Comparative omics analyses in the identification of the genetic basis of differential aggressiveness in Sporisorium scitamineum, the causal agent of sugarcane smut disease.

• Grant number: 23/13474-2
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: January 01, 2024
• End date: June 30, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Genetics - Molecular Genetics and Genetics of Microorganisms
• Principal Investigator: Claudia Barros Monteiro Vitorello
• Grantee: Pedro Fernando Vilanova Ferreira
• Host Institution: Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz (ESALQ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Piracicaba , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Sugarcane smut disease is the result of biotrophic interaction between the basidiomycete fungus, Sporisorium scitamineum, and the host plant, sugarcane. Smut disease is responsible for causing substantial economic impacts, both at the national and global levels. The disease is characterized by profound changes in the host's metabolism, resulting in the emission of a long structure from the meristem, called a whip, where the fungus undergoes sporogenesis. Different sugarcane genotypes exhibit varying levels of tolerance to fungal colonization. Previous studies have shown differences in aggressiveness between two Brazilian isolates of the fungus during the plant infection process. Isolate SSC04 is capable of promoting early disease development compared to isolate SSC39, inducing a higher number of whips in infected plants. The objectives of this study include the integration of omics data through comparative genome analysis and the evaluation of the transcriptional profile of two isolates of the fungus with different levels of aggressiveness, both in vitro and in planta conditions. Additionally, comparative analyses of three-dimensional models of candidate effector proteins (CE) that vary between isolates will be conducted. In previous work by the group, CE proteins with nucleotide sequence variations leading to non-synonymous mutations in the amino acid sequence have been identified. Thus, associating the obtained data on variant sequences between isolates with predictions of effector protein structures and gene expression levels with different aggressiveness phenotypes may provide new insights and candidates for functional validation. This study aims to formulate hypotheses and collect evidence aimed at contributing to the identification of the genetic bases underlying the variations in aggressiveness observed in the isolates.