Nature Sub-Journal: A Controlling Factor for the Control of Fungal Infections in Wheat

The fungus Zymoseptoria tritici causes wheat black spot disease, the most damaging fungal disease of wheat grown in temperate regions of the
world.
The disease reduces wheat production by 5-10% per year, causing harvest losses worth 3/4 to 1.
5 billion euros in France, Germany and the United Kingdom alone, and another 1 billion euros for chemical control of the fungus
.
Researchers from the University of Exeter have made major breakthroughs
in understanding the molecular mechanisms by which this pathogen is aggressive.

With funding from the BBSRC, the Exeter research group, led by Professor Gero Steinberg, used a multidisciplinary approach to better understand the formation
of this plant-invasive pathogen.
This so-called hyphal stage is the stage in which the fungus enters the wheat leaf through a natural opening called a stomata that opens and closes
according to the surrounding light conditions.
Combining techniques of cell and molecular biology, bioinformatics, and plant pathology, the team revealed that the combination of moderate temperatures and wheat leaf molecules initiated the formation
of plant infection-infested hyphae.
This change is accompanied by a "reprogramming" of the pathogen to prepare
the fungus for plant attack.

The development of a novel and complex "molecular tool" has enabled researchers to perform visual genetic screening aimed at identifying drivers
of reprogramming fungi to form invasive hyphae.
Surprisingly, this method reveals the existence of a "master regulator" that senses light in other organisms
.
Studies have shown that this regulator senses the same light conditions that open plant stomata, thereby initiating and synchronizing the appearance
of invasive hyphae at the most vulnerable time in the plant.

It is important to discover a pathogenic "main regulator" Zymoseptoria tritici in wheat pathogens; This provides an important target for the development of new strategies to control wheat black spot disease
.

"Our multidisciplinary approach targets the core
of the pathogenicity of the strain with black spot.
The factors that have been identified to control the formation of this invasive pathogen offer hope
for the development of ways to protect our wheat crops from this important economic disease.

The University of Exeter research team behind this discovery, Sarah J.
Lee, a professor of food safety at the University of Exeter, said that the University of Exeter is a member of the research team behind this discovery.
"Wheat is grown in larger
areas than any other crop in the world," Gurr said.
The disease causes huge losses
to this valuable calorie crop in temperate growing areas.
This study describes a very important goal
in our quest to ensure global food security.
”

The study was funded by the Biotechnology and Biosciences Research Commission (authorized BB/P018335/1
).
SJG is a researcher at
CIFAR's Fungal Kingdom Threats and Opportunities Program.

essay

Zymoseptoria tritici white-collar complex integrates light, temperature and plant cues to initiate dimorphism and pathogenesis