Protomyces Comparative Genomics and Modulation of Arabidopsis Immunity

The plant phyllosphere environment offers a habitat for multiple kinds of microbes, including bacteria, fungi, yeast, etc. Microbes can be beneficial, pathogenic, or mostly neutral to plants. Increasingly the interaction patterns and related plant immunity signaling pathways against bacteria and filamentous fungi have been extensively studied. However, the interaction between plants and yeast or yeast-like fungi is largely unclear. Phyllosphere yeast-like fungi from wild Arabidopsis were isolated and characterized in this study. Around a hundred yeast isolates, including ascomycete Protomyces species, were identified and cultured. Protomyces species have been described as pathogens of plants in the Umbelliferae and Compositae families, however, with questionable phylogeny and little genomic information. We isolated and investigated the interaction of a strain Protomyces sp. SC29 (SC29) with Arabidopsis. SC29 can persist in the Arabidopsis phylloplane, and activate Arabidopsis immune responses with MAPKs (mitogen-activated protein kinases) activation and upregulation of salicylic acid signaling and camalexin biosynthesis marker genes. Additionally, indolic compounds produced by Protomyces species are able to activate plant auxin responses. The genomes of SC29 and all currently available Protomyces species were sequenced, assembled, and annotated. Comparative genomic analysis revealed genomic characters of SC29 related to adaptation to the phyllosphere environment. Genomic insights into the pathogenesis of Protomyces species were also discovered. The phylogenetic relationships of both the genus Protomyces and the subphylum Taphrinomycotina were re-constructed with genome-wide single-copy protein sequences. Small secreted proteins from the genomes of Protomyces spp. were analyzed as candidate effectors. Physiological, phylogenetic, and genomic evidence supported SC29 to be a novel species distinct from currently accepted Protomyces species. Thus, the study of SC29 and its interaction with Arabidopsis represents a new model system for the exploration of the genetics of plant interactions with phyllosphere resident yeasts.

Grantor dc:publisher

Helsingin yliopisto

Year dc:date.issued

2019

Author dc:creator

• Wang, Kai

• Plant Sciences

Statement dc:rights

• Julkaisu on tekijänoikeussäännösten alainen. Teosta voi lukea ja tulostaa henkilökohtaista käyttöä varten. Käyttö kaupallisiin tarkoituksiin on kielletty.
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Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/10138/306755

OAI record oai:identifier

https://helda.helsinki.fi/server/oai/request?verb=GetRecord&metadataPrefix=dim&identifier=oai%3Ahelda.helsinki.fi%3A10138%2F306755