Fusarium disease of wheat - exploring tissue specific host-pathogen interactions using a systems biology approach
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Bath
Department Name: Biology and Biochemistry
Abstract
Fusarium graminearum is the causative agent of the highly destructive fungal disease Fusarium Head Blight (FHB), which infects wheat and other cereals. It causes devastating crop losses by dramatically decreasing grain quality before harvest. Furthermore, the pathogen produces harmful toxins which deem grains unfit for human or animal consumption. Faced with a growing population, climate change, environmental pressures, and fungicide resistance; the ability to control fungal plant pathogens has become a global concern requiring urgent solutions. With F. graminearum being one of the most economically important plant pathogenic fungi, developing our understanding of its ability to infect and inflict disease is paramount.
Following the advances of fungal genomics and sequencing technologies, there have been a substantial number of studies investigating the genetic interaction between F. graminearum and its cereal hosts during infection. There has also been progress in the development of bioinformatic pipelines and network analyses to predict and identify disease-related genes in microorganisms. In this project, the student will work with experts in both fields of F. graminearum microbiology and emerging bioinformatic analysis technologies to develop different bioinformatic pipelines to study the host-pathogen interaction between F. graminearum and wheat.
To predict and identify key disease-related genes and gene complexes a transcriptomic expression network will be developed. Initially a network will be generated to solely study the expression of F. graminearum genes during in planta infections and compare this with expression during in vitro growth. However, this project also aims to develop a dual pathogen-host combined expression network. This will illustrate genetic interactions between F. graminearum and Wheat. The F. graminearum networks will be generated using both unpublished in-house and published public RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) datasets. Additional RNA-seq datasets may be generated to study unique aspects of the infection process.
Predicted virulence and disease-related genes identified through the network analyses or other pipelines, will be deleted in the fungus using a split-marker deletion strategy. The mutants will then be inoculated onto wheat heads at anthesis to assay for changes in virulence levels and undergo a range of phenotypic tests. Genes involved in virulence will then be further functionally characterised to understand their involvement in cellular processes. Selected potential resistance or susceptibility genes in wheat could also be tested using overexpression and virus induce gene silencing.
Overall, this project will generate novel insight on the infection process of F. graminearum, which is imperative for developing chemical and biological means of crop protection. The network analysis and other bioinformatics pipelines can also be used by other researchers to further advance research in the field.
Following the advances of fungal genomics and sequencing technologies, there have been a substantial number of studies investigating the genetic interaction between F. graminearum and its cereal hosts during infection. There has also been progress in the development of bioinformatic pipelines and network analyses to predict and identify disease-related genes in microorganisms. In this project, the student will work with experts in both fields of F. graminearum microbiology and emerging bioinformatic analysis technologies to develop different bioinformatic pipelines to study the host-pathogen interaction between F. graminearum and wheat.
To predict and identify key disease-related genes and gene complexes a transcriptomic expression network will be developed. Initially a network will be generated to solely study the expression of F. graminearum genes during in planta infections and compare this with expression during in vitro growth. However, this project also aims to develop a dual pathogen-host combined expression network. This will illustrate genetic interactions between F. graminearum and Wheat. The F. graminearum networks will be generated using both unpublished in-house and published public RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) datasets. Additional RNA-seq datasets may be generated to study unique aspects of the infection process.
Predicted virulence and disease-related genes identified through the network analyses or other pipelines, will be deleted in the fungus using a split-marker deletion strategy. The mutants will then be inoculated onto wheat heads at anthesis to assay for changes in virulence levels and undergo a range of phenotypic tests. Genes involved in virulence will then be further functionally characterised to understand their involvement in cellular processes. Selected potential resistance or susceptibility genes in wheat could also be tested using overexpression and virus induce gene silencing.
Overall, this project will generate novel insight on the infection process of F. graminearum, which is imperative for developing chemical and biological means of crop protection. The network analysis and other bioinformatics pipelines can also be used by other researchers to further advance research in the field.
Organisations
Studentship Projects
| Project Reference | Relationship | Related To | Start | End | Student Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BB/T008741/1 | 01/10/2020 | 30/09/2028 | |||
| 2445554 | Studentship | BB/T008741/1 | 01/10/2020 | 30/09/2024 | Erika Kroll |
| Description | In this project, tissue specific host-pathogen protein interactions are being explored using a systems biology approach. Using a pre-published RNA sequencing (i.e. gene expression) dataset, a weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) was used to model the infection process and generate the first fungal pathogen/crop dual co-expression networks in wheat. Virulence specific modules were identified and by studying these modules, we discovered a previously uncharacterised hub gene encoding for a cell wall regulatory protein (FgCWP1). Deletion of FgCWP1 resulted in a defective growth phenotype in vitro and loss of pathogenicity in planta, i.e. restriction of Fg colonisation to the inoculated spikelet, even through the Fg hyphae were still able to produce the DON mycotoxin (a toxin neccessary for Fg colonisation of its host). We hope FgCWP1 could be of interest in developing novel fungicides in the future. |
| Exploitation Route | FgCWP1, which is a cell wall regulatory protein that results in loss of pathogenicity, could be a potential fungicide target. We also found that this mutant is unable to infect any uninoculated grain nor are these uninoculated grains contaminted with DON mycotoxin (a toxin harmful for both human or livestock consumption). As this gene is expressed during the very early asymptomatic stage of infection it also provides novel insight on genes necessary for early fungal establishment in the host. |
| Sectors | Agriculture, Food and Drink,Chemicals |