Skip to main content

Main menu

  • Authors
  • Home
  • Content
    • Current Issue
    • Archive
    • Preview Papers
    • Focus Collections
    • Classics Collection
    • Upcoming Focus Issues
  • Submit a Manuscript
  • Advertisers
  • About
    • About the Journal
    • Editorial Board and Staff
  • Subscribers
  • Librarians
  • More
    • Alerts
    • Contact Us
  • Other Publications
    • Plant Physiology
    • The Plant Cell
    • Plant Direct
    • The Arabidopsis Book
    • Plant Cell Teaching Tools
    • ASPB
    • Plantae

User menu

  • My alerts
  • Log in

Search

  • Advanced search
Plant Physiology
  • Other Publications
    • Plant Physiology
    • The Plant Cell
    • Plant Direct
    • The Arabidopsis Book
    • Plant Cell Teaching Tools
    • ASPB
    • Plantae
  • My alerts
  • Log in
Plant Physiology

Advanced Search

  • Authors
  • Home
  • Content
    • Current Issue
    • Archive
    • Preview Papers
    • Focus Collections
    • Classics Collection
    • Upcoming Focus Issues
  • Submit a Manuscript
  • Advertisers
  • About
    • About the Journal
    • Editorial Board and Staff
  • Subscribers
  • Librarians
  • More
    • Alerts
    • Contact Us
  • Follow plantphysiol on Twitter
  • Visit plantphysiol on Facebook
  • Visit Plantae
Research ArticleArticles
Open Access

Spore Density Determines Infection Strategy by the Plant Pathogenic Fungus Plectosphaerella cucumerina

Pierre Pétriacq, Joost H.M. Stassen, Jurriaan Ton
Pierre Pétriacq
Plant Environmental Signaling Group (P.P., J.H.M.S., J.T.) and biOMICS Facility (P.P.), Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, S10 2TN Sheffield, United Kingdom
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • ORCID record for Pierre Pétriacq
Joost H.M. Stassen
Plant Environmental Signaling Group (P.P., J.H.M.S., J.T.) and biOMICS Facility (P.P.), Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, S10 2TN Sheffield, United Kingdom
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • ORCID record for Joost H.M. Stassen
Jurriaan Ton
Plant Environmental Signaling Group (P.P., J.H.M.S., J.T.) and biOMICS Facility (P.P.), Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, S10 2TN Sheffield, United Kingdom
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • ORCID record for Jurriaan Ton
  • For correspondence: j.ton@sheffield.ac.uk

Published April 2016. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1104/pp.15.00551

  • Article
  • Figures & Data
  • Info & Metrics
  • PDF
Loading
  • © 2016 American Society of Plant Biologists. All Rights Reserved.

Abstract

Necrotrophic and biotrophic pathogens are resisted by different plant defenses. While necrotrophic pathogens are sensitive to jasmonic acid (JA)-dependent resistance, biotrophic pathogens are resisted by salicylic acid (SA)- and reactive oxygen species (ROS)-dependent resistance. Although many pathogens switch from biotrophy to necrotrophy during infection, little is known about the signals triggering this transition. This study is based on the observation that the early colonization pattern and symptom development by the ascomycete pathogen Plectosphaerella cucumerina (P. cucumerina) vary between inoculation methods. Using the Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) defense response as a proxy for infection strategy, we examined whether P. cucumerina alternates between hemibiotrophic and necrotrophic lifestyles, depending on initial spore density and distribution on the leaf surface. Untargeted metabolome analysis revealed profound differences in metabolic defense signatures upon different inoculation methods. Quantification of JA and SA, marker gene expression, and cell death confirmed that infection from high spore densities activates JA-dependent defenses with excessive cell death, while infection from low spore densities induces SA-dependent defenses with lower levels of cell death. Phenotyping of Arabidopsis mutants in JA, SA, and ROS signaling confirmed that P. cucumerina is differentially resisted by JA- and SA/ROS-dependent defenses, depending on initial spore density and distribution on the leaf. Furthermore, in situ staining for early callose deposition at the infection sites revealed that necrotrophy by P. cucumerina is associated with elevated host defense. We conclude that P. cucumerina adapts to early-acting plant defenses by switching from a hemibiotrophic to a necrotrophic infection program, thereby gaining an advantage of immunity-related cell death in the host.

