Differential responses of genes and enzymes associated with ROS protective responses in the sugarcane smut fungus

Author(s)

Peters, L. P. ^{[1, 2]} ; Teixeira-Silva, N. S. ^[1] ; Bini, A. P. ^{[1, 3]} ; Silva, M. M. L. ^[1] ; Moraes, N. ^[1] ; Crestana, G. S. ^[1] ; Creste, S. ^[3] ; Azevedo, R. A. ^[1] ; Carvalho, G. ^{[1, 4]} ; Monteiro-Vitorello, C. B. ^[1]

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Sao Paulo, Dept Genet, Escola Super Agr Luiz de Queiroz, Av Padua Dias 11, CP 9, BR-13418900 Piracicaba, SP - Brazil

^[2] Univ Fed Acre, Ctr Ciencias Biol & Nat, BR-69920900 Rio Branco, AC - Brazil

^[3] Ctr Cana, Inst Agron IAC, CP 206, BR-14001970 Ribeirao Preto, SP - Brazil

^[4] Inst SENAI Inovacao Biomassa, BR-79604250 Tres Lagoas, MS - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: FUNGAL BIOLOGY; v. 124, n. 12, p. 1039-1051, DEC 2020.
• Web of Science Citations: 1

Abstract

The fungal pathogen Sporisorium scitamineum causes sugarcane smut disease. We have previously shown that resistant sugarcane plants induce ROS, coinciding with a delay in fungal colonization. Here, we investigated whether the fungus modifies the enzymatic antioxidant system in vitro and when colo-nizing sugarcane tissues in response to ROS. In vitro, the exposure to ROS did not affect cell integrity, and a combination of superoxide dismutases (SOD) and catalases (CAT) were active. In vitro, the fungus did not alter the expression of the transcriptional regulator Yap1 and the effector Pep1. The fungus activated distinct enzymes when colonizing plant tissues. Instead of CAT, S. scitamineum induced glutathione peroxidase (Gpx) expression only when colonizing smut-resistant plants. Yap1 had an earlier expression in both smut-susceptible and-resistant plants, with no apparent correlation with the expression of antioxidant genes sod, cat, gpx, or external redox imbalance. The expression of the effector pep1 was induced only in smut-resistant plants, potentially in response to ROS. These results collectively suggest that S. scitamineum copes with oxidative stress by inducing different mechanisms depending on the conditions (in vitro/in planta) and intensity of ROS. Moreover, the effector Pep1 is responsive to the stress imposed only by the sugarcane resistant genotype. (c) 2020 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of British Mycological Society. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 17/13268-2 - Genomic and functional studies of the interaction Sporisorium scitamineum-cana and other smut fungi: advances and challenges
• Grantee: Claudia Barros Monteiro Vitorello
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• FAPESP's process: 18/07615-4 - Studying the first cell communication signals between sugarcane and pathogens: focus on Reactive Oxygen Species.
• Grantee: Andressa Peres Bini
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• FAPESP's process: 16/16376-8 - Functional analysis of candidate effector proteins during Sporisorium scitamineum x sugarcane interaction
• Grantee: Natália de Sousa Teixeira e Silva
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• FAPESP's process: 13/15014-7 - Genetic and biochemical analysis of signaling of reactive oxygen species in the interaction sugarcane and Sporisorium scitamineum
• Grantee: Leila Priscila Peters
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• FAPESP's process: 16/17545-8 - Genes, genomes & transposable elements contribution to plant-microbe interaction: a sugarcane study case
• Grantee: Marie-Anne Van Sluys
• Support Opportunities: Program for Research on Bioenergy (BIOEN) - Thematic Grants