Moniliophthora perniciosa, the causal agent of witches' broom disease of cacao, interferes with cytokinin metabolism during infection of Micro-Tom tomato and promotes symptom development.

Publisher: Wiley on behalf of New Phytologist Trust Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 9882884 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1469-8137 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 0028646X NLM ISO Abbreviation: New Phytol Subsets: MEDLINE

Publication: Oxford : Wiley on behalf of New Phytologist Trust
Original Publication: London, New York [etc.] Academic Press.

Agaricales* ; Cacao* ; Solanum lycopersicum*/genetics; Cytokinins ; Phytoplasma Disease ; Plant Diseases

Moniliophthora perniciosa causes witches' broom disease of cacao and inflicts symptoms suggestive of hormonal imbalance. We investigated whether infection of the tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) model system Micro-Tom (MT) by the Solanaceae (S)-biotype of Moniliophthora perniciosa, which causes stem swelling and hypertrophic growth of axillary shoots, results from changes in host cytokinin metabolism. Inoculation of an MT-transgenic line that overexpresses the Arabidopsis CYTOKININ OXIDASE-2 gene (35S::AtCKX2) resulted in a reduction in disease incidence and stem diameter. RNA-sequencing analysis of infected MT and 35S::AtCKX2 revealed the activation of cytokinin-responsive marker genes when symptoms were conspicuous. The expression of an Moniliophthora perniciosa tRNA-ISOPENTENYL-TRANSFERASE suggests the production of isopentenyladenine (iP), detected in mycelia grown in vitro. Inoculated MT stems showed higher levels of dihydrozeatin and trans-zeatin but not iP. The application of benzyladenine induced symptoms similar to infection, whereas applying the cytokinin receptor inhibitors LGR-991 and PI55 decreased symptoms. Moniliophthora perniciosa produces iP that might contribute to cytokinin synthesis by the host, which results in vascular and cortex enlargement, axillary shoot outgrowth, reduction in root biomass and an increase in fruit locule number. This strategy may be associated with the manipulation of sink establishment to favour infection by the fungus.
(© 2021 The Authors New Phytologist © 2021 New Phytologist Foundation.)

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Keywords: M82; Micro-Tom; cytokinin inhibitor; cytokinin oxidase; fruit locule number; hormonal imbalance; tRNA-isopentenyl transferase; witches' broom disease

0 (Cytokinins)

Moniliophthora perniciosa

Date Created: 20210407 Date Completed: 20210610 Latest Revision: 20221207

20240104

10.1111/nph.17386

33826751