Endophytic fungi related to the ash dieback causal agent encode signatures of pathogenicity on European ash
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Endophytic fungi related to the ash dieback causal agent encode signatures of pathogenicity on European ash. / Rafiqi, Maryam; Kosawang, Chatchai; Peers, Jessica A.; Jelonek, Lukas; Yvanne, Hélène; McMullan, Mark; Nielsen, Lene R.
I: I M A Fungus, Bind 14, 10, 2023.Publikation: Bidrag til tidsskrift › Tidsskriftartikel › Forskning › fagfællebedømt
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T1 - Endophytic fungi related to the ash dieback causal agent encode signatures of pathogenicity on European ash
AU - Rafiqi, Maryam
AU - Kosawang, Chatchai
AU - Peers, Jessica A.
AU - Jelonek, Lukas
AU - Yvanne, Hélène
AU - McMullan, Mark
AU - Nielsen, Lene R.
N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2023, The Author(s).
PY - 2023
Y1 - 2023
N2 - Tree diseases constitute a significant threat to biodiversity worldwide. Pathogen discovery in natural habitats is of vital importance to understanding current and future threats and prioritising efforts towards developing disease management strategies. Ash dieback is a fungal disease of major conservational concern that is infecting common ash trees, Fraxinus excelsior, in Europe. The disease is caused by a non-native fungal pathogen, Hymenoscyphus fraxineus. Other dieback causing-species have not previously been identified in the genus Hymenoscyphus. Here, we discover the pathogenicity potential of two newly identified related species of Asian origin, H. koreanus and H. occultus, and one Europe-native related species, H. albidus. We sequence the genomes of all three Hymenoscyphus species and compare them to that of H. fraxineus. Phylogenetic analysis of core eukaryotic genes identified H. albidus and H. koreanus as sister species, whilst H. occultus diverged prior to these and H. fraxineus. All four Hymenoscyphus genomes are of comparable size (55–62 Mbp) and GC contents (42–44%) and encode for polymorphic secretomes. Surprisingly, 1133 predicted secreted proteins are shared between the ash dieback pathogen H. fraxineus and the three related Hymenoscyphus endophytes. Amongst shared secreted proteins are cell death-inducing effector candidates, such as necrosis, and ethylene-inducing peptide 1-like proteins, Nep1-like proteins, that are upregulated during in planta growth of all Hymenoscyphus species. Indeed, pathogenicity tests showed that all four related Hymenoscyphus species develop pathogenic growth on European ash stems, with native H. albidus being the least virulent. Our results identify the threat Hymenoscypohus species pose to the survival of European ash trees, and highlight the importance of promoting pathogen surveillance in environmental landscapes. Identifying new pathogens and including them in the screening for durable immunity of common ash trees is key to the long-term survival of ash in Europe.
AB - Tree diseases constitute a significant threat to biodiversity worldwide. Pathogen discovery in natural habitats is of vital importance to understanding current and future threats and prioritising efforts towards developing disease management strategies. Ash dieback is a fungal disease of major conservational concern that is infecting common ash trees, Fraxinus excelsior, in Europe. The disease is caused by a non-native fungal pathogen, Hymenoscyphus fraxineus. Other dieback causing-species have not previously been identified in the genus Hymenoscyphus. Here, we discover the pathogenicity potential of two newly identified related species of Asian origin, H. koreanus and H. occultus, and one Europe-native related species, H. albidus. We sequence the genomes of all three Hymenoscyphus species and compare them to that of H. fraxineus. Phylogenetic analysis of core eukaryotic genes identified H. albidus and H. koreanus as sister species, whilst H. occultus diverged prior to these and H. fraxineus. All four Hymenoscyphus genomes are of comparable size (55–62 Mbp) and GC contents (42–44%) and encode for polymorphic secretomes. Surprisingly, 1133 predicted secreted proteins are shared between the ash dieback pathogen H. fraxineus and the three related Hymenoscyphus endophytes. Amongst shared secreted proteins are cell death-inducing effector candidates, such as necrosis, and ethylene-inducing peptide 1-like proteins, Nep1-like proteins, that are upregulated during in planta growth of all Hymenoscyphus species. Indeed, pathogenicity tests showed that all four related Hymenoscyphus species develop pathogenic growth on European ash stems, with native H. albidus being the least virulent. Our results identify the threat Hymenoscypohus species pose to the survival of European ash trees, and highlight the importance of promoting pathogen surveillance in environmental landscapes. Identifying new pathogens and including them in the screening for durable immunity of common ash trees is key to the long-term survival of ash in Europe.
KW - Ash dieback
KW - Emerging fungal pathogens
KW - Forest pathology
KW - Hymenoscyphus fraxineus
KW - Non-crop fungal pathogens
KW - Pathogenicity
U2 - 10.1186/s43008-023-00115-8
DO - 10.1186/s43008-023-00115-8
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 37170345
AN - SCOPUS:85159185706
VL - 14
JO - I M A Fungus
JF - I M A Fungus
SN - 2210-6340
M1 - 10
ER -
ID: 347414532