A paralog of the proteinaceous elicitor SM1 is involved in colonization of maize roots by Trichoderma virens. Issue 6 (June 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Crutcher, Frankie K.; Moran-Diez, Maria E.; Ding, Shengli; Liu, Jinggao; Horwitz, Benjamin A.; Mukherjee, Prasun K.; Kenerley, Charles M.
• Is Part Of: Fungal biology. Volume 119:Issue 6(2015:Jun.)
• Page Start: 476
• Page End: 486
• Publication Date: 2015-06
• Subjects: Cerato-platanin -- Biocontrol -- Induced systemic resistance -- Root colonization; Mycology -- Periodicals; Fungi -- Periodicals; 579.505
• DOI: 10.1016/j.funbio.2015.01.004
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1878-6146

Abstract

Abstract: The biocontrol agent, Trichoderma virens, has the ability to protect plants from pathogens by eliciting plant defense responses, involvement in mycoparasitism, or secreting antagonistic secondary metabolites. SM1, an elicitor of induced systemic resistance (ISR), was found to have three paralogs within the T. virens genome. The paralog sm2 is highly expressed in the presence of plant roots. Gene deletion mutants of sm2 were generated and the mutants were found to overproduce SM1. The ability to elicit ISR in maize against Colletotrichum graminicola was not compromised for the mutants compared to that of wild type isolate. However, the deletion strains had a significantly lowered ability to colonize maize roots. This appears to be the first report on the involvement of an effector-like protein in colonization of roots by Trichoderma . Highlights: The induced systemic resistance elicitor sm1 has three paralogs in Trichoderma virens . One of these paralogs, sm2, has increased expression in the presence of roots. Transformants lacking the sm2 open reading frame overproduced SM1 protein. Transformants lacking sm2 had the ability to induce ISR similar to that of wild-type. Sm2 mutants were significantly deficient in the ability to colonize maize roots.