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Using Ustilago maydis as a Trojan Horse for In Situ Delivery of Maize Proteins
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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
PubMed

Insights

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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