  • Glossary

    SA
    salicylic acid
    JA
    jasmonic acid
    ABA
    abscisic acid
    ROS
    reactive oxygen species
    NO
    nitric oxide
    BTH
    benzothiadiazole
    MALDI-Q-TOF
    matrix-assisted laser-desorption ionization-quadrupole-time of flight
    MALDI
    matrix-assisted laser-desorption ionization
    m/z
    mass-to-charge ratio
    PCA
    Principal component analysis
    O2PLS-DA
    bidirectional orthogonal partial least square discriminant analysis
    OPDA
    12-oxo-phytodienoic acid
    JA-Ile
    jasmonyl-isoleucine
    UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS
    ultra-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time of flight-tandem mass spectrometry
    dai
    days after inoculation
    Col-0
    Columbia-0
    PTI
    pathogen-associated molecular pattern-triggered immunity
    RH
    relative humidity
    • Received May 19, 2015.
    • Accepted January 31, 2016.
    • Published February 3, 2016.

    View Full Text
    PreviousNext
    Back to top

    Table of Contents

    Print
    Download PDF
    Article Alerts
    Sign In to Email Alerts with your Email Address
    Email Article

    Thank you for your interest in spreading the word on Plant Physiology.

    NOTE: We only request your email address so that the person you are recommending the page to knows that you wanted them to see it, and that it is not junk mail. We do not capture any email address.

    Enter multiple addresses on separate lines or separate them with commas.
    Spore Density Determines Infection Strategy by the Plant Pathogenic Fungus Plectosphaerella cucumerina
    (Your Name) has sent you a message from Plant Physiology
    (Your Name) thought you would like to see the Plant Physiology web site.
    Citation Tools
    Spore Density Determines Infection Strategy by the Plant Pathogenic Fungus Plectosphaerella cucumerina
    Pierre Pétriacq, Joost H.M. Stassen, Jurriaan Ton
    Plant Physiology Apr 2016, 170 (4) 2325-2339; DOI: 10.1104/pp.15.00551

    Citation Manager Formats

    • BibTeX
    • Bookends
    • EasyBib
    • EndNote (tagged)
    • EndNote 8 (xml)
    • Medlars
    • Mendeley
    • Papers
    • RefWorks Tagged
    • Ref Manager
    • RIS
    • Zotero
    Request Permissions
    Share
    Spore Density Determines Infection Strategy by the Plant Pathogenic Fungus Plectosphaerella cucumerina
    Pierre Pétriacq, Joost H.M. Stassen, Jurriaan Ton
    Plant Physiology Apr 2016, 170 (4) 2325-2339; DOI: 10.1104/pp.15.00551
    del.icio.us logo Digg logo Reddit logo Twitter logo CiteULike logo Facebook logo Google logo Mendeley logo
    • Tweet Widget
    • Facebook Like
    • Google Plus One

    Jump to section

    • Article
      • Abstract
      • RESULTS
      • DISCUSSION
      • CONCLUSION
      • MATERIALS AND METHODS
      • Acknowledgments
      • Footnotes
      • REFERENCES
    • Figures & Data
    • Info & Metrics
    • PDF

    In this issue

    Plant Physiology: 170 (4)
    Plant Physiology
    Vol. 170, Issue 4
    Apr 2016
    • Table of Contents
    • Table of Contents (PDF)
    • About the Cover
    • Index by author
    • Front Matter (PDF)
    View this article with LENS

    More in this TOC Section

    Articles

    • Developmental Programming of Thermonastic Leaf Movement
    • BRASSINOSTEROID-SIGNALING KINASE5 Associates with Immune Receptors and Is Required for Immune Responses
    • Deetiolation Enhances Phototropism by Modulating NON-PHOTOTROPIC HYPOCOTYL3 Phosphorylation Status
    Show more Articles

    SIGNALING AND RESPONSE

    • Hypermorphic SERK1 Mutations Function via a SOBIR1 Pathway to Activate Floral Abscission Signaling
    • Multi-omics Analysis Reveals Sequential Roles for ABA during Seed Maturation
    • Deetiolation Enhances Phototropism by Modulating NON-PHOTOTROPIC HYPOCOTYL3 Phosphorylation Status
    Show more SIGNALING AND RESPONSE

    Similar Articles

    Our Content

    • Home
    • Current Issue
    • Plant Physiology Preview
    • Archive
    • Focus Collections
    • Classic Collections
    • The Plant Cell
    • Plant Direct
    • Plantae
    • ASPB

    For Authors

    • Instructions
    • Submit a Manuscript
    • Editorial Board and Staff
    • Policies
    • Recognizing our Authors

    For Reviewers

    • Instructions
    • Journal Miles
    • Policies

    Other Services

    • Permissions
    • Librarian resources
    • Advertise in our journals
    • Alerts
    • RSS Feeds

    Copyright © 2019 by The American Society of Plant Biologists

    Powered by HighWire