importance, little direct functional evidence for genes of pathogenicity and virulence is currently available because mutagenesis and transformation protocols are lacking. Here, we show that the accumulation in barley (Hordeum vulgare) and wheat (Triticum aestivum) of double-stranded or antisense RNA targeting fungal transcripts affects the development of the powdery mildew fungus Blumeria graminis. Proof of concept for host-induced gene silencing was obtained by silencing the effector gene Avra10, which resulted in reduced fungal development in the absence, but not in the presence, of the matching resistance gene Mla10. The fungus could be rescued from the silencing of Avra10 by the transient expression of a synthetic gene that was resistant to RNA interference (RNAi) due to silent point mutations. The results suggest traffic of RNA molecules from host plants into B. graminis and may lead to an RNAi-based crop protection strategy against fungal pathogens.

Brachypodium distachyon. A new model system for functional genomics in grasses.

Abstract: A new model for grass functional genomics is described based on Brachypodium distachyon , which in the evolution of the Pooideae diverged just prior to the clade of “core pooid” genera that contain the majority of important temperate cereals and forage grasses. Diploid ecotypes of B . distachyon (2 n = 10) have five easily distinguishable chromosomes that display high levels of chiasma formation at meiosis. The B . distachyon nuclear genome was indistinguishable in size from that of Arabidopsis, making it the simplest genome described in grasses to date. B . distachyon is a self-fertile, inbreeding annual with a life cycle of less than 4 months. These features, coupled with its small size (approximately 20 cm at maturity), lack of seed-head shatter, and undemanding growth requirements should make it amenable to high-throughput genetics and mutant screens. Immature embryos exhibited a high capacity for plant regeneration via somatic embryogenesis. Regenerated plants display very low levels of albinism and have normal fertility. A simple transformation system has been developed based on microprojectile bombardment of embryogenic callus and hygromycin selection. Selected B . distachyon ecotypes were resistant to all tested cereal-adapted Blumeria graminis species and cereal brown rusts ( Puccinia reconditia ). In contrast, different ecotypes displayed resistance or disease symptoms following challenge with the rice blast pathogen ( Magnaporthe grisea ) and wheat/barley yellow stripe rusts ( Puccinia striformis ). Despite its small stature, B . distachyon has large seeds that should prove useful for studies on grain filling. Such biological characteristics represent important traits for study in temperate cereals.