Review
Plant Sciences
Johannes Mapuranga, Lirong Zhang, Na Zhang, Wenxiang Yang
Summary: Biotrophic plant pathogenic fungi are a major threat to economically important crops. Their interaction with hosts through haustoria enables nutrient acquisition, effector secretion, host immune system manipulation, and completion of their life cycle.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2022)
Review
Microbiology
Johannes Mapuranga, Na Zhang, Lirong Zhang, Jiaying Chang, Wenxiang Yang
Summary: This article introduces the efforts made to decipher the effector proteins of biotrophic fungal pathogens and demonstrates the rapid progress in the field of obligate biotrophy.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Ligang Chen, Liping Zhang, Shengyuan Xiang, Yanli Chen, Haiyan Zhang, Diqiu Yu
Summary: WRKY75 positively regulates plant defense responses against necrotrophic fungal pathogens by directly binding to the promoter of ORA59 and interacting with JASMONATE ZIM-domain proteins. This gene functions as a critical component of the JA-mediated signaling pathway in Arabidopsis.
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY
(2021)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Wang Fei, Ye Liu
Summary: This review summarizes the mechanism of infection and immune response of biotrophic fungi in plants, emphasizing the understanding of their biology and pathogenesis. It is of great importance for overcoming resistance to biotrophic fungi and developing disease-free crops.
APPLIED BIOCHEMISTRY AND BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Geon Hui Son, Jiyun Moon, Rahul Mahadev Shelake, Uyen Thi Vuong, Robert A. Ingle, Walter Gassmann, Jae-Yean Kim, Sang Hee Kim
Summary: Mutations in the SRFR1 gene can reactivate plant immunity to pathogens while also increasing susceptibility to fungal pathogens. Translating research findings from Arabidopsis to tomato, the study concluded that SRFR1 functions as a conserved negative regulator to (hemi-) biotrophic pathogens and a positive regulator to necrotrophic pathogens.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Kana Ueda, Yuichi Nakajima, Hiroshi Inoue, Kappei Kobayashi, Takumi Nishiuchi, Makoto Kimura, Takashi Yaeno
Summary: The precursor NMN was found to induce plant resistance to fungal infection, especially to the biotrophic stage. The experimental results showed that NMN treatment suppressed the formation of fungal appressoria-like structures and resulted in irregular hyphal growth direction.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Yuan Wang, Shuilin Yuan, Cen Shao, Weitong Zhu, Dong Xiao, Changwei Zhang, Xilin Hou, Ying Li
Summary: This study investigates the defensive role of BcOPR3 in plants against pathogen invasion. The results showed that overexpression of BcOPR3 increased susceptibility to Pst DC3000 but enhanced resistance to B. cinerea in Arabidopsis. BcOPR3-silenced NHCC001 plants showed increased resistance to downy mildew by reducing hyphal density and spores of H. parasitica. Additionally, partly silenced NHCC001 plants were also resistant to B. cinerea, potentially due to a synergistic effect of JA and SA.
Article
Plant Sciences
Mu Liu, Hongqian Wang, Ziyuan Lin, Junsheng Ke, Peng Zhang, Feng Zhang, Dafu Ru, Li Zhang, Yao Xiao, Xiang Liu
Summary: Microbial mutualists can modify host species ecology and evolution, affecting interactions with other microbial species. Recent research has found that inoculation of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) can reduce disease impact, particularly necrotrophic diseases. This effect may be mediated by AMF regulation of signaling pathways and plant nutritional status.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Peng Zhang, Miaomiao Luan, Xinrui Li, Zhongmin Lian, Xumao Zhao
Summary: Our study demonstrates that altitude, soil properties, and plant communities significantly influence soil fungal community composition in an alpine meadow in Western China. Altitude directly and indirectly affects different ecological groups of soil fungi, with soil nitrogen content and nitrate nitrogen content being important predictors.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Michele C. C. Malvestiti, Maikel B. F. Steentjes, Henriek G. G. Beenen, Sjef Boeren, Jan A. L. van Kan, Xiaoqian Shi-Kunne
Summary: This study focused on the host-specificity of two fungal plant pathogens, Botrytis squamosa and B. elliptica, and revealed a high level of molecular similarity between the two despite infecting different hosts. Analysis of their secreted proteins inducing cell death and gene expression during host infection provided insights into the mechanisms used by these Botrytis species to infect their respective hosts.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Xiang Liu, Ingrid M. Parker, Gregory S. Gilbert, Yawen Lu, Yao Xiao, Li Zhang, Mengjiao Huang, Yikang Cheng, Zhenhua Zhang, Shurong Zhou
Summary: Fungal pathogens, especially those affecting aboveground plant parts, play a larger role in maintaining plant species coexistence and shaping community composition than previously recognized.
