Understanding the chemical factors involved in the endophytism x pathogenicity of different Penicillium brasilianum isolates

• Grant number: 19/06359-7
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: October 01, 2019
• End date: September 30, 2021
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Chemistry - Organic Chemistry
• Principal Investigator: Taicia Pacheco Fill
• Grantee: Taicia Pacheco Fill
• Host Institution: Instituto de Química (IQ). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The complexity of nature is extraordinary; the ingenious mechanisms in which microorganisms co-exist in a beneficial (endophytes) or non-beneficial (pathogens) way with the host plant always intrigued scientists with fundamental questions: Why some microorganisms live in mutualistic or neutral association with the host and others assume a pathogenic character leading to plant diseases? What are the features that differentiate endophytes from pathogens? How endophytes bypass the plant defenses in order to colonize and co-exist in a beneficial association with the host? Although, there are intensive discussions in the literature, none of such intriguing questions have been answered so far. In order to address such ambitious questions, our group came up with a fungal-host model to gain deeper understanding in these fungal-host interactions. In our biological model, there are two different strains of Penicillium brasilianum, one isolated as endophyte from the plant Melia azedarach and the other presents pathogenic behavior against onion (Allium cepa). Interestingly, our group showed that the pathogenic strain was able to successfully re-infect the onion host, but the endophytic strain lead to an asymptomatic infection in onion. Although these two strains share great similarities, the genome comparison indicated differences at the natural products gene clusters level, which might result in different metabolic profiles. These observations might imply that secondary metabolites could be acting as virulence factors or mediating the endophytic-host association. Initial chemical studies in our group indicated the production of a particular secondary metabolite that was produced only by the endophytic strain, the opposite was also true, and we observed specific secondary metabolites produced only by the pathogenic strain. Therefore, we aim to progress in the studies of chemical-ecology aspects of endophytic and pathogenic interactions using P. brasilianum as biological model, elucidating the biologically active constituents of plant-pathogen and plant-endophyte interactions. Would natural products be important to determine if a fungus would be an asymptomatic endophyte or an aggressive pathogen? In order to accomplish such ambitious aims, our group will be conducting several chemical based, molecular biology and genetics studies. These studies will be invaluable for understanding plant-fungal interactions, pathogenesis and fungal colonization. The understanding of the mechanisms involved in endophytic and pathogenic associations would not only contribute to the fundamental understanding of the biological systems but it would also be an important step to develop strategies from fungal infections contributing to agriculture worldwide. (AU)

Scientific publications

(12)

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

COSTA, JONAS HENRIQUE; WASSANO, CRISTIANE IZUMI; FIGUEIREDO ANGOLINI, CELIO FERNANDO; SCHERLACH, KIRSTIN; HERTWECK, CHRISTIAN; FILL, TAICIA PACHECO. Antifungal potential of secondary metabolites involved in the interaction between citrus pathogens. SCIENTIFIC REPORTS, v. 9, DEC 9 2019. (19/06359-7, 17/24462-4)

DE MORAES PONTES, JOAO GUILHERME; VENDRAMINI, PEDRO HENRIQUE; FERNANDES, LAURA SOLER; DE SOUZA, FABRICIO HENRIQUE; PILAU, EDUARDO JORGE; EBERLIN, MARCOS NOGUEIRA; MAGNANI, RODRIGO FACCHINI; WULFF, NELSON ARNO; FILL, TAICIA PACHECO. Mass spectrometry imaging as a potential technique for diagnostic of Huanglongbing disease using fast and simple sample preparation. SCIENTIFIC REPORTS, v. 10, n. 1, AUG 10 2020. (19/06359-7, 17/24462-4, 18/03670-0)

COSTA, JONAS HENRIQUE; FERNANDES, LAURA SOLER; AKIYAMA, DANIEL YURI; FILL, TAICIA PACHECO. Exploring the interaction between citrus flavonoids and phytopathogenic fungi through enzymatic activities. BIOORGANIC CHEMISTRY, v. 102, SEP 2020. (18/13027-8, 17/24462-4, 19/06359-7)

KANASHIRO, ALINE MIDORI; AKIYAMA, DANIEL YURI; KUPPER, KATIA CRISTINA; FILL, TAICIA PACHECO. Penicillium italicum: An Underexplored Postharvest Pathogen. FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY, v. 11, DEC 4 2020. (17/24462-4, 19/06359-7, 18/13027-8)

