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The Medicago truncatula–Mycosphaerella pinodes interaction: a new pathosystem for dissecting fungal-suppressor-mediated disease susceptibility in plants

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Abstract

A model pathosystem involving Mycosphaerella pinodes, causal agent of Mycosphaerella blight on pea and barrel medic(k) Medicago truncatula has been developed. Nineteen M. truncatula ecotypes were evaluated for disease susceptibility to M. pinodes strain OMP-1, using detached leaves inoculated with a pycnospore suspension. Inoculation of ecotype R108-1 with the pycnospores allowed direct penetration into the host’s epidermal cells, eventually causing leaf spots. Since pycnidia formed abundantly in infected tissues by 3 days post inoculation, M. pinodes is considered to have completed its infection cycle as on a natural host plant. Expression of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL)-, chalcone synthase (CHS)- and isoflavone reductase (IFR) mRNAs as well as subsequent accumulation of a major phytoalexin, medicarpin, was induced in ecotype R108-1 with an elicitor preparation from M. pinodes, whereas this phytoalexin response was markedly attenuated by supprescins from the same fungus. A transcriptional study of a salicylic acid (SA)-regulated gene encoding pathogenesis-related protein 10-1 (PR10-1) indicated that the suppressor likely interferes with the signal transduction process leading to inducible defenses in M. truncatula. Indeed, the suppressor rendered the host tissues (ecotype R108-1) susceptible to unrelated nonpathogenic fungi, probably through targeting ATPase activity of the host cells. Accordingly, the resistant and susceptible response of pea can be recapitulated in M. truncatula. This model pathosystem thus will allow us to verify the molecular basis underlying the fungal suppressor-mediated plant susceptibility.

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Acknowledgments

We gratefully acknowledge the late Prof. Dr. A. Kondorosi (Institut des Sciences Vegetales, Centre National de la Rescherche Scientifique, Gif-sur-Yvette, CEDEX France), Prof. Dr. M. J. Harrison (Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research, Cornell University, Tower Road Ithaca, NY, USA), Dr. J.M. Prosperi (Institut National de la Rescherche Agronomique, Centre de Montpellier, France) and Dr. R. Jonson (National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, USDA, ARS, Beltsville, MD, USA) for giving us M. truncatula seeds of the core collection accessions. This research was supported in part by the Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research (No. 22580051) from the Japan Society for Promotion of Science (JSPS).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Plant Pathology and Genetic Engineering, Graduate School of Environmental and Life Science, Okayama University, 1-1-1 Tsushima-naka, Kita-ku, Okayama, 700-8530, Japan

    Kazuhiro Toyoda, Satoko Ikeda, Jun-ichi Morikawa, Masaya Hirose, Aya Maeda, Tomoko Suzuki, Yoshishige Inagaki, Yuki Ichinose & Tomonori Shiraishi

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  1. Kazuhiro Toyoda
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  2. Satoko Ikeda
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  3. Jun-ichi Morikawa
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  4. Masaya Hirose
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  5. Aya Maeda
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  6. Tomoko Suzuki
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  7. Yoshishige Inagaki
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  9. Tomonori Shiraishi
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Correspondence to Kazuhiro Toyoda.

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Toyoda, K., Ikeda, S., Morikawa, Ji. et al. The Medicago truncatula–Mycosphaerella pinodes interaction: a new pathosystem for dissecting fungal-suppressor-mediated disease susceptibility in plants. J Gen Plant Pathol 79, 1–11 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10327-012-0405-7

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