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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Kearneysville, West Virginia » Appalachian Fruit Research Laboratory » Innovative Fruit Production, Improvement, and Protection » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #341701
Title: Identification and characterization of LysM effectors in Penicillium expansum

Author
item LEVIN, ELENA - Volcani Center (ARO)
item BALLESTER, ANA ROSA - Instituto De Agroquimica Y Technologia De Alimentos
item RAPHAEL, GINAT - Volcani Center (ARO)
item FEIGENBERG, OLEG - Volcani Center (ARO)
item LIU, YONGSHENG - Hefei University Of Technology
item Norelli, John
item GONZALEZ-CANDELAS, LUIS - Instituto De Agroquimica Y Technologia De Alimentos
item Ma, Jing
item Dardick, Christopher - Chris
item Wisniewski, Michael
item DROBY, SAMIR - Volcani Center (ARO)

Submitted to: PLOS ONE
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/2/2017
Publication Date: 10/30/2017
Citation: Levin, E., Ballester, A., Raphael, G., Feigenberg, O., Liu, Y., Norelli, J.L., Gonzalez-Candelas, L., Ma, J., Dardick, C.D., Wisniewski, M.E., Droby, S. 2017. Identification and characterization of LysM effectors in Penicillium expansum. PLoS One. 12(10):1-25.

Interpretive Summary: Blue mold (Penicillium expansum) is regarded as the most important postharvest and economically damaging postharvest pathogen of apple fruit. It is also a concern of the fruit processing industry due to the ability of this postharvest pathogen to produce the mycotoxin, patulin. Modern apple cultivars are generally susceptible to this pathogen and little is known how this pathogen is able to overcome the defense mechanisms that are activated when apple fruits are exposed to a microbe. One method used by pathogens is the production and secretion of proteins (effectors) that interfere with host defense responses. The present study identified eleven different LysM effector proteins produced by P. expansum, four of which are secreted during the early stages of the infection process. The study also identified numerous apple proteins that potentially interact with the LysM effector proteins produced by the pathogen. This information will be used to develop a comprehensive understanding of the pathogenicity of the blue mold organism, which can then be used to develop new disease prevention strategies.

Technical Abstract: P. expansum is regarded as one of the most important postharvest rots of apple fruit and is also of great concern to fruit processing industries. Elucidating the pathogenicity mechanism of this pathogen is of utmost importance for the development of effective and safe management strategies. Although, many studies on modification of the host environment by the pathogen were done, its interactions with fruit during the early stages of infection and the virulence factors that mediate pathogenicity have not been fully defined. Effectors carrying LysM domain have been identified in numerous pathogenic fungi and their role in the first stages of infection has been established. In this study, we identified 18 LysM genes in the P. expansum genome. Amino acid sequence analysis indicated that P. expansum LysM proteins belong to a clade of fungal-specific LysM. Eleven of the discovered LysM genes was found to have secretory pathway signal peptide, among them, 4 (PeLysM1 PeLysM2, PeLysM3 and PeLysM4) were found to be highly expressed during the infection and development of decay of apple fruit. Effect of targeted deletion of the four putative PeLysM effectors on the growth and pathogenicity was studied. Possible interactions of PeLysM with host proteins was investigated using the yeast-two-hybrid system.