Dehydrin Client Proteins Identified Using Phage Display Affinity Selected Libraries Processed With Paired-End Phage Sequencing.

The late embryogenesis abundant proteins (LEAPs) are a class of noncatalytic, intrinsically disordered proteins with a malleable structure. Some LEAPs exhibit a protein and/or membrane binding capacity and LEAP binding to various targets has been positively correlated with abiotic stress tolerance. Regarding the LEAPs' presumptive role in protein protection, identifying client proteins (CtPs) to which LEAPs bind is one practicable means of revealing the mechanism by which they exert their function.

Detached Maize Sheaths for Live-Cell Imaging of Infection by Fungal Foliar Maize Pathogens.

We have optimized a protocol to inoculate maize leaf sheaths with hemibiotrophic and necrotrophic foliar pathogenic fungi. The method is modified from one originally applied to rice leaf sheaths and allows direct microscopic observation of fungal growth and development in living plant cells. Leaf sheaths collected from maize seedlings with two fully emerged leaf collars are inoculated with 20 µL drops of 5 x 10 spores/mL fungal spore suspensions and incubated in humidity chambers at 23 °C under continuous fluorescent light.

Identification of Quinone Outside Inhibitor Fungicide-Resistant Isolates of from Illinois and Kentucky.

Stagonospora leaf and glume blotch, caused by is a major disease of winter wheat () in the United States capable of significantly reducing grain yield and quality. Pathogens such as that overwinter in crop residue are often an increased concern in cropping systems that utilize no-till farming. In addition, the lack of wheat cultivars with complete resistance to has led to the reliance on foliar fungicides for disease management.

Maize Anthracnose Stalk Rot in the Genomic Era.

Anthracnose stalk rot (ASR) of maize results in millions of dollars in losses annually in the United States. ASR, together with anthracnose leaf blight and anthracnose top dieback, is caused by the fungus . Current ASR management recommendations emphasize host resistance and reduction of plant stressors (e.

Species Complex: A Bibliographic Analysis and Web-Accessible Database for Global Mapping of Species and Trichothecene Toxin Chemotypes.

is ranked among the five most destructive fungal pathogens that affect agroecosystems. It causes floral diseases in small grain cereals including wheat, barley, and oats, as well as maize and rice. We conducted a systematic review of peer-reviewed studies reporting species within the species complex (FGSC) and created two main data tables.

First Report of Fusarium graminearum Causing Flower Blight On Hemp (Cannabis sativa) in Kentucky.

In October of 2020, a grower in Boyle County, KY, reported mold and blight symptoms on flowers of field-grown hemp. Plants were approaching harvest, and the mold was affecting 100% of the cultivar 'White CBG' being grown for cannabinoid (CBD) extraction. Mycelium colonized the flower heads and any seeds within bracts.

Aggressiveness and Mycotoxin Production by Compared with on Maize Ears and Stalks in the Field.

and both cause Gibberella ear rot (GER) and Gibberella stalk rot (GSR) of maize in Brazil, but the former is much more common. Recent work with two isolates of each from maize suggested this dominance could be caused by greater aggressiveness and competitiveness of on maize. We evaluated pathogenicity and toxigenicity of 16 isolates of and 24 isolates of e recovered from both wheat and maize.

The Dominance of Over Causing Gibberella Ear Rot in Brazil May Be Due to Increased Aggressiveness and Competitiveness.

In Brazil, Gibberella ear rot (GER) of maize is caused mainly by , whereas is a minor contributor. To test the hypothesis that is more aggressive than on maize, six experiments were conducted in the south (summer) and one in the central-south (winter), totaling seven conditions (year × location × hybrid). Treatments consisted of or (two isolates of each) inoculated once 4 days after silk, inoculated sequentially and alternately ( or ) 6 days apart, or (in the central-south) inoculated sequentially without alternating species ( or ).

Use of Telomere Fingerprinting to Identify Clonal Lineages of in Kentucky Mixed-Fruit Orchards.

Multiple species in the fungal genus cause anthracnose fruit rot diseases that are responsible for major yield losses of as much as 100%. Individual species of typically have broad host ranges and can infect multiple fruit species. causes anthracnose fruit rots of apples, blueberries, and strawberries in Kentucky orchards where these fruits grow in close proximity.

Phylogenomic Analysis of a 55.1-kb 19-Gene Dataset Resolves a Monophyletic that Includes the Species Complex.

Scientific communication is facilitated by a data-driven, scientifically sound taxonomy that considers the end-user's needs and established successful practice. In 2013, the community voiced near unanimous support for a concept of that represented a clade comprising all agriculturally and clinically important species, including the species complex (FSSC). Subsequently, this concept was challenged in 2015 by one research group who proposed dividing the genus into seven genera, including the FSSC described as members of the genus , with subsequent justification in 2018 based on claims that the 2013 concept of is polyphyletic.

