Integrated and comparative study of three fungal diseases of cacao: witches' broom, frosty pod rot and brown-rot, aiming at understanding the pathogenic mechanisms for the development of control strategies

• Grant number: 09/50119-9
• Support Opportunities: Research Projects - Thematic Grants
• Start date: September 01, 2009
• End date: November 30, 2014
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Genetics - Molecular Genetics and Genetics of Microorganisms
• Principal Investigator: Gonçalo Amarante Guimarães Pereira
• Grantee: Gonçalo Amarante Guimarães Pereira
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biologia (IB). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Associated scholarship(s): 11/03050-3 - Identification of transcripts and expression patterns using RNA-seq, BP.MS; 11/07928-3 - Structural characterization of the mitochondrial protein alternative oxidase of the fungus Moniliophthora perniciosa , the causal agent of witches' broom disease of cocoa, BP.IC; 10/14504-2 - Functional studies of the fungus Moniliophthora perniciosa ceratoplatanins based on structural analysis, BP.MS; 10/10633-2 - Structural characterization of proteins and Moniliophthora Moniliophthora roreri important to the process of pathogenicity against cacau., BP.IC

Abstract

In Brazil, cacao represents an important income source in the producing regions as well as in those with industries that use the product for the manufacturing of goods derived from the cacao seed Brazil was able to produce 400.000 tons/year at the beginning of the 80's, but nowadays this production dropped to around 150.000 tons, This volume is well below the necessary amount required by the processing industries, which is around 250.000 tons, forcing it to import seeds from countries as Indonesia, that produce a low quality product. The reduction of the Brazilian production was triggered by the introduction of witch's broom disease to the state of Bahia - most important cacao producing region - showing the consequences that uncontrolled pathogens can have on the production of these fruit. A great effort has been already made in order to understand the fungus Moniliopthora perniciosa and its interaction with the cacao tree (Theobrama cacao) through the project 'witches' broom disease qenome'. A great consequence of this project was the success of the working strategy used, that consisted in the initial gathering of genomic sequences, integrated analysis of the identified genes, raising hypotheses in order to explain the pathogenicty mechanisms, perform experiments in different areas (microarrays, biochemistry, anatomy and physiology) to check the hypothesis, integration of the data and building a model for the interaction between the pathogen and the cacao tree. Furthermore, in the case of witches' broom disease it was possible to develop a technological package; through culture managing that breaks the synchrony of the fungus with the plant in the state of Bahia. This is the ground for a new public policy for the recovery of the sector: PAC of Cacao. In this project we are proposing to continue the study made with the fungus M. perniciosa and to expand this working to two more pathogenic fungi that represent a threat to the culture of cacao in Brazil and all over the world, The fungus M. roreri causes a devastating disease (frosty pod rot) that limits the production of cacao in countries of South and Central America, but that is not present jet in Brazil. However, this pathogen has been already detected in border regions with cacao production, and it's believed that its introduction into the producing regions of the country will be unavoidable. The fungus Ceratocystis cacaofunesta is already present in Brazil, causing wilt disease that end with the death of the infected plants. Every one of these diseases, separately, causes enormous loses to the production of cacao. The knowledge of the pathogenicty mechanism of these fungi and its interaction with the plant has high potential for developing of combat and control strategies of these fungal diseases. (AU)

Scientific publications

(16)

(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)

FIORIN, GABRIEL L.; SANCHEZ-VALLET, ANDREA; THOMMA, BART P. H. J.; PEREIRA, GONCALO A. G.; TEIXEIRA, PAULO J. P. L.. MAMP-triggered Medium Alkalinization of Plant Cell Cultures. BIO-PROTOCOL, v. 10, n. 8, APR 20 2020. (13/09878-9, 09/50119-9, 11/23315-1, 14/06181-0)

DARWICHE, RABIH; EL ATAB, OLA; BARONI, RENATA M.; TEIXEIRA, PAULO J. P. L.; MONDEGO, JORGE M. C.; PEREIRA, GONCALO A. G.; SCHNEITER, ROGER. Plant pathogenesis-related proteins of the cacao fungal pathogen Moniliophthora perniciosa differ in their lipid-binding specificities. Journal of Biological Chemistry, v. 292, n. 50, p. 20558-20569, DEC 15 2017. (10/51884-8, 12/07657-2, 09/50119-9)