Article
Plant Sciences
Eline A. Ampt, Davide Francioli, Jasper van Ruijven, Sofia I. F. Gomes, Jose G. Macia-Vicente, Aad J. Termorshuizen, Lisette M. Bakker, Liesje Mommer
Summary: Plant diversity can influence the risk of plant disease, but it is the composition of plant communities that is the key factor. This study found that in mixed plant communities, the relative abundance of root-associated fungal pathogens increased in both host and non-host plant species. The composition of the plant community, specifically the presence of certain neighboring host species, had a significant impact on the abundance of the pathogens. The results suggest that below-ground disease risk depends on the interactions between plant species and their root-associated pathogens.
JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Mailen Ortega-Cuadros, Tiago Lodi De Souza, Romain Berruyer, Sophie Aligon, Sandra Pelletier, Jean-Pierre Renou, Tatiana Arias, Claire Campion, Thomas Guillemette, Jerome Verdier, Philippe Grappin
Summary: The transmission of seed-borne pathogens during seed germination is a major cause of crop diseases. However, the immune responses of germinating seeds to biotic invaders are poorly understood. This study used the Arabidopsis thaliana/Alternaria brassicicola patho-system to investigate the transcriptional responses of germinating seeds and young seedlings to infection by the necrotrophic fungus. The results revealed non-canonical immune responses in early germinating seeds compared to early seedling establishment stages.
Article
Microbiology
Lu Lin, Meng Pan, Hong Gao, Chengming Tian, Xinlei Fan
Summary: This study provides an important assessment of the fungi associated with diseases of Euonymus japonicus in Beijing, China, identifying four novel species and confirming three species as pathogens of E. japonicus leaves.
Review
Mycology
Jose A. Oguiza
Summary: LysM domain is a highly conserved carbohydrate-binding module that recognizes polysaccharides containing N-acetylglucosamine residues, found in a wide variety of extracellular proteins and receptors. Limited studies have focused on the expression and roles of LysM proteins in mammalian fungal pathogens, leaving a gap in knowledge and research.
FUNGAL BIOLOGY REVIEWS
(2022)
Article
Agronomy
Yikang Cheng, Xiang Liu, Yawen Lu, Fei Chen, Xianhui Zhou, Zhiping Song, Shurong Zhou
Summary: This study investigates the impact of nitrogen enrichment on the phylogenetic structure of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal (AMF) communities in plant roots. The results show that nitrogen addition and host identity significantly affect the phylogenetic dispersion of AMF, which is caused by changes in the abundance of different fungal genera. The study also reveals that nitrogen addition influences the dispersion of AMF through its effects on soil properties and the dissimilarity of plant community and soil environments.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Huimin Sun, Hongyang Chen, Jintao Li, Yan Zhang, Xiang Liu, Jinquan Li, Bo Li, Shurong Zhou, Ming Nie
Summary: As climate warms, the strength of microbial thermal acclimation and its effects on soil carbon feedback may be influenced by multiple environmental factors, including nitrogen concentration and soil acidity. This study found that under warming conditions, higher nitrogen enrichment reduced the mass-specific respiration rates in alpine permafrost soils. The strength of thermal acclimation was found to increase as nitrogen enrichment increased, but the pathways by which nitrogen affects acclimation can vary.
Article
Ecology
Xiang Liu, Yao Xiao, Ziyuan Lin, Xingxing Wang, Kui Hu, Mu Liu, Yimin Zhao, Yanwen Qi, Shurong Zhou
Summary: The rapid biodiversity losses of the Anthropocene have motivated ecologists to understand how biodiversity affects infectious diseases. Spatial scale is thought to moderate negative biodiversity-disease relationships (i.e., dilution effects) in zoonotic diseases, whereas evidence from plant communities for an effect of scale remains limited, especially at local scales where the mechanisms underlying dilution effects actually work. This study tested how spatial scale affects the direction and magnitude of biodiversity-disease relationships in a Tibetan alpine meadow, and found that dilution effects were stronger at smaller quadrat sizes.