DA COSTA FILHO, AILTON PEREIRA; PEREIRA BRANCINI, GUILHERME THOMAZ; DE CASTRO, PATRICIA ALVES; VALERO, CLARA; FERREIRA FILHO, JAIRE ALVES; SILVA, LILIAN PEREIRA; ROCHA, MARINA CAMPOS; MALAVAZI, IRAN; DE MORAES PONTES, JOAO GUILHERME; FILL, TAICIA; et al. Aspergillus fumigatus G-Protein Coupled Receptors GprM and GprJ Are Important for the Regulation of the Cell Wall Integrity Pathway, Secondary Metabolite Production, and Virulence. MBIO, v. 11, n. 5, SEP-OCT 2020. (16/07870-9, 18/10962-8, 18/25217-6, 19/11929-7, 17/14159-2, 16/12948-7, 18/00715-3, 19/10727-1, 19/06359-7, 16/21392-2)

FRANCOIS, GUERLINE AMORIM; DE MORAES PONTES, JOAO GUILHERME; PEREIRA, ALANA KELYENE; FILL, TAICIA PACHECO. Exploring the Citrus Sour Rot pathogen: biochemical aspects, virulence factors, and strategies for disease management-a review. FUNGAL BIOLOGY REVIEWS, v. 41, p. 14-pg., 2022-08-16. (21/00728-0, 20/02805-0, 19/06359-7)

BERLINCK, ROBERTO G. S.; BERNARDI, I, DARLON; FILL, TAICIA; FERNANDES, ALESSANDRA A. G.; JURBERG, IGOR D.. The chemistry and biology of guanidine secondary metabolites. NATURAL PRODUCT REPORTS, v. 38, n. 3, p. 586-667, MAR 1 2021. (13/50228-8, 19/06359-7, 19/01235-8, 16/21341-9, 17/22164-6)

DE MORAES PONTES, JOAO GUILHERME; FERNANDES, LAURA SOLER; SANTOS, RONEY VANDER DOS; TASIC, LJUBICA; FILL, TAICIA PACHECO. Virulence Factors in the Phytopathogen-Host Interactions: An Overview. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, v. 68, n. 29, p. 7555-7570, JUL 22 2020. (19/06359-7)

BAZIOLI, JAQUELINE MORAES; FILL, TAICIA PACHECO; ROCHA, MARINA CAMPOS; MALAVAZI, IRAN; RODRIGUES FILHO, EDSON; DE MEDEIROS, LIVIA SOMAN. Perylenequinones production induced by co-culturing Setophoma sp. and Penicillium brasilianum. PHYTOCHEMISTRY LETTERS, v. 40, p. 76-83, DEC 2020. (19/04900-2, 18/00315-5, 19/06359-7, 19/11563-2, 09/18584-3)

DE ANDRADE ALMEIDA, ALLAN CALMONT; DE MORAES PONTES, JOAO GUILHERME; ALVARENGA, GABRIEL RODRIGUES; FINOCCHIO, HENRIQUE; FILL, TAICIA PACHECO. The sustainable cycle of a new cacao-based bioplastic: from manufacturing to exploitable biodegradation products. RSC ADVANCES, v. 11, n. 48, p. 29976-29985, SEP 8 2021. (18/20930-6, 19/06359-7, 17/24462-4, 18/03670-0)

COSTA, JONAS HENRIQUE; BAZIOLI, JAQUELINE MORAES; BARBOSA, LUIDY DARLLAN; THEODORO DOS SANTOS JUNIOR, PEDRO LUIS; REIS, FLAVIA C. G.; KLIMECK, TABATA; CRNKOVIC, CAMILA MANOEL; BERLINCK, ROBERTO G. S.; SUSSULINI, ALESSANDRA; RODRIGUES, MARCIO L.; et al. Phytotoxic Tryptoquialanines Produced In Vivo by Penicillium digitatum Are Exported in Extracellular Vesicles. MBIO, v. 12, n. 1, JAN-FEB 2021. (17/24462-4, 13/50228-8, 19/06359-7, 15/01017-0, 19/11563-2)

AKIYAMA, DANIEL YURI; ROCHA, MARINA CAMPOS; COSTA, JONAS HENRIQUE; TELES, CAROLINE BRANDAO; ZUCCOLI, GIULIANA DA SILVA; MALAVAZI, IRAN; FILL, TAICIA PACHECO. The Penicillium brasilianum Histone Deacetylase Clr3 Regulates Secondary Metabolite Production and Tolerance to Oxidative Stress. JOURNAL OF FUNGI, v. 8, n. 5, p. 18-pg., 2022-05-01. (19/06359-7, 18/13027-8, 17/19694-3, 18/14666-4, 18/00315-5, 17/25055-3, 16/07870-9)