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Updated: Jun 15, 2026
05:38
Using Ustilago maydis as a Trojan Horse for In Situ Delivery of Maize Proteins
Published on: February 8, 2019
Solopathogenic strain formation strongly differs among Ustilaginaceae species
Seyed Kazem Sabbagh1, Gnagna Diagne-Lèye, Mathieu Naudan
1Université de Toulouse, UPS, UMR 5546, Surfaces Cellulaires et Signalisation chez les Végétaux, Castanet-Tolosan, France.
FEMS Microbiology Letters
|March 5, 2010
Summary
Solopathogenic strains of smut fungi can arise directly from teliospores, bypassing the usual mating process. This study found that Moesziomyces penicillariae frequently produces these self-pathogenic strains from teliospores.
Area of Science:
- Plant Pathology
- Mycology
- Fungal Genetics
Background:
- Smut fungi pathogenicity typically requires the fusion of compatible yeasts to form dikaryotic hyphae.
- Solopathogenic diploid strains of Ustilago maydis, capable of causing disease without mating, have been previously isolated.
- The generation of solopathogenic strains directly from teliospores has not been extensively studied.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the potential of teliospores from three smut fungi species to produce solopathogenic strains.
- To analyze the characteristics of solopathogenic strains isolated from teliospores.
- To discuss the implications of solopathogenic strain occurrence in smut fungi biology.
Main Methods:
- Isolation and characterization of solopathogenic strains from teliospores of Sporisorium reilianum f.sp. zeae, Ustilago maydis, and Moesziomyces penicillariae.
- Utilizing pseudohyphal stability for solopathogenic strain isolation.
- Microscopic observation and mating-type allele analysis to determine strain ploidy and mating ability.
- Inoculation tests on maize plantlets to assess pathogenicity.
Main Results:
- A monokaryotic, diploid, and infectious solopathogenic strain (SRZS1) was isolated from S. reilianum teliospores.
- All tested teliospore isolates of M. penicillariae yielded solopathogenic strains.
- Few solopathogenic strains were obtained from teliospores of U. maydis and S. reilianum.
Conclusions:
- Teliospores can be a direct source of solopathogenic smut fungi strains.
- Moesziomyces penicillariae exhibits a high frequency of producing solopathogenic strains from teliospores.
- The study highlights variability in solopathogenic strain production across different smut fungi species, impacting their biology and pathogenicity.
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