TEIXEIRA, PAULO J. P. L.; THOMAZELLA, DANIELA P. T.; VIDAL, RAMON O.; DO PRADO, PAULA F. V.; REIS, OSVALDO; BARONI, RENATA M.; FRANCO, SULAMITA F.; MIECZKOWSKI, PIOTR; PEREIRA, GONCALO A. G.; MONDEGO, JORGE M. C.. The Fungal Pathogen Moniliophthora perniciosa Has Genes Similar to Plant PR-1 That Are Highly Expressed during Its Interaction with Cacao. PLoS One, v. 7, n. 9, SEP 20 2012. (09/50119-9)

THOMAZELLA, DANIELA P. T.; TEIXEIRA, PAULO JOSE P. L.; OLIVEIRA, HALLEY C.; SAVIANI, ELZIRA E.; RINCONES, JOHANA; TONI, ISABELLA M.; REIS, OSVALDO; GARCIA, ODALYS; MEINHARDT, LYNDEL W.; SALGADO, IONE; et al. The hemibiotrophic cacao pathogen Moniliophthora perniciosa depends on a mitochondrial alternative oxidase for biotrophic development. NEW PHYTOLOGIST, v. 194, n. 4, p. 1025-1034, JUN 2012. (09/50119-9)

DE OLIVEIRA, BRUNO V.; TEIXEIRA, GLEIDSON S.; REIS, OSVALDO; BARAU, JOAN G.; TEIXEIRA, PAULO JOSE P. L.; DO RIO, MARIA CAROLINA S.; DOMINGUES, ROMENIA R.; MEINHARDT, LYNDEL W.; PAES LEME, ADRIANA F.; RINCONES, JOHANA; et al. A potential role for an extracellular methanol oxidase secreted by Moniliophthora perniciosa in Witches' broom disease in cacao. Fungal Genetics and Biology, v. 49, n. 11, p. 922-932, NOV 2012. (09/50119-9)

LOPEZ MOLANO, EDDY PATRICIA; CABRERA, ODALYS GARCIA; JOSE, JULIANA; DO NASCIMENTO, LEANDRO COSTA; CARAZZOLLE, MARCELO FALSARELLA; PEREIRA LIMA TEIXEIRA, PAULO JOSE; CORREA ALVAREZ, JAVIER; TIBURCIO, RICARDO AUGUSTO; TOKIMATU FILHO, PAULO MASSANARI; ALVARES DE LIMA, GUSTAVO MACHADO; et al. Ceratocystis cacaofunesta genome analysis reveals a large expansion of extracellular phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase-C genes (PI-PLC). BMC Genomics, v. 19, JAN 17 2018. (13/08293-7, 09/50119-9)

ZAPAROLI, GUSTAVO; DE OLIVEIRA BARSOTTINI, MARIO RAMOS; DE OLIVEIRA, JULIANA FERREIRA; DYSZY, FABIO; PEREIRA LIMA TEIXEIRA, PAULO JOSE; BARAU, JOAN GRANDE; GARCIA, ODALYS; COSTA-FILHO, ANTONIO JOSE; BERTELI AMBROSIO, ANDRE LUIS; GUIMARAES PEREIRA, GONCALO AMARANTE; et al. The Crystal Structure of Necrosis- and Ethylene-Inducing Protein 2 from the Causal Agent of Cacao's Witches' Broom Disease Reveals Key Elements for Its Activity. BIOCHEMISTRY, v. 50, n. 45, p. 9901-9910, 2011. (10/51884-8, 09/50119-9)

FIORIN, GABRIEL LORENCINI; SANCHEZ-VALLET, ANDREA; DE TOLEDO THOMAZELLA, DANIELA PAULA; VITAL DO PRADO, PAULA FAVORETTI; DO NASCIMENTO, LEANDRO COSTA; DE OLIVEIRA FIGUEIRA, ANTONIO VARGAS; THOMMA, BART P. H. J.; GUIMARAES PEREIRA, GONCALO AMARANTE; PEREIRA LIMA TEIXEIRA, PAULO JOSE. Suppression of Plant Immunity by Fungal Chitinase-like Effectors. Current Biology, v. 28, n. 18, p. 3023+, SEP 24 2018. (14/06181-0, 13/09878-9, 09/50119-9, 11/23315-1, 16/10498-4)

BARONI, RENATA M.; LUO, ZHIPU; DARWICHE, RABIH; HUDSPETH, ELISSA M.; SCHNEITER, ROGER; PEREIRA, GONCALO A. G.; MONDEGO, JORGE M. C.; ASOJO, OLUWATOYIN A.. Crystal Structure of MpPR-1i, a SCP/TAPS protein from Moniliophthora perniciosa, the fungus that causes Witches' Broom Disease of Cacao. SCIENTIFIC REPORTS, v. 7, AUG 10 2017. (09/50119-9)

