ORCID Profile
0000-0001-9288-869X
Current Organisations
Australian National University
,
Hebei Agricultural University
Does something not look right? The information on this page has been harvested from data sources that may not be up to date. We continue to work with information providers to improve coverage and quality. To report an issue, use the Feedback Form.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 09-10-2023
Publisher: eLife Sciences Publications, Ltd
Date: 18-07-2023
DOI: 10.7554/ELIFE.89280
Abstract: Plant pathogens secrete proteins, known as effectors, that function in the apoplast or inside plant cells to promote virulence. Effector detection by cell-surface or cytosolic receptors results in the activation of defence pathways and plant immunity. Despite their importance, our general understanding of fungal effector function and detection by immunity receptors remains poor. One complication often associated with effectors is their high sequence ersity and lack of identifiable sequence motifs precluding prediction of structure or function. In recent years, several studies have demonstrated that fungal effectors can be grouped into structural classes, despite significant sequence variation and existence across taxonomic groups. Using protein x-ray crystallography, we identify a new structural class of effectors hidden within the secreted in xylem (SIX) effectors from Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici (Fol). The recognised effectors Avr1 (SIX4) and Avr3 (SIX1) represent the founding members of the Fol dual-domain (FOLD) effector class, with members containing two distinct domains. Using AlphaFold2, we predicted the full SIX effector repertoire of Fol and show that SIX6 and SIX13 are also FOLD effectors, which we validated experimentally for SIX6. Based on structural prediction and comparisons, we show that FOLD effectors are present within three isions of fungi and are expanded in pathogens and symbionts. Further structural comparisons demonstrate that Fol secretes a limited number of structurally related effectors during infection of tomato. This analysis also revealed a structural relationship between transcriptionally co-regulated effector pairs. We make use of the Avr1 structure to understand its recognition by the I receptor, which lead to disease resistance in tomato. This study represents an important advance in our understanding of Fol-tomato, and by extension plant-fungal interactions, which will assist the development of novel control and engineering strategies to combat plant pathogens.
Publisher: eLife Sciences Publications, Ltd
Date: 18-07-2023
Abstract: Plant pathogens secrete proteins, known as effectors, that function in the apoplast or inside plant cells to promote virulence. Effector detection by cell-surface or cytosolic receptors results in the activation of defence pathways and plant immunity. Despite their importance, our general understanding of fungal effector function and detection by immunity receptors remains poor. One complication often associated with effectors is their high sequence ersity and lack of identifiable sequence motifs precluding prediction of structure or function. In recent years, several studies have demonstrated that fungal effectors can be grouped into structural classes, despite significant sequence variation and existence across taxonomic groups. Using protein x-ray crystallography, we identify a new structural class of effectors hidden within the secreted in xylem (SIX) effectors from Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici (Fol). The recognised effectors Avr1 (SIX4) and Avr3 (SIX1) represent the founding members of the Fol dual-domain (FOLD) effector class, with members containing two distinct domains. Using AlphaFold2, we predicted the full SIX effector repertoire of Fol and show that SIX6 and SIX13 are also FOLD effectors, which we validated experimentally for SIX6. Based on structural prediction and comparisons, we show that FOLD effectors are present within three isions of fungi and are expanded in pathogens and symbionts. Further structural comparisons demonstrate that Fol secretes a limited number of structurally related effectors during infection of tomato. This analysis also revealed a structural relationship between transcriptionally co-regulated effector pairs. We make use of the Avr1 structure to understand its recognition by the I receptor, which lead to disease resistance in tomato. This study represents an important advance in our understanding of Fol-tomato, and by extension plant-fungal interactions, which will assist the development of novel control and engineering strategies to combat plant pathogens.
Publisher: Scientific Societies
Date: 02-2023
DOI: 10.1094/PDIS-04-22-0901-RE
Abstract: Tea-oil Camellia species as edible-oil producing trees are widely cultivated in southern China. Camellia anthracnose that is mainly caused by Colletotrichum fructicola is a major disease of tea-oil trees. However, rapid detection and precise quantification of C. fructicola in different Camellia species that are crucial for the fundamental study of this pathosystem and effective disease management remain largely unexplored. Here, we developed a sensitive, rapid, and accurate method for quantifying C. fructicola growth in different Camellia species using a quantitative PCR assay. Amplified C. fructicola DNA using ITS-specific primers is relatively compared with the lification of Camellia oleifera using the TUB gene. We determined that the fungal growth is tightly associated with the disease development in Ca. oleifera following C. fructicola infection in a time-course manner. This assay is highly sensitive, as fungal growth was detected in six different inoculated tea-oil Camellia species without visible disease lesion symptoms. Additionally, this method was validated by quantifying the Camellia anthracnose in orchards that did not show any disease symptoms. This assay enables the rapid, highly sensitive, and precise detection and quantification of C. fructicola growth in different tea-oil Camellia species, which will have a practical application for early diagnosis of anthracnose disease under asymptomatic conditions in Camellia breeding and field and will facilitate the development of tea-oil trees and C. fructicola interaction as a mold system to study woody plant and fungal pathogens interaction.
Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: 15-12-2021
DOI: 10.1101/2021.12.14.472499
Abstract: Plant pathogens secrete proteins, known as effectors, that function in the apoplast or inside plant cells to promote virulence. Effector detection by cell-surface or cytosolic receptors results in the activation of defence pathways and plant immunity. Despite their importance, our general understanding of fungal effector function and detection by immunity receptors remains poor. One complication often associated with effectors is their high sequence ersity and lack of identifiable sequence motifs precluding prediction of structure or function. In recent years, several studies have demonstrated that fungal effectors can be grouped into structural classes, despite significant sequence variation and existence across taxonomic groups. Using protein x-ray crystallography, we identify a new structural class of effectors hidden within the secreted in xylem (SIX) effectors from Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici ( Fol ). The recognised effectors Avr1 (SIX4) and Avr3 (SIX1) represent the founding members of the Fol d ual-domain (FOLD) effector class, with members containing two distinct domains. Using AlphaFold2, we predicted the full SIX effector repertoire of Fol and show that SIX6 and SIX13 are also FOLD effectors, which we validated experimentally for SIX6. Based on structural prediction and comparisons, we show that FOLD effectors are present within three isions of fungi and are expanded in pathogens and symbionts. Further structural comparisons demonstrate that Fol secretes a limited number of structurally related effectors during infection of tomato. This analysis also revealed a structural relationship between transcriptionally co-regulated effector pairs. We make use of the Avr1 structure to understand its recognition by the I receptor, which lead to disease resistance in tomato. This study represents an important advance in our understanding of Fol -tomato, and by extension plant-fungal interactions, which will assist the development of novel control and engineering strategies to combat plant pathogens.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 09-06-2020
DOI: 10.1002/PS.5910
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 30-08-2022
DOI: 10.1002/PS.7129
Abstract: Western flower thrips are considered the major insect pest of horticultural crops worldwide, causing economic and yield loss to Solanaceae crops. The eggplant ( Solanum melongena L.) resistance against thrips remains largely unexplored. This work aims to identify thrips‐resistant eggplants and dissect the molecular mechanisms underlying this resistance using the integrated metabolomic and transcriptomic analyses of thrips‐resistant and ‐susceptible cultivars. We developed a micro‐cage thrips bioassay to identify thrips‐resistant eggplant cultivars, and highly resistant cultivars were identified from wild eggplant relatives. Metabolomic profiles of thrips‐resistant and ‐susceptible eggplant were compared using the gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry (GC‐MS)‐based approach, resulting in the identification of a higher amount of quinic acid in thrips‐resistant eggplant compared to the thrips‐susceptible plant. RNA‐sequencing analysis identified differentially expressed genes (DEGs) by comparing genome‐wide gene expression changes between thrips‐resistant and ‐susceptible eggplants. Consistent with metabolomic analysis, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis of DEGs revealed that the starch and sucrose metabolic pathway in which quinic acid is a metabolic by‐product was highly enriched. External application of quinic acid enhances the resistance of susceptible eggplant to thrips. Our results showed that quinic acid plays a key role in the resistance to thrips. These findings highlight a potential application of quinic acid as a biocontrol agent to manage thrips and expand our knowledge to breed thrips‐resistant eggplant. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.
Publisher: Scientific Societies
Date: 03-2021
DOI: 10.1094/PDIS-03-20-0627-RE
Abstract: Wheat (Triticum aestivum) common root rot (CRR) caused by predominant fungal pathogen Bipolaris sorokiniana occurs in all wheat-growing regions worldwide and is difficult to control. In this study, the efficacy of eight fungicides against Bipolaris sorokiniana was examined in in vitro assays, and we determined that the combined application of two fungicides significantly inhibits the growth of fungal mycelium. Half of the maximal effective concentration of a mixture containing fludioxonil and difenoconazole in the ratio 1:4 was 0.0372 mg/liter, and the cotoxicity coefficient was 160.14. Under an environmentally controlled pot assay, seed treatment with the mixture of fludioxonil and difenoconazole in the 1:4 ratio demonstrated the best control efficiency at seedling and adult stages, respectively. The best synergistic mixture on seed treatment was assessed in a 2-year field experiment at Hebei, China. The best control efficacy achieved at the seedling and adult stages was 82.65% and 68.48%, respectively. Overall, the in vitro mycelial growth inhibition assay and controlled-environment and field studies indicated that the synergistic action of a mixture of fludioxonil and difenoconazole provides effective control against wheat CRR. These findings highlight the potential application of the fungicide combination for controlling CRR and reducing the selection pressure on fungal pathogens by lessening the use of various fungicides in the field.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 06-10-2021
DOI: 10.1111/MPP.13143
Abstract: Asparagine synthetase is a key enzyme that catalyses the conversion of amide groups from glutamine or ammonium to aspartate, which leads to the generation of asparagine. However, the role of asparagine synthetase in plant immunity remains largely unknown. Here, we identified a Nicotiana benthamiana asparagine synthetase B (NbAS‐B) that associates with tomato mosaic virus coat protein‐interacting protein L (IP‐L) using the yeast two‐hybrid assay and examined its role in tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) resistance. The association of IP‐L with NbAS‐B was further confirmed by in vivo co‐immunoprecipitation, luciferase complementation imaging, and bimolecular fluorescence complementation assays. IP‐L and NbAS‐B interact in the nucleus and cytosol and IP‐L apparently stabilizes NbAS‐B, thus enhancing its accumulation. The expressions of IP‐L and NbAS‐B are continuously induced on TMV‐green fluorescent protein (GFP) infection. Co‐silencing of IP‐L and NbAS‐B facilitates TMV‐GFP infection. Overexpression of NbAS‐B in tobacco reduces TMV‐GFP infection by significantly improving the synthesis of asparagine. Furthermore, the external application of asparagine significantly inhibits the infection of TMV‐GFP by activating the salicylic acid signalling pathway. These findings hold the potential for the future application of asparagine in the control of TMV.
No related grants have been discovered for LISONG Ma.