Article
Ecology
Li Zhang, Seraina Lisa Cappelli, Mengjiao Huang, Xiang Liu, Yao Xiao, Francoise Cardou, Yizhong Rong, Shurong Zhou
Summary: Recent studies have shown that intraspecific trait variability contributes significantly to total trait variation. However, the role of intraspecific variability in ecosystem functions under global change is still unclear. In this study, we examined the effects of nitrogen addition and warming on the productivity of a Tibetan alpine meadow and found that both intra- and inter-specific functional changes influenced productivity. Specifically, plant height variation among species promoted niche complementarity, while individuals with larger leaf area exerted dominance effects. Warming directly reduced productivity and indirectly suppressed it through a decrease in leaf area. Our findings highlight the importance of plant intraspecific trait variability in maintaining ecosystem functions, particularly in the face of global change.
Article
Ecology
Chunyan Lu, Juanjuan Zhang, Xueting Min, Jianghui Chen, Yixuan Huang, Hongfang Zhao, Tao Yan, Xiang Liu, Hao Wang, Huiying Liu
Summary: Precipitation is a key driver of plant phenology, and our meta-analysis of 63 manipulative experiments shows that early-season and late-season phenophases respond differently to precipitation changes. Increased precipitation leads to advanced early-season phenophases and delayed late-season phenophases, resulting in longer reproductive phases and growing seasons. Decreased precipitation, on the other hand, leads to delayed leaf out and advanced leaf colouring, shortening the length of the growing season. These responses are less pronounced in wetter regions and are influenced by the seasons when precipitation changes occur.
Article
Ecology
Weichen Hou, Yakov Kuzyakov, Yanwen Qi, Xiang Liu, Hui Zhang, Shurong Zhou
Summary: Nitrogen fertilization and warming have inconsistent and even opposite effects on nematode communities in soils. This is due to the less sensitivity of commonly used taxonomic diversity to environmental changes compared to rarely-used trait-based indicators.
FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Xiang Liu, Ziyuan Lin, Kui Hu, Xingxing Wang, Peng Zhang, Yao Xiao, Li Zhang, Mu Liu
Summary: The aim of this study was to examine patterns and potential mechanisms underlying geographical variation in community-wide herbivory on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. The results showed that the latitudinal gradient in community-wide herbivory was primarily mediated by intraspecific variation, which was correlated with soil nitrogen content.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND BIOGEOGRAPHY
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Yikang Cheng, Xiang Liu, Zhiping Song, Miaojun Ma, Shurong Zhou, Eric Allan
Summary: Asymmetrical light competition and direct detrimental effect of nitrogen have been proposed as two main mechanisms driving species richness declines following nitrogen (N) addition. However, the responses of tall and short plant species to N addition have rarely been studied. In this study, we found that N addition reduced the number of short species but increased the number of tall species, indicating divergent trait responses between them.
JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Yuanfei Pan, Mu Liu, Alejandro Sosa, Bo Li, Mang Shi, Xiaoyun Pan
Summary: This study investigates the metacommunities of endophytic fungi in the leaves of an invasive plant and finds that the structure of these fungal communities is influenced by multiple spatial scales and different drivers. These findings are important for understanding the global patterns of fungal diversity.
Article
Ecology
Yimin Zhao, Xiang Liu, Jianbin Wang, Yu Nie, Mengjiao Huang, Li Zhang, Yao Xiao, Zhenhua Zhang, Shurong Zhou
Summary: The study investigates the separate and interactive roles of fungal/oomycete pathogens and nutrient fertilization on community temporal stability in an alpine meadow. Results show that fungal pathogen exclusion decreases community temporal stability mainly by decreasing species asynchrony, while fertilization reduces community temporal stability by decreasing species stability. There is no interaction between pathogen exclusion and nutrient fertilization. These effects are due to direct effects on plant biomass and not indirect effects through plant diversity.
Article
Plant Sciences
Yikang Cheng, Gemma Rutten, Xiang Liu, Miaojun Ma, Zhiping Song, Nadia I. I. Maaroufi, Shurong Zhou
Summary: Through a long-term nitrogen addition experiment, we found that nitrogen enrichment has different effects on the diversity of root-associated arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal (AMF) communities, which is related to changes in soil properties and/or host plant functional structure. Moreover, we found that plant height plays a crucial role in driving the response of AMF diversity to nitrogen enrichment.
Article
Plant Sciences
Mu Liu, Hongqian Wang, Ziyuan Lin, Junsheng Ke, Peng Zhang, Feng Zhang, Dafu Ru, Li Zhang, Yao Xiao, Xiang Liu
Summary: Microbial mutualists can modify host species ecology and evolution, affecting interactions with other microbial species. Recent research has found that inoculation of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) can reduce disease impact, particularly necrotrophic diseases. This effect may be mediated by AMF regulation of signaling pathways and plant nutritional status.
