Naslov
Mycovirus-induced alteration of stress enzymes' activity and epigenetic changes in phytopathogenic fungus Cryphonectria parasitica

Autori
Nuskern, Lucija ; Tkalec, Mirta ; Ježić, Marin ; Liber, Zlatko ; Mlinarec, Jelena ; Krstin, Ljiljana ; Katanić, Zorana ; Ćurković-Perica, Mirna

Vrsta, podvrsta i kategorija rada
Sažeci sa skupova, sažetak, znanstveni

Skup
8th Congress of European Microbiologists

Mjesto i datum
Glasgow, Ujedinjeno Kraljevstvo, 07.07.2019. - 11.07.2019

Vrsta sudjelovanja
Poster

Vrsta recenzije
Međunarodna recenzija

Ključne riječi
biological control, fungus, stress, virus

Sažetak
Background: Chestnut blight fungus Cryphonectria parasitica is a pathogenic ascomycete introduced from Eastern Asia to North America and Europe, where it causes the aforementioned disease, devastating to chestnut trees. The disease can be biologically controlled utilising Cryphonectria hypovirus 1 (CHV1), a mycovirus which changes the physiology of the host, reducing its virulence towards chestnut. Objectives: The objective of the study was to determine whether the decrease of fungal virulence is caused by epigenetic changes and/or stress induction in the fungus after CHV1 infection. Methods: Six CHV1 strains of different subtypes were transferred to three C. parasitica isolates in order to assess the effect of different CHV1 strains and/or subtypes on global cytosine methylation level in infected fungus, using methylation-sensitive amplification polymorphism (MSAP). Furthermore, the activity of stress enzymes catalase, glutathione S-transferase and superoxide dismutase was measured in CHV1-infected and uninfected fungal isolates. Results: Infection with CHV1 affected fungal stress enzymes’ activity and the methylation pattern of C. parasitica genome. The increase in methylation levels correlated well with the CHV1-induced reduction of fungal growth in vitro, indicating that C. parasitica genome methylation upon CHV1 infection, rather than being the defensive mechanism of the fungus, is more likely to be the virulence determinant of the virus. Furthermore, the severity of CHV1 effect on stress enzymes’ activity and methylation levels of infected C. parasitica isolates depended mostly on individual CHV1 strain and on the combination of host and virus genomes, rather than on the virus subtype.

Izvorni jezik
Engleski

Znanstvena područja
Biologija

POVEZANOST RADA