UV-C irradiation compromises conidial germination, formation of appressoria, and induces transcription of three putative photolyase genes in the barley powdery mildew fungus, Blumeria graminis f. sp. hordei.

UV-C irradiation is known to compromise germination of Blumeria graminis conidia and to reduce powdery mildew infestation. However, only scarce information is available on the effects of UV-C irradiation on B. graminis appressorium formation.

Direct Effects of Physcion, Chrysophanol, Emodin, and Pachybasin on Germination and Appressorium Formation of the Barley ( Hordeum vulgare L.) Powdery Mildew Fungus Blumeria graminis f. sp. hordei (DC.) Speer.

Several anthraquinone derivatives are active components of fungicidal formulations particularly effective against powdery mildew fungi. The antimildew effect of compounds such as physcion and chrysophanol is largely attributed to host plant defense induction. However, so far a direct fungistatic/fungicidal effect of anthraquinone derivatives on powdery mildew fungi has not been unequivocally demonstrated.

Very-long-chain aldehydes induce appressorium formation in ascospores of the wheat powdery mildew fungus Blumeria graminis.

Asexually produced conidia of the wheat powdery mildew fungus Blumeria graminis f. sp. tritici (Bgt) are known to perceive cuticular very-long-chain aldehydes as signal substances strongly stimulating germination and differentiation of infection structures in a concentration- and chain-length-dependent manner.

Draft genome of the Arabidopsis thaliana phyllosphere bacterium, Williamsia sp. ARP1.

The Gram-positive actinomycete Williamsia sp. ARP1 was originally isolated from the Arabidopsis thaliana phyllosphere. Here we describe the general physiological features of this microorganism together with the draft genome sequence and annotation.

CYP83A1 is required for metabolic compatibility of Arabidopsis with the adapted powdery mildew fungus Erysiphe cruciferarum.

Aliphatic glucosinolates function in the chemical defense of Capparales. The cytochrome P450 83A1 monooxygenase (CYP83A1) catalyzes the initial conversion of methionine-derived aldoximes to thiohydroximates in the biosynthesis of glucosinolates, and thus cyp83a1 mutants have reduced levels of aliphatic glucosinolates. Loss of CYP83A1 function leads to dramatically reduced parasitic growth of the biotrophic powdery mildew fungus Erysiphe cruciferarum on Arabidopsis thaliana.

Distinct phyllosphere bacterial communities on Arabidopsis wax mutant leaves.

The phyllosphere of plants is inhabited by diverse microorganisms, however, the factors shaping their community composition are not fully elucidated. The plant cuticle represents the initial contact surface between microorganisms and the plant. We thus aimed to investigate whether mutations in the cuticular wax biosynthesis would affect the diversity of the phyllosphere microbiota.

Appressorium morphogenesis and cell cycle progression are linked in the grass powdery mildew fungus Blumeria graminis.

Conidial germination and differentiation - the so-called prepenetration processes - of the barley powdery mildew fungus (Blumeria graminis f. sp. hordei) are essential prerequisites for facilitating penetration of the host cuticle.

Abscisic acid mediates the formation of a suberized stem scar tissue in tomato fruits.

During harvest, fleshy berry tomato fruits (Solanum lycopersicum) were wounded at their stem scar. Within 3 d, this wound was rapidly sealed by a process covering the wound site with a membranous layer which effectively protects the tomato fruit from excessive water loss, nutrient elution and the entry of pathogens. Chemical analysis of the de novo synthesized stem scar tissue revealed the presence of aromatic and aliphatic components characteristic of the biopolyester suberin.

Phyllosphere bacterial communities of trichome-bearing and trichomeless Arabidopsis thaliana leaves.

This study aimed to investigate whether the presence of trichomes as conspicuous physical attributes of the leaf surface affects the microbial community composition on Arabidopsis thaliana leaves. The A. thaliana ecotype Col-0 and its trichomeless gl1 mutant were grown in growth cabinets under climate-controlled conditions.

The positional sterile (ps) mutation affects cuticular transpiration and wax biosynthesis of tomato fruits.

Cuticular waxes are known to play a pivotal role in limiting transpirational water loss across primary plant surfaces. The astomatous tomato fruit is an ideal model system that permits the functional characterization of intact cuticular membranes and therefore allows direct correlation of their permeance for water with their qualitative and quantitative composition. The recessive positional sterile (ps) mutation, which occurred spontaneously in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.

Very-long-chain aldehydes promote in vitro prepenetration processes of Blumeria graminis in a dose- and chain length-dependent manner.

Surface properties of aerial plant organs have been shown to affect the interaction of fungal plant pathogens and their hosts. Conidial germination and differentiation - the so-called prepenetration processes - of the barley powdery mildew fungus (Blumeria graminis f. sp.

Two sides of a leaf blade: Blumeria graminis needs chemical cues in cuticular waxes of Lolium perenne for germination and differentiation.

Plant surface characteristics were repeatedly shown to play a pivotal role in plant-pathogen interactions. The abaxial leaf surface of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) is extremely glossy and wettable compared to the glaucous and more hydrophobic adaxial surface. Earlier investigations have demonstrated that the abaxial leaf surface was rarely infected by powdery mildew (Blumeria graminis), even when the adaxial surface was densely colonized.

Biodiversity of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in roots and soils of two salt marshes.

The occurrence of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) was assessed by both morphological and molecular criteria in two salt marshes: (i) a NaCl site of the island Terschelling, Atlantic Coast, the Netherlands and (ii) a K(2)CO(3) marsh at Schreyahn, Northern Germany. The overall biodiversity of AMF, based on sequence analysis, was comparably low in roots at both sites. However, the morphological spore analyses from soil samples of both sites exhibited a higher AMF biodiversity.