TEIXEIRA, PAULO JOSE PEREIRA LIMA; THOMAZELLA, DANIELA PAULA DE TOLEDO; GUIMARAES PEREIRA, GONCALO AMARANTE. Time for Chocolate: Current Understanding and New Perspectives on Cacao Witches' Broom Disease Research. PLOS PATHOGENS, v. 11, n. 10, OCT 2015. (09/50119-9)

PEREIRA LIMA TEIXEIRA, PAULO JOSE; DE TOLEDO THOMAZELLA, DANIELA PAULA; REIS, OSVALDO; VITAL DO PRADO, PAULA FAVORETTI; SCATOLIN DO RIO, MARIA CAROLINA; FIORIN, GABRIEL LORENCINI; JOSE, JULIANA; LACERDA COSTA, GUSTAVO GILSON; NEGRI, VICTOR AUGUSTI; COSTA MONDEGO, JORGE MAURICIO; et al. High-Resolution Transcript Profiling of the Atypical Biotrophic Interaction between Theobroma cacao and the Fungal Pathogen Moniliophthora perniciosa. PLANT CELL, v. 26, n. 11, p. 4245-4269, NOV 2014. (12/09136-0, 09/50119-9)

FRANCO, SULAMITA DE FREITAS; BARONI, RENATA MORO; CARAZZOLLE, MARCELO FALSARELLA; PEREIRA LIMA TEIXEIRA, PAULO JOSE; REIS, OSVALDO; GUIMARDES PEREIRA, GONCALO AMARANTE; COSTA MONDEGO, JORGE MAURICIO. Genomic analyses and expression evaluation of thaumatin-like gene family in the cacao fungal pathogen Moniliophthora perniciosa. Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, v. 466, n. 4, p. 629-636, OCT 30 2015. (09/50119-9)

BARAU, JOAN; GRANDIS, ADRIANA; DE ANDRADE CARVALHO, VINICIUS MIESSLER; TEIXEIRA, GLEIDSON SILVA; ALCALA ZAPAROLI, GUSTAVO HENRIQUE; SCATOLIN DO RIO, MARIA CAROLINA; RINCONES, JOHANA; BUCKERIDGE, MARCOS SILVEIRA; GUIMARAES PEREIRA, GONCALO AMARANTE. Apoplastic and intracellular plant sugars regulate developmental transitions in witches' broom disease of cacao. Journal of Experimental Botany, v. 66, n. 5, p. 1325-1337, MAR 2015. (09/50119-9)

AMBROSIO, ALINNE BATISTA; DO NASCIMENTO, LEANDRO COSTA; OLIVEIRA, BRUNO V.; TEIXEIRA, PAULO JOSE P. L.; TIBURCIO, RICARDO A.; TOLEDO THOMAZELLA, DANIELA P.; LEME, ADRIANA F. P.; CARAZZOLLE, MARCELO F.; VIDAL, RAMON O.; MIECZKOWSKI, PIOTR; et al. Global analyses of Ceratocystis cacaofunesta mitochondria: from genome to proteome. BMC Genomics, v. 14, FEB 11 2013. (09/50119-9)

COSTA, GUSTAVO G. L.; CABRERA, ODALYS G.; TIBURCIO, RICARDO A.; MEDRANO, FRANCISCO J.; CARAZZOLLE, MARCELO F.; THOMAZELLA, DANIELA P. T.; SCHUSTER, STEPHEN C.; CARLSON, JOHN E.; GUILTINAN, MARK J.; BAILEY, BRYAN A.; et al. The mitochondrial genome of Moniliophthora roreri, the frosty pod rot pathogen of cacao. FUNGAL BIOLOGY, v. 116, n. 5, p. 551-562, MAY 2012. (09/50119-9)

PEREIRA LIMA TEIXEIRA, PAULO JOSE; LACERDA COSTA, GUSTAVO GILSON; FIORIN, GABRIEL LORENCINI; GUIMARAES PEREIRA, GONCALO AMARANTE; COSTA MONDEGO, JORGE MAURICIO. Novel receptor-like kinases in cacao contain PR-1 extracellular domains. MOLECULAR PLANT PATHOLOGY, v. 14, n. 6, p. 602-609, AUG 2013. (12/07657-2, 09/50119-9)

Filed patent(s) as a result of this research project