A transgenic strain of Trichoderma atroviride that expresses the Aspergillus niger glucose oxidase gene goxA under a homologous pathogen-inducible promoter (nag1) has been constructed, with the aim of increasing the a...A transgenic strain of Trichoderma atroviride that expresses the Aspergillus niger glucose oxidase gene goxA under a homologous pathogen-inducible promoter (nag1) has been constructed, with the aim of increasing the ability of this biocontrol agent (BCA) to attack phytopathogenic fungi and enhance plant systemic disease resistance. The sporulation and growth rate of the transgenic progenies were similar to the wild-type strain P1. goxA expression occurred immediately after contact with the plant pathogen, and the glucose oxidase formed was secreted extracellularly. The transformed strain SJ3 4, containing 12-14 copies of the transgene, produced significantly less N-acetyl-glucosaminidase and endochitinase then wild type. However, the ability of its culture filtrate to inhibit the germination of Botrytis cinerea spores was increased by about 3-fold. In comparison to P1, the transgenic strain more quickly overgrew and lysed in vitro the pathogens Rhizoctonia solani and Pythium ultimum. In assays in vivo SJ3 4 showed a highly improved biocontrol ability in soil heavily infested with those pathogens, where the wild type was unable to protect the plant and allow seeds to germinate. The Trichoderma-gox was able to induce a much higher level of systemic resistance against the foliar pathogen B. cinerea, as compared to the parent strain. This work demonstrate that i) heterologous genes driven by pathogen-inducible promoters can improve the biocontrol and Induced Systemic Resistance properties of fungal BCAs such as Trichoderma spp., and ii) these microbes can be used as vectors to provide the plant with useful molecules able, for instance, to increase pathogen展开更多
Mycoparasitic species of Trichoderma are commercially applied as biological control agents against various fungal pathogens. The mycoparasitic interaction is host specific and includes recognition, attack and subseque...Mycoparasitic species of Trichoderma are commercially applied as biological control agents against various fungal pathogens. The mycoparasitic interaction is host specific and includes recognition, attack and subsequent penetration and killing of the host. Investigations on the underlying events revealed that Trichoderma responds to multiple signals from the host (e.g. lectins or other ligands such as low molecular weight components released from the host’s cell wall) and host attack is accompanied by morphological changes and the secretion of hydrolytic enzymes and antibiotics. Degradation of the cell wall of the host fungus is-besides glucanases and proteases-mainly achieved by chitinases. In vivo studies showed that the ech42 gene (encoding endochitinase 42) is expressed before physical contact of Trichoderma with its host, probably representing one of the earliest events in mycoparasitism, whereas Nag1 (N-acetylglucosaminidase) plays a key role in the general induction of the chitinolytic enzyme system of T. atroviride . Investigations on the responsible signal transduction pathways of T. atroviride led to the isolation of several genes encoding key components of the cAMP and MAP kinase signaling pathways, as alpha and β subunits of heterotrimeric G proteins, the regulatory subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase, adenylate cyclase, and three MAP kinases. Analysis of knockout mutants, generated by Agrobacterium-mediated transformation, revealed that at least two alpha-subunits of heterotrimeric G proteins are participating in mycoparasitism-related signal transduction. The Tga1 G alpha subunit was shown to be involved in mycoparasitism-related processes such as chitinase expression and overproduction of toxic secondary metabolites, whereas Tga3 was found to be completely avirulent showing defects in chitinase formation and host recognition.展开更多
Xylanase 1 (Xyn1) is one of the two major representatives of the xylanase system of T. reesei; the mechanisms governing its expression were analysed throughout this study. All factors and regulatory motifs responsible...Xylanase 1 (Xyn1) is one of the two major representatives of the xylanase system of T. reesei; the mechanisms governing its expression were analysed throughout this study. All factors and regulatory motifs responsible for transcriptional regulation and the model of their interplay in induction and repression will be presented. Using in vivo foot printing analysis of xylan-induced and glucose repressed mycelia, we detected three adjacent nucleotide sequences contacted by DNA-binding proteins. Protection within the inverted repeat of the Cre1 (SYGGRG) consensus sequence on the non coding strand under repressing conditions is in perfect agreement with the previously reported Cre1 dependent glucose repression of xyn1. Constitutive protein binding could be observed to a CCAAT-box and an inverted repeat of a 5′ GGCTAA 3′ sequence. EMSA with crude extracts from induced and repressed mycelia revealed that the latter motifs are sufficient for formation of the basal transcriptional complex under all conditions. The inverted repeat of GGCTAA closely resembles the consensus sequences of the cellulase and xylanase regulators Ace1, Ace2 and, Xyr1 (encoded by xyr1, cloned and characterised in this study) EMSA with heterologously expressed components of each factor and of the T. reesei Hap2/3/5 protein complex revealed that the basal transcriptional complex is formed by Xyr1 and the Hap2/3/5. Additionally to the Cre1 mediated carbon catabolite repression a yet unknown mechanism antagonizing induction of xyn1 expression could be elucidated. Latter occurs through competition of the repressor Ace1 and Xyr1 for the GGCTAA motif. In vivo proof for the relevance of identified motifs could be given through analysis of T. reesei transformants containing correspondingly mutated versions of the xyn1 promoter fused to the A. niger goxA gene. The results indicated that the basal as well as the induction level of xyn1 gene transcription is dependent on an interaction of Xyr1 with the GGCTAA motif while formation of the CCAAT-Hap2/3/5 complex slightly reduces induction. It can be concluded that mutations impairing protein binding in vitro lead to a loss of distinct regulatory functions in xyn1 gene expression in vivo. A respective model of gene regulation will be presented.展开更多