Plant surface wax affects parasitoid's response to host footprints.

The plant surface is the substrate upon which herbivorous insects and natural enemies meet and thus represents the stage for interactions between the three trophic levels. Plant surfaces are covered by an epicuticular wax layer which is highly variable depending on species, cultivar or plant part. Differences in wax chemistry may modulate ecological interactions.

Drought, but not salinity, determines the apparent effectiveness of halophytes colonized by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi.

The halophytes Plantago maritima, Aster tripolium, Artemisia santonicum, Puccinellia limosa, Festuca pseudovina and Lepidium crassifolium from two different saline soils of the Hungarian steppe were examined for colonization by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF). The salt aster (A. tripolium) and the sea plantain (P.

Host surface properties affect prepenetration processes in the barley powdery mildew fungus.

The initial contact between Blumeria graminis f.sp. hordei and its host barley (Hordeum vulgare) takes place on epicuticular waxes at the surfaces of aerial plant organs.

The developmental pattern of tomato fruit wax accumulation and its impact on cuticular transpiration barrier properties: effects of a deficiency in a beta-ketoacyl-coenzyme A synthase (LeCER6).

Cuticular waxes play a pivotal role in limiting transpirational water loss across the primary plant surface. The astomatous fruits of the tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) 'MicroTom' and its lecer6 mutant, defective in a beta-ketoacyl-coenzyme A synthase, which is involved in very-long-chain fatty acid elongation, were analyzed with respect to cuticular wax load and composition. The developmental course of fruit ripening was followed.

Development of bioinformatic tools to support EST-sequencing, in silico- and microarray-based transcriptome profiling in mycorrhizal symbioses.

The great majority of terrestrial plants enters a beneficial arbuscular mycorrhiza (AM) or ectomycorrhiza (ECM) symbiosis with soil fungi. In the SPP 1084 "MolMyk: Molecular Basics of Mycorrhizal Symbioses", high-throughput EST-sequencing was performed to obtain snapshots of the plant and fungal transcriptome in mycorrhizal roots and in extraradical hyphae. To focus activities, the interactions between Medicago truncatula and Glomus intraradices as well as Populus tremula and Amanita muscaria were selected as models for AM and ECM symbioses, respectively.

Arbuscular mycorrhiza and heavy metal tolerance.

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) have repeatedly been demonstrated to alleviate heavy metal stress of plants. The current manuscript summarizes results obtained to date on the colonization of plants by AMF in heavy metal soils, the depositions of heavy metals in plant and fungal structures and the potential to use AMF-plant combinations in phytoremediation, with emphasis on pennycresses (Thlaspi ssp.).

The bacterium Paenibacillus validus stimulates growth of the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus Glomus intraradices up to the formation of fertile spores.

Two isolates of Paenibacillus validus (DSM ID617 and ID618) stimulated growth of the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus Glomus intraradices Sy167 up to the formation of fertile spores, which recolonize carrot roots. Thus, the fungus was capable of completing its life cycle in the absence of plant roots, but relied instead on the simultaneous growth of bacteria. The supernatant of a mixed batch culture of the two P.

Regulation of AmtR-controlled gene expression in Corynebacterium glutamicum: mechanism and characterization of the AmtR regulon.

AmtR, the master regulator of nitrogen control in Corynebacterium glutamicum, represses transcription of a number of genes during nitrogen surplus. Repression is released by an interaction of AmtR with signal transduction protein GlnK. As shown by pull-down assays and gel retardation experiments, only adenylylated GlnK, which is present in the cells during nitrogen limitation, is able to bind to AmtR.

Differential gene expressions in arbuscular mycorrhizal-colonized tomato grown under heavy metal stress.

When tomato was grown in either "Breinigerberg" soil, which has a high content of Zn and of other heavy metals or in non-polluted soil enriched with up to 1 mM CdCl2, plants colonized with the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus (AMF) Glomus intraradices grew distinctly better than non-mycorrhizal controls. An analysis of differential mRNA transcript formations was performed on several plant genes coding for products potentially involved in heavy metal tolerance. Northern blot analyses indicated that the mRNA from either roots or leaves was not differentially expressed in the case of LePCS1 (coding for phytochelatin synthase), Lemt1, Lemt3 and Lemt4 (for metallothioneins) or LeNramp2 (for a broad range heavy metal transporter) in both mycorrhizal and non-mycorrhizal plants, grown either with or without heavy metals.

Colonization of pennycresses (Thlaspi spp.) of the Brassicaceae by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi.

Members of the Brassicaceae are generally believed to be non-mycorrhizal. Pennycress (Thlaspi) species of this family from diverse locations in Slovenia, Austria, Italy and Germany were examined for their colonisation by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF). Meadow species (T.

The arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus Glomus geosporum in European saline, sodic and gypsum soils.

Plants of saline and sodic soils of the Hungarian steppe and of gypsum rock in the German Harz mountains, thus soils of high ionic strength and electric conductivity, were examined for their colonization by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF). Roots of several plants of the saline and sodic soils such as Artemisia maritima, Aster tripolium or Plantago maritima are strongly colonized and show typical AMF structures (arbuscules, vesicles) whereas others like the members of the Chenopodiaceae, Salicornia europaea, Suaeda maritima or Camphorosma annua, are not. The vegetation of the gypsum rock is totally different, but several plants are also strongly colonized there.

Expression of nitrate transporter genes in tomato colonized by an arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus.

PCR amplifications using tomato DNA and degenerate oligonucleotide primers allowed identification of a new putative nitrate transporter, termed NRT2;3. Its sequence showed typical motifs of a high affinity nitrate transporter of the Major Facilitator Superfamily (MFS). The formation of its mRNA was positively controlled by nitrate, and negatively by ammonium, but not by glutamine.