The fungus Acremonium alternatum enhances salt stress tolerance by regulating host redox homeostasis and phytohormone signaling.

While endophytic fungi offer promising avenues for bolstering plant resilience against abiotic stressors, the molecular mechanisms behind this biofortification remain largely unknown. This study employed a multifaceted approach, combining plant physiology, proteomic, metabolomic, and targeted hormonal analyses to illuminate the early response of Brassica napus to Acremonium alternatum during the nascent stages of their interaction. Notably, under optimal growth conditions, the initial reaction to fungus was relatively subtle, with no visible alterations in plant phenotype and only minor impacts on the proteome and metabolome. Interestingly, the identified proteins associated with the Acremonium response included TUDOR 1, Annexin D4, and a plastidic K+ efflux antiporter, hinting at potential processes that could counter abiotic stressors, particularly salt stress. Subsequent experiments validated this hypothesis, showcasing significantly enhanced growth in Acremonium-inoculated plants under salt stress. Molecular analyses revealed a profound impact on the plant's proteome, with over 50% of salt stress response proteins remaining unaffected in inoculated plants. Acremonium modulated ribosomal proteins, increased abundance of photosynthetic proteins, enhanced ROS metabolism, accumulation of V-ATPase, altered abundances of various metabolic enzymes, and possibly promoted abscisic acid signaling. Subsequent analyses validated the accumulation of this hormone and its enhanced signaling. Collectively, these findings indicate that Acremonium promotes salt tolerance by orchestrating abscisic acid signaling, priming the plant's antioxidant system, as evidenced by the accumulation of ROS-scavenging metabolites and alterations in ROS metabolism, leading to lowered ROS levels and enhanced photosynthesis. Additionally, it modulates ion sequestration through V-ATPase accumulation, potentially contributing to the observed decrease in chloride content.

Adjustments of the Phytochemical Profile of Broccoli to Low and High Growing Temperatures: Implications for the Bioactivity of Its Extracts.

Climate change causes shifts in temperature patterns, and plants adapt their chemical content in order to survive. We compared the effect of low (LT) and high (HT) growing temperatures on the phytochemical content of broccoli (Brassica oleracea L. convar. botrytis (L.) Alef. var. cymosa Duch.) microgreens and the bioactivity of their extracts. Using different spectrophotometric, LC-MS/MS, GC-MS, and statistical methods, we found that LT increased the total phenolics and tannins in broccoli. The total glucosinolates were also increased by LT; however, they were decreased by HT. Soluble sugars, known osmoprotectants, were increased by both types of stress, considerably more by HT than LT, suggesting that HT causes a more intense osmotic imbalance. Both temperatures were detrimental for chlorophyll, with HT being more impactful than LT. HT increased hormone indole-3-acetic acid, implying an important role in broccoli's defense. Ferulic and sinapic acid showed a trade-off scheme: HT increased ferulic while LT increased sinapic acid. Both stresses decreased the potential of broccoli to act against H2O2 damage in mouse embryonal fibroblasts (MEF), human keratinocytes, and liver cancer cells. Among the tested cell types treated by H2O2, the most significant reduction in ROS (36.61%) was recorded in MEF cells treated with RT extracts. The potential of broccoli extracts to inhibit α-amylase increased following both temperature stresses; however, the inhibition of pancreatic lipase was increased by LT only. From the perspective of nutritional value, and based on the obtained results, we conclude that LT conditions result in more nutritious broccoli microgreens than HT.

Production of Plant Proteins and Peptides with Pharmacological Potential.

The use of plant proteins or peptides in biotechnology is based on their identification as possessing bioactive potential in plants. This is usually the case for antimicrobial, fungicidal, or insecticidal components of the plant's defense system. They function in addition to a large number of specialized metabolites. Such proteins can be classified according to their sequence, length, and structure, and this has been tried to describe for a few examples here. Even though such proteins or peptides can be induced during plant-pathogen interaction, they are still present in rather small amounts that make the system not suitable for the production in large-scale systems. Therefore, a suitable type of host needs to be identified, such as cell cultures or adult plants. Bioinformatic predictions can also be used to add to the number of bioactive sequences. Some problems that can occur in production by the plant system itself will be discussed, such as choice of promoter for gene expression, posttranslational protein modifications, protein stability, secretion of proteins, or induction by elicitors. Finally, the plant needs to be set up by biotechnological or molecular methods for production, and the product needs to be enriched or purified. In some cases of small peptides, a direct chemical synthesis might be feasible. Altogether, the process needs to be considered marketable.

Flavescence Dorée Strain-Specific Impact on Phenolic Metabolism Dynamics in Grapevine (Vitis vinifera) throughout the Development of Phytoplasma Infection.

Flavescence dorée phytoplasma (FDp) is a phytopathogenic bacterium associated with Grapevine yellowS disease, which causes heavy damage to viticultural production. Epidemiological data revealed that some FDp strains appear to be more widespread and aggressive. However, there is no data on mechanisms underlying the variable pathogenicity among strains. In this research, we employed chromatographic and spectrophotometric techniques to assess how two strains of FDp influence the levels of grapevine phenolic compounds, which are frequently utilized as indicative markers of stress conditions. The results pointed to the upregulation of all branches of phenolic metabolism through the development of infection, correlating with the increase in antioxidative capacity. The more aggressive strain M54 induced stronger downregulation of phenolics' accumulation at the beginning and higher upregulation by the end of the season than the less aggressive M38 strain. These findings reveal potential targets of FDp effectors and provide the first functional demonstration of variable pathogenicity between FDp strains, suggesting the need for future comparative genomic analyses of FDp strains as an important factor in exploring the management possibilities of FDp.

Testing Effects of Seed Treatments against Clubroot Disease in Various Oilseed Rape Hybrids.

Clubroot disease, caused by the protist pathogen Plasmodiophora brassicae, is an emerging threat to cruciferous crops, including oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.). Most of the current commercial cultivars are highly susceptible, and efficient management tools are lacking practical implementation. Over three years and three experimental periods, we studied the effects of isotianil in comparison with Bacillus amyloliquefaciens QST713-HiCFU against clubroot disease under greenhouse experiments. Our results show control effects, which were strongly dependent on seasons, host plant genotype, and clubroot isolates: isotianil and B. amyloliquefaciens QST713-HiCFU reduced disease severity consistently at variable, but field-relevant spore concentrations of clubroot isolates; with seed treatments showing superior effects compared to drench applications. The co-application of isotianil with B. amyloliquefaciens QST713-HiCFU could, in some cases, increase the efficacy. Interestingly, all studied hybrids reacted to treatments, albeit to a somewhat different extent. When tested against a field isolate, the results obtained with the single spore isolate were partially confirmed but with greater variability. Overall, the generally positive effects of isotianil and B. amyloliquefaciens QST713-HiCFU on the reduction of clubroot were repeatedly observed. The inoculation of clubroot disease with different spore counts indicates a dose-response effect for tested products. This study highlights the importance of performing experiments holistically over multiple, consecutive seasons, with various isolates, application types, and different genetic resources of host plants.

The Root-Colonizing Endophyte Piriformospora indica Supports Nitrogen-Starved Arabidopsis thaliana Seedlings with Nitrogen Metabolites.

The root-colonizing endophytic fungus Piriformospora indica promotes the root and shoot growth of its host plants. We show that the growth promotion of Arabidopsis thaliana leaves is abolished when the seedlings are grown on media with nitrogen (N) limitation. The fungus neither stimulated the total N content nor did it promote 15NO3- uptake from agar plates to the leaves of the host under N-sufficient or N-limiting conditions. However, when the roots were co-cultivated with 15N-labelled P. indica, more labels were detected in the leaves of N-starved host plants but not in plants supplied with sufficient N. Amino acid and primary metabolite profiles, as well as the expression analyses of N metabolite transporter genes suggest that the fungus alleviates the adaptation of its host from the N limitation condition. P. indica alters the expression of transporter genes, which participate in the relocation of NO3-, NH4+ and N metabolites from the roots to the leaves under N limitation. We propose that P. indica participates in the plant's metabolomic adaptation against N limitation by delivering reduced N metabolites to the host, thus alleviating metabolic N starvation responses and reprogramming the expression of N metabolism-related genes.

The multifaceted roles of R2R3 transcription factor HlMYB7 in the regulation of flavonoid and bitter acids biosynthesis, development and biotic stress tolerance in hop (Humulus lupulus L.).

Hop (Humulus lupulus) biosynthesizes the highly economically valuable secondary metabolites, which include flavonoids, bitter acids, polyphenols and essential oils. These compounds have important pharmacological properties and are widely implicated in the brewing industry owing to bittering flavor, floral aroma and preservative activity. Our previous studies documented that ternary MYB-bHLH-WD40 (MBW) and binary WRKY1-WD40 (WW) protein complexes transcriptionally regulate the accumulation of bitter acid (BA) and prenylflavonoids (PF). In the present study, we investigated the regulatory functions of the R2R3-MYB repressor HlMYB7 transcription factor, which contains a conserved N-terminal domain along with the repressive motif EAR, in regulating the PF- and BA-biosynthetic pathway and their accumulation in hop. Constitutive expression of HlMYB7 resulted in transcriptional repression of structural genes involved in the terminal steps of biosynthesis of PF and BA, as well as stunted growth, delayed flowering, and reduced tolerance to viroid infection in hop. Furthermore, yeast two-hybrid and transient reporter assays revealed that HlMYB7 targets both PF and BA pathway genes and suppresses MBW and WW protein complexes. Heterologous expression of HlMYB7 leads to down-regulation of structural genes of flavonoid pathway in Arabidopsis thaliana, including a decrease in anthocyanin content in Nicotiana tabacum. The combined results from functional and transcriptomic analyses highlight the important role of HlMYB7 in fine-tuning and balancing the accumulation of secondary metabolites at the transcriptional level, thus offer a plausible target for metabolic engineering in hop.

Growth and Molecular Responses of Tomato to Prolonged and Short-Term Heat Exposure.

Tomatoes are one of the most important vegetables for human consumption. In the Mediterranean's semi-arid and arid regions, where tomatoes are grown in the field, global average surface temperatures are predicted to increase. We investigated tomato seed germination at elevated temperatures and the impact of two different heat regimes on seedlings and adult plants. Selected exposures to 37 °C and heat waves at 45 °C mirrored frequent summer conditions in areas with a continental climate. Exposure to 37 °C or 45 °C differently affected seedlings' root development. Both heat stresses inhibited primary root length, while lateral root number was significantly suppressed only after exposure to 37 °C. Heat stress treatments induced significant accumulation of indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and reduced abscisic acid (ABA) levels in seedlings. As opposed to the heat wave treatment, exposure to 37 °C increased the accumulation of the ethylene precursor 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC), which may have been involved in the root architecture modification of seedlings. Generally, more drastic phenotypic changes (chlorosis and wilting of leaves and bending of stems) were found in both seedlings and adult plants after the heat wave-like treatment. This was also reflected by proline, malondialdehyde and heat shock protein HSP90 accumulation. The gene expression of heat stress-related transcription factors was perturbed and DREB1 was shown to be the most consistent heat stress marker.

An Individualized, Less-Invasive Surgical Approach Algorithm Improves Outcome in Elderly Patients Undergoing Mitral Valve Surgery.

BACKGROUND: For mitral valve surgery (MVS) in elderly, frail patients with increasing life expectancy, finding the least harmful means of access is a challenge. In the complexity of MVS approach evolution, using three different approaches (mini-thoracotomy (MT), partial upper-sternotomy (PS), full-sternotomy (FS), we developed a personalized, minimized-invasiveness algorithm for MVS. METHODS: In this retrospective analysis, 517 elderly patients (≥70 years) were identified who had undergone MVS ± TV repair. MVS was performed via MT (n = 274), FS (n = 128) and PS (n = 115). The appropriate access type was defined according to several clinical patient conditions. Using uni- and multivariate regression models, we analyzed combined operative success (residual MV regurgitation, conversion to MV replacement or larger thoracic incisions); perioperative success (30-days mortality, thoracotomy, ECMO, pacemaker implantation, dialysis, longer ventilation); and reoperation-free long-term survival. An additional EuroSCORE2 adjustment was performed to reduce the bias of clinical conditions between all access types. RESULTS: The EuroSCORE2-adjusted Cox regression analysis showed significantly increased reoperation-free survival in the MT cohort compared to FS (HR 0.640; 95% CI 0.442-0.926; p = 0.018). Mortality was additionally reduced after the implementation of PS (p = 0.023). Combined operative success was comparable between the three access types. The perioperative success was higher in the MT cohort compared to FS (OR 2.19, 95% CI 1.32-3.63; p = 0.002). CONCLUSION: Less-invasive approaches in elderly patients improve perioperative success and reoperation-free survival in those undergoing MVS procedures.

Auxin Crosstalk with Reactive Oxygen and Nitrogen Species in Plant Development and Abiotic Stress.

The phytohormone auxin acts as an important signaling molecule having regulatory functions during the growth and development of plants. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are also known to perform signaling functions at low concentrations; however, over-accumulation of ROS due to various environmental stresses damages the biomolecules and cell structures and leads to cell death, and therefore, it can be said that ROS act as a double-edged sword. Nitric oxide (NO), a gaseous signaling molecule, performs a wide range of favorable roles in plants. NO displays its positive role in photomorphogenesis, root growth, leaf expansion, seed germination, stomatal closure, senescence, fruit maturation, mitochondrial activity and metabolism of iron. Studies have revealed the early existence of these crucial molecules during evolution. Moreover, auxin, ROS and NO together show their involvement in various developmental processes and abiotic stress tolerance. Redox signaling is a primary response during exposure of plants to stresses and shows a link with auxin signaling. This review provides updated information related to crosstalk between auxin, ROS and NO starting from their evolution during early Earth periods and their interaction in plant growth and developmental processes as well as in the case of abiotic stresses to plants.

Application of Long-Chained Auxin Conjugates Influenced Auxin Metabolism and Transcriptome Response in Brassica rapa L. ssp. pekinensis.

Auxin amino acid conjugates are considered to be storage forms of auxins. Previous research has shown that indole-3-acetyl-L-alanine (IAA-Ala), indole-3-propionyl-L-alanine (IPA-Ala) and indole-3-butyryl-L-alanine (IBA-Ala) affect the root growth of Brassica rapa seedlings. To elucidate the potential mechanism of action of the conjugates, we treated B. rapa seedlings with 0.01 mM IAA-, IPA- and IBA-Ala and investigated their effects on the auxin metabolome and transcriptome. IBA-Ala and IPA-Ala caused a significant inhibition of root growth and a decrease in free IAA compared to the control and IAA-Ala treatments. The identification of free auxins IBA and IPA after feeding experiments with IBA-Ala and IPA-Ala, respectively, confirms their hydrolysis in vivo and indicates active auxins responsible for a stronger inhibition of root growth. IBA-Ala caused the induction of most DEGs (807) compared to IPA-Ala (417) and IAA-Ala (371). All treatments caused similar trends in transcription profile changes when compared to control treatments. The majority of auxin-related DEGs were found after IBA-Ala treatment, followed by IPA-Ala and IAA-Ala, which is consistent with the apparent root morphology. In addition to most YUC genes, which showed a tendency to be downregulated, transcripts of auxin-related DEGs that were identified (UGT74E2, GH3.2, SAUR, IAA2, etc.) were more highly expressed after all treatments. Our results are consistent with the hypothesis that the hydrolysis of conjugates and the release of free auxins are responsible for the effects of conjugate treatments. In conclusion, free auxins released by the hydrolysis of all auxin conjugates applied affect gene regulation, auxin homeostasis and ultimately root growth inhibition.

The calcium sensor CBL7 is required for Serendipita indica-induced growth stimulation in Arabidopsis thaliana, controlling defense against the endophyte and K+ homoeostasis in the symbiosis.

Calcium is an important second messenger in plants. The activation of Ca2+ signalling cascades is critical in the activation of adaptive processes in response to environmental stimuli. Root colonization by the growth promoting endophyte Serendipita indica involves the increase of cytosolic Ca2+ levels in Arabidopsis thaliana. Here, we investigated transcriptional changes in Arabidopsis roots during symbiosis with S. indica. RNA-seq profiling disclosed the induction of Calcineurin B-like 7 (CBL7) during early and later phases of the interaction. Consistently, reverse genetic evidence highlighted the functional relevance of CBL7 and tested the involvement of a CBL7-CBL-interacting protein kinase 13 signalling pathway. The loss-of-function of CBL7 abolished the growth promoting effect and affected root colonization. The transcriptomics analysis of cbl7 revealed the involvement of this Ca2+ sensor in activating plant defense responses. Furthermore, we report on the contribution of CBL7 to potassium transport in Arabidopsis. We analysed K+ contents in wild-type and cbl7 plants and observed a significant increase of K+ in roots of cbl7 plants, while shoot tissues demonstrated K+ depletion. Taken together, our work associates CBL7 with an important role in the mutual interaction between Arabidopsis and S. indica and links CBL7 to K+ transport.

The Indole-3-Acetamide-Induced Arabidopsis Transcription Factor MYB74 Decreases