文摘A transgenic strain of Trichoderma atroviride that expresses the Aspergillus niger glucose oxidase gene goxA under a homologous pathogen-inducible promoter (nag1) has been constructed, with the aim of increasing the ability of this biocontrol agent (BCA) to attack phytopathogenic fungi and enhance plant systemic disease resistance. The sporulation and growth rate of the transgenic progenies were similar to the wild-type strain P1. goxA expression occurred immediately after contact with the plant pathogen, and the glucose oxidase formed was secreted extracellularly. The transformed strain SJ3 4, containing 12-14 copies of the transgene, produced significantly less N-acetyl-glucosaminidase and endochitinase then wild type. However, the ability of its culture filtrate to inhibit the germination of Botrytis cinerea spores was increased by about 3-fold. In comparison to P1, the transgenic strain more quickly overgrew and lysed in vitro the pathogens Rhizoctonia solani and Pythium ultimum. In assays in vivo SJ3 4 showed a highly improved biocontrol ability in soil heavily infested with those pathogens, where the wild type was unable to protect the plant and allow seeds to germinate. The Trichoderma-gox was able to induce a much higher level of systemic resistance against the foliar pathogen B. cinerea, as compared to the parent strain. This work demonstrate that i) heterologous genes driven by pathogen-inducible promoters can improve the biocontrol and Induced Systemic Resistance properties of fungal BCAs such as Trichoderma spp., and ii) these microbes can be used as vectors to provide the plant with useful molecules able, for instance, to increase pathogen
文摘Mycoparasitic species of Trichoderma are commercially applied as biological control agents against various fungal pathogens. The mycoparasitic interaction is host specific and includes recognition, attack and subsequent penetration and killing of the host. Investigations on the underlying events revealed that Trichoderma responds to multiple signals from the host (e.g. lectins or other ligands such as low molecular weight components released from the host’s cell wall) and host attack is accompanied by morphological changes and the secretion of hydrolytic enzymes and antibiotics. Degradation of the cell wall of the host fungus is-besides glucanases and proteases-mainly achieved by chitinases. In vivo studies showed that the ech42 gene (encoding endochitinase 42) is expressed before physical contact of Trichoderma with its host, probably representing one of the earliest events in mycoparasitism, whereas Nag1 (N-acetylglucosaminidase) plays a key role in the general induction of the chitinolytic enzyme system of T. atroviride . Investigations on the responsible signal transduction pathways of T. atroviride led to the isolation of several genes encoding key components of the cAMP and MAP kinase signaling pathways, as alpha and β subunits of heterotrimeric G proteins, the regulatory subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase, adenylate cyclase, and three MAP kinases. Analysis of knockout mutants, generated by Agrobacterium-mediated transformation, revealed that at least two alpha-subunits of heterotrimeric G proteins are participating in mycoparasitism-related signal transduction. The Tga1 G alpha subunit was shown to be involved in mycoparasitism-related processes such as chitinase expression and overproduction of toxic secondary metabolites, whereas Tga3 was found to be completely avirulent showing defects in chitinase formation and host recognition.
文摘Xylanase 1 (Xyn1) is one of the two major representatives of the xylanase system of T. reesei; the mechanisms governing its expression were analysed throughout this study. All factors and regulatory motifs responsible for transcriptional regulation and the model of their interplay in induction and repression will be presented. Using in vivo foot printing analysis of xylan-induced and glucose repressed mycelia, we detected three adjacent nucleotide sequences contacted by DNA-binding proteins. Protection within the inverted repeat of the Cre1 (SYGGRG) consensus sequence on the non coding strand under repressing conditions is in perfect agreement with the previously reported Cre1 dependent glucose repression of xyn1. Constitutive protein binding could be observed to a CCAAT-box and an inverted repeat of a 5′ GGCTAA 3′ sequence. EMSA with crude extracts from induced and repressed mycelia revealed that the latter motifs are sufficient for formation of the basal transcriptional complex under all conditions. The inverted repeat of GGCTAA closely resembles the consensus sequences of the cellulase and xylanase regulators Ace1, Ace2 and, Xyr1 (encoded by xyr1, cloned and characterised in this study) EMSA with heterologously expressed components of each factor and of the T. reesei Hap2/3/5 protein complex revealed that the basal transcriptional complex is formed by Xyr1 and the Hap2/3/5. Additionally to the Cre1 mediated carbon catabolite repression a yet unknown mechanism antagonizing induction of xyn1 expression could be elucidated. Latter occurs through competition of the repressor Ace1 and Xyr1 for the GGCTAA motif. In vivo proof for the relevance of identified motifs could be given through analysis of T. reesei transformants containing correspondingly mutated versions of the xyn1 promoter fused to the A. niger goxA gene. The results indicated that the basal as well as the induction level of xyn1 gene transcription is dependent on an interaction of Xyr1 with the GGCTAA motif while formation of the CCAAT-Hap2/3/5 complex slightly reduces induction. It can be concluded that mutations impairing protein binding in vitro lead to a loss of distinct regulatory functions in xyn1 gene expression in vivo. A respective model of gene regulation will be presented.