Diversity and Cross-Infection Potential of Causing Fruit Rots in Mixed-Fruit Orchards in Kentucky.

Fungi in the genus cause apple, blueberry, and strawberry fruit rots, which can result in significant losses. Accurate identification is important because species differ in aggressiveness, fungicide sensitivity, and other factors affecting management. Multiple species can cause similar symptoms on the same host, and more than one fruit type can be infected by a single species.

A Colletotrichum graminicola mutant deficient in the establishment of biotrophy reveals early transcriptional events in the maize anthracnose disease interaction.

Background: Colletotrichum graminicola is a hemibiotrophic fungal pathogen that causes maize anthracnose disease. It progresses through three recognizable phases of pathogenic development in planta: melanized appressoria on the host surface prior to penetration; biotrophy, characterized by intracellular colonization of living host cells; and necrotrophy, characterized by host cell death and symptom development. A "Mixed Effects" Generalized Linear Model (GLM) was developed and applied to an existing Illumina transcriptome dataset, substantially increasing the statistical power of the analysis of C.

Characterization of Glomerella strains recovered from anthracnose lesions on common bean plants in Brazil.

Anthracnose caused by Colletotrichum lindemuthianum is an important disease of common bean, resulting in major economic losses worldwide. Genetic diversity of the C. lindemuthianum population contributes to its ability to adapt rapidly to new sources of host resistance.

Evidence for a diffusible factor that induces susceptibility in the Colletotrichum-maize disease interaction.

Colletotrichum graminicola, the causal agent of maize anthracnose, is a hemibiotrophic fungus that initially infects living host cells via primary hyphae surrounded by a membrane. A nonpathogenic mutant disrupted in a gene encoding a component of the signal peptidase complex, and believed to be deficient in protein processing and secretion, regained pathogenicity when it was inoculated onto maize leaf sheaths close to the wild-type fungus. Evidence is presented suggesting that the wild-type produces a diffusible factor(s) that induces the localized susceptibility of host cells at the borders of expanding colonies, causing them to become receptive to biotrophic invasion.

Lifestyle transitions in plant pathogenic Colletotrichum fungi deciphered by genome and transcriptome analyses.

Colletotrichum species are fungal pathogens that devastate crop plants worldwide. Host infection involves the differentiation of specialized cell types that are associated with penetration, growth inside living host cells (biotrophy) and tissue destruction (necrotrophy). We report here genome and transcriptome analyses of Colletotrichum higginsianum infecting Arabidopsis thaliana and Colletotrichum graminicola infecting maize.

The common metabolite glycerol-3-phosphate is a novel regulator of plant defense signaling.

Conversion of glycerol to glycerol-3-phosphate (G3P) is one of the highly conserved steps of glycerol metabolism in evolutionary diverse organisms. In plants, G3P is produced either via the glycerol kinase (GK)-mediated phosphorylation of glycerol, or via G3P dehydrogenase (G3Pdh)-mediated reduction of dihydroxyacetone phosphate (DHAP). We have recently shown that G3P levels contribute to basal resistance against the hemibiotrophic pathogen, Colletotrichum higginsianum.

Glycerol-3-phosphate levels are associated with basal resistance to the hemibiotrophic fungus Colletotrichum higginsianum in Arabidopsis.

Glycerol-3-phosphate (G3P) is an important component of carbohydrate and lipid metabolic processes. In this article, we provide evidence that G3P levels in plants are associated with defense to a hemibiotrophic fungal pathogen Colletotrichum higginsianum. Inoculation of Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) with C.

Using mating-type gene sequences for improved phylogenetic resolution of Collectotrichum species complexes.

Colletotrichum species are defined primarily on the basis of host preference and morphology of the organism in planta and in culture. However the genus contains several species complexes that encompass such a broad range of morphological and pathological variation that the species name is of relatively little use either to the taxonomist or plant pathologist. Phylogenetic analyses, primarily based on variable regions of the ribosomal DNA (rDNA) sequences, have indicated that these species complexes comprise a variable number of identifiable monophyletic clades.

Parameters affecting the efficiency of Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation of Colletotrichum graminicola.

We have developed an Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation (ATMT) protocol for the plant pathogenic fungus Colletotrichum graminicola, the cause of anthracnose leaf blight and stalk rot of corn. The ATMT results in higher transformation efficiencies than previously available polyethylene glycol-mediated protocols, and falcate spores can be used instead of protoplasts for transformation. Various experimental parameters were tested for their effects on transformation efficiencies.