An enhancer-promoter-transcription factor module orchestrates plant immune homeostasis by constraining camalexin biosynthesis.

Effective plant defense against pathogens relies on highly coordinated regulation of immune gene expression. Enhancers, as cis-regulatory elements, are indispensable determinants of dynamic gene regulation, but the molecular functions in plant immunity are not well understood. In this study, we identified a novel enhancer, CORE PATTERN-INDUCED ENHANCER 35 (CPIE35), which is rapidly activated upon pathogenic elicitation and negatively regulates antifungal resistance through modulating WRKY15 expression.

A Mycovirus Representing a Novel Lineage and a Mitovirus of Co-Infect a Basidiomycetous Fungus, .

Strain IBc-114 was isolated from a gray mold lesion and was identified as the fungus In this strain, two mycoviruses, Schizophyllum commune RNA virus 1 (ScRV1, C_AA053475.1) and Botrytis cinerea mitovirus 9 strain IBc-114 (BcMV9/IBc-114, C_AA053476.1), were isolated and characterized.

An effector essential for virulence of necrotrophic fungi targets plant HIRs to inhibit host immunity.

Phytopathogens often secrete effectors to enhance their infection of plants. In the case of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, a necrotrophic phytopathogen, a secreted protein named SsPEIE1 (Sclerotinia sclerotiorum Plant Early Immunosuppressive Effector 1) plays a crucial role in its virulence. During the early stages of infection, SsPEIE1 is significantly up-regulated.

Understanding the Diversity, Evolution, Ecology, and Applications of Mycoviruses.

Mycoviruses are widely distributed among various kinds of fungi. Over the past 10 years, more novel mycoviruses have been discovered with the use of high-throughput sequencing techniques, and research on mycoviruses has made fantastic progress, promoting our understanding of the diversity, classification, evolution, and ecology of the entire virosphere. Mycoviruses affect the biological and ecological functions of their hosts, for example, by suppressing or improving hosts' virulence and reproduction ability, and subsequently affect the microbiological community where their hosts live; hence, we may develop mycoviruses to regulate the health of environments, plants, animals, and human beings.

Ubiquitination and degradation of plant helper NLR by the Ralstonia solanacearum effector RipV2 overcome tomato bacterial wilt resistance.

The Ralstonia solanacearum species complex causes bacterial wilt in a variety of crops. Tomato cultivar Hawaii 7996 is a widely used resistance resource; however, the resistance is evaded by virulent strains, with the underlying mechanisms still unknown. Here, we report that the phylotype Ⅱ strain ES5-1 can overcome Hawaii 7996 resistance.

Plants interfere with non-self recognition of a phytopathogenic fungus via proline accumulation to facilitate mycovirus transmission.

Non-self recognition is a fundamental aspect of life, serving as a crucial mechanism for mitigating proliferation of molecular parasites within fungal populations. However, studies investigating the potential interference of plants with fungal non-self recognition mechanisms are limited. Here, we demonstrate a pronounced increase in the efficiency of horizontal mycovirus transmission between vegetatively incompatible Sclerotinia sclerotiorum strains in planta as compared to in vitro.

Viruses shuttle between fungi and plants.

The intimate relationships between plants and fungi provide an opportunity for the shuttling of viruses. Dai et al. recently discovered that a virus undergoes cross-kingdom transmission, and naturally spreads to both plant and fungal populations.

An effector SsCVNH promotes the virulence of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum through targeting class III peroxidase AtPRX71.

Many plant pathogens secrete effector proteins into the host plant to suppress host immunity and facilitate pathogen colonization. The necrotrophic pathogen Sclerotinia sclerotiorum causes severe plant diseases and results in enormous economic losses, in which secreted proteins play a crucial role. SsCVNH was previously reported as a secreted protein, and its expression is significantly upregulated at 3 h after inoculation on the host plant.

The Dynamic Changes of Seed Microbiota across the Entire Seed Life in the Field.

The seed microbiota is an important component given by nature to plants, protecting seeds from damage by other organisms and abiotic stress. However, little is known about the dynamic changes and potential functions of the seed microbiota during seed development. In this study, we investigated the composition and potential functions of the seed microbiota of rapeseed ().

A Glycosyl Hydrolase 5 Family Protein Is Essential for Virulence of Necrotrophic Fungi and Can Suppress Plant Immunity.

Phytopathogenic fungi normally secrete large amounts of CWDEs to enhance infection of plants. In this study, we identified and characterized a secreted glycosyl hydrolase 5 family member in (SsGH5, Glycosyl Hydrolase 5). was significantly upregulated during the early stages of infection.

The schizotrophic lifestyle of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum.

Sclerotinia sclerotiorum is a cosmopolitan and typical necrotrophic phytopathogenic fungus that infects hundreds of plant species. Because no cultivars highly resistant to S. sclerotiorum are available, managing Sclerotinia disease caused by S.

Botrytis cinerea type II inhibitor of apoptosis BcBIR1 enhances the biocontrol capacity of Coniothyrium minitans.

Apoptosis-like programmed cell death is associated with fungal development, ageing, pathogenicity and stress responses. Here, to explore the potential of Botrytis cinerea type II inhibitor of apoptosis (IAP) BcBIR1 in elevating the biocontrol efficacy of Coniothyrium minitans, the BcBIR1 gene was heterologously expressed in C. minitans.

The Transcription Factor SsZNC1 Mediates Virulence, Sclerotial Development, and Osmotic Stress Response in .

is a fungal pathogen with a broad range of hosts, which can cause diseases and pose a great threat to many crops. Fungal-specific ZnCys transcription factors (TFs) constitute a large family prevalent among plant pathogens. However, the function of ZnCys TFs remains largely unknown.

Two sirtuin proteins, Hst3 and Hst4, modulate asexual development, stress tolerance, and virulence by affecting global gene expression in .

is a widely used entomopathogenic fungus in insect biological control applications. In this study, we investigated the role of two sirtuin homologs, BbHst3 and BbHst4, in the biological activities and pathogenicity of . Our results showed that deletion of and/or led to impaired sporulation, reduced (~50%) conidial production, and decreased tolerance to various stresses, including osmotic, oxidative, and cell wall-disturbing agents.

Protist ubiquitin ligase effector PbE3-2 targets cysteine protease RD21A to impede plant immunity.

Clubroot, caused by the soil-borne protist pathogen Plasmodiophora brassicae, is one of the most devastating diseases of Brassica oil and vegetable crops worldwide. Understanding the pathogen infection strategy is crucial for the development of disease control. However, because of its obligate biotrophic nature, the molecular mechanism by which this pathogen promotes infection remains largely unknown.

New endophytic strains of Trichoderma promote growth and reduce clubroot severity of rapeseed (Brassica napus).

Rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) is the world's third most important edible oilseed crop after soybean and palm. The clubroot disease caused by Plasmodiophora brassicae poses a significant risk and causes substantial yield losses in rapeseed.

Transcriptional plasticity of schizotrophic responds to symptomatic rapeseed and endophytic wheat hosts.

The broad host range of fungi with differential fungal responses leads to either a pathogenic or an endophytic lifestyle in various host plants. Yet, the molecular basis of schizotrophic fungal responses to different plant hosts remains unexplored. Here, we observed a general increase in the gene expression of associated with pathogenicity in symptomatic rapeseed, including small protein secretion, appressorial formation, and oxalic acid toxin production.

Expression of a mycoparasite protease in plant petals suppresses the petal-mediated infection by necrotrophic pathogens.

Sclerotinia sclerotiorum and Botrytis cinerea are necrotrophic plant-pathogenic fungi, causing substantial economic losses on many crops. So far, resistant cultivars against these pathogens are unavailable in most crops. Here, we show that the serine protease CmSp1 of Coniothyrium minitans, a well-characterized mycoparasite of S.

Exploring the Mycovirus Sclerotinia sclerotiorum Hypovirulence-Associated DNA Virus 1 as a Biocontrol Agent of White Mold Caused by .

is a necrotrophic fungal pathogen causing white mold on many important economic crops. Recently, some mycoviruses such as hypovirulence-associated DNA virus 1 (SsHADV-1) converted into a beneficial symbiont that helps plants manage pathogens and other stresses. To explore the potential use of SsHADV-1 as a biocontrol agent in the United States and to test the efficacy of SsHADV-1-infected United States isolates in managing white mold and other crop diseases, SsHADV-1 was transferred from the Chinese strain DT-8 to United States isolates of .

Enrichment of bacteria involved in the nitrogen cycle and plant growth promotion in soil by sclerotia of rice sheath blight fungus.

Rice sheath blight pathogen, Rhizoctonia solani, produces numerous sclerotia to overwinter. As a rich source of nutrients in the soil, sclerotia may lead to the change of soil microbiota. For this purpose, we amended the sclerotia of R.