Applied and Environmental Microbiology (2022) 88 (18 - e00882-22)

Adrián González-Guzmán, María-Dolores Rey, Emilie Froussart and Enrique Quesada-Moraga (2022)
Elucidating the effect of endophytic entomopathogenic fungi on bread wheat growth through signaling of immune response-related hormones
Applied and Environmental Microbiology 88 (18 - e00882-22)
Abstract: Entomopathogenic fungi (EF) provide a potent biocontrol tool; also, their endophytic behavior has broadened their contribution to integrated pest management (IPM) and crop production. In this work, Beauveria bassiana and Metarhizium brunneum were applied to bread wheat (Triticum aestivum) seedlings to elucidate how fungal colonization influences plant growth and the relative expression of 24 genes involved in hormonal syntheses and plant immune mechanisms. A preliminary assay was used to determine the time needed for fungal colonization and assess its effect on wheat growth. Then, plant material collected at various times after inoculation (viz., 2, 8, 20, and 36 h and 9 and 15 days) was used to investigate gene expression by quantitative reverse transcription PCR (RT-qPCR). During the colonization time, B. bassiana and M. brunneum caused strong downregulation of most genes associated with plant immunity and the synthesis of hormones like auxin, cytokinin, and gibberellin. This effect was concomitant with a slowdown of endophytic-colonization-related plant growth until 19 days postinoculation (dpi). However, the wheat started to recover at 15 dpi, simultaneously with upregulation of auxin- and gibberellin-related genes. The results suggest that the EF trigger induced systemic resistance rather than acquired systemic resistance during early plant-microbe cross talk in wheat. Also, they confirm that the hormone and immune responses of wheat triggered by EF inoculation influenced plant growth, which can be useful with a view to optimizing management of these microorganisms for sustainable agriculture.
(The abstract is excluded from the Creative Commons licence and has been copied with permission by the publisher.)
Link to article at publishers website
Database assignments for author(s): Enrique Quesada-Moraga

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
resistance/tolerance/defence of host
biocontrol - natural enemies
Research topic(s) for beneficials or antagonists:
general biology - morphology - evolution

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
Beauveria bassiana (entomopathogen)
Metarhizium brunneum (entomopathogen)