Project description:Alcohol oxidases are ecologically important enzymes which facilitate a number of plant-fungal interactions. Within Ascomycota they are primarily associated with methylotrophy, as a peroxisomal alcohol oxidase (AOX) catalyzing the conversion of methanol to formaldehyde in methylotrophic yeast. In this study we demonstrate that AOX orthologs are phylogenetically conserved proteins which are common in the genomes of non-methylotrophic, plant-associating fungi. Additionally, AOX orthologs are highly expressed during infection in a range of diverse pathosystems. To study the role of AOX in plant colonization, AOX knockout mutants were generated in the broad host range pathogen Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. Disease assays in soybean showed that these mutants had a significant virulence defect as evidenced by markedly reduced stem lesions and mortality rates. Chemical genomics suggest that SsAOX may function as an aromatic alcohol oxidase, and growth assays demonstrate that ΔSsAOX is incapable of properly utilizing plant extract as a nutrient source. Profiling of known aromatic alcohols point towards the monolignol coniferyl alcohol (CoA) as a possible substrate for SsAOX. As CoA and other monolignols are ubiquitous among land plants, the presence of highly conserved AOX orthologs throughout Ascomycota imply that this is a broadly conserved protein used by ascomycete fungi during plant colonization.

2022-12-02 | GSE212269 | GEO

Transcriptional profiling of Piriformospora indica colonizing living and dead barley roots

Project description:Recent sequencing projects have provided deep insight into fungal lifestyle-associated genomic adaptations. Here we report on the 25 Mb genome of the mutualistic root symbiont Piriformospora indica (Sebacinales, Basidiomycota) and provide a global characterization of fungal transcriptional responses associated with the colonization of living and dead roots. Extensive comparative analysis of the P. indica genome with other Basidiomycota and Ascomycota fungi that have diverse lifestyles strategies identified features typically associated with both, biotrophism and saprotrophism. The tightly controlled expression of the lifestyle-associated gene sets during the onset of the symbiosis, revealed by microarrays analysis, argues for a biphasic root colonization strategy of P. indica. Our finding provides a significant advance in understanding development of biotrophic plant symbionts and suggests a series of incremental shifts along the continuum from saprotrophy towards biotrophy in the evolution of mycorrhizal association from decomposer fungi.

2011-10-01 | GSE31266 | GEO

Comparative genomics of ten clinical Candida albicans strains

Project description:Candida albicans is the most common fungal pathogen in humans. C.albicans tolerates aneuploidy of all of its chromosomes. Genome plasticity is a hallmark of C.albicans. It is an adaptation strategy of this species. But questions like the extent of such genomic variability, which genes contribute to the divergence, and what mechanisms drive the adaptive genetic change, are not well answered yet. We used array-based comparative genomic hybridization (array CGH) to investigate the diversity of gene contents of 10 clinical C.albicans strains, of various anatomical origins and genotypes. One self to self hybridization was included as a control.

2011-09-30 | E-GEOD-20509 | biostudies-arrayexpress

Neonectria ditissima strain:R09/05

Project description:Neonectria ditissima strain:R09/05 Genome sequencing and assembly

| PRJNA292426 | ENA

Neonectria lugdunensis strain:IHI 201602

Project description:Neonectria lugdunensis strain:IHI 201602 Genome sequencing and assembly

| PRJNA609647 | ENA

Neonectria ditissima isolate:RS 305p

Project description:Neonectria ditissima isolate:RS 305p Genome sequencing and assembly

| PRJNA285413 | ENA

C. fulvum Avr2

Project description:Heterologous expression of the fungal pathogen Cladosporium fulvum Avr2 in Arabidopsis plants. Keywords: plant disease