Cross-species transcriptomics identifies core regulatory changes differentiating the asymptomatic asexual and virulent sexual life cycles of grass-symbiotic Epichloe fungi.

ABSTRACT: Fungi from the genus Epichloë form systemic endobiotic infections of cool season grasses, producing a range of host-protective natural products in return for access to nutrients. These infections are asymptomatic during vegetative host growth, with associations between asexual Epichloë spp. and their hosts considered mutualistic. However, the sexual cycle of Epichloë spp. involves virulent growth, characterized by the envelopment and sterilization of a developing host inflorescence by a dense sheath of mycelia known as a stroma. Microscopic analysis of stromata revealed a dramatic increase in hyphal propagation and host degradation compared with asymptomatic tissues. RNAseq was used to identify differentially expressed genes in asymptomatic vs stromatized tissues from 3 diverse Epichloë-ho

SUBMITTER: Berry D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8982410 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature