Journal of Biotechnology & Biomaterials
Open Access

Abstract

Witches broom disease (WBD), caused by the hemibiotrophic fungus Moniliophthora perniciosa, is one of the most devastating diseases of Theobroma cacao, the chocolate tree. In contrast to other hemibiotrophic interactions, the WBD biotrophic stage lasts for months and is responsible for the most distinctive symptoms of the disease, which comprise drastic morphological changes in the infected shoots. Here, we used the dual RNA-seq approach to simultaneously assess the transcriptomes of cacao and M. perniciosa during their peculiar biotrophic interaction. Infection with M. perniciosa triggers massive metabolic reprogramming in the diseased tissues. Although apparently vigorous, the infected shoots are energetically expensive structures characterized by the induction of ineffective defense responses and by a clear carbon deprivation signature. Remarkably, the infection culminates in the establishment of a senescence process in the host, which signals the end of the WBD biotrophic stage. Thus, M. perniciosa biotrophic mycelia develop as long-term parasites that orchestrate changes in plant metabolism to increase the availability of soluble nutrients before plant death. Collectively, our results provide unprecedented findings on an intriguing tropical disease and advance our understanding of the development of biotrophic plant-pathogen interactions.

Biography

Daniela Paula de Toledo Thomazella started her Ph.D. in the Brazilian graduate course in Genetics. Her work resulted in a high quality manuscript, published in the journal New Phytologist (10.1111/j.1469-8137.2012.04119.x). Also, this study resulted in a patent application and was divulgated by several Brazilian newspapers and by the prestigious newspaper Financial Times. Currently, Daniela is a postdoctoral researcher in Genetics and Molecular Biology at the State University of Campinas (Brazil). Her research project focuses on comparative genomics and transcriptomics of the Moniliophthora pathogens of cacao with the goal of understanding the molecular basis of their peculiar biology and infective strategies.