Journal
MOLECULAR PLANT-MICROBE INTERACTIONS
Volume 34, Issue 10, Pages 1181-1192Publisher
AMER PHYTOPATHOLOGICAL SOC
DOI: 10.1094/MPMI-12-20-0347-R
Keywords
chitin; chitosan; endophyte; Epichloefestucae; molecular probes
Funding
- Tertiary Education Commission [RM20918]
- Massey University
- Alexander von Humboldt Research Award
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In this study, it was found that the cell wall of E. festucae is remodeled during infection of Lolium perenne seedlings, with chitin converted to chitosan catalyzed by chitin deacetylase. The genes encoding chitin deacetylases cdaA and cdaB are necessary for fungal intercalary growth within plant cells.
Epichloe festucae forms a mutualistic symbiotic association with Lolium perenne. This biotrophic fungus systemically colonizes the intercellular spaces of aerial tissues to form an endophytic hyphal network and also grows as an epiphyte. However, little is known about the cell wall-remodeling mechanisms required to avoid host defense and maintain intercalary growth within the host. Here, we use a suite of molecular probes to show that the E. festucae cell wall is remodeled by conversion of chitin to chitosan during infection of L. perenne seedlings, as the hyphae switch from free-living to endophytic growth. When hyphae transition from endophytic to epiphytic growth, the cell wall is remodeled from predominantly chitosan to chitin. This conversion from chitin to chitosan is catalyzed by chitin deacetylase. The genome of E. festucae encodes three putative chitin deacetylases, two of which (cdaA and cdaB) are expressed in planta. Deletion of either of these genes results in disruption of fungal intercalary growth in the intercellular spaces of plants infected with these mutants. These results establish that these two genes are required for maintenance of the mutualistic symbiotic interaction between E. festucae and L. perenne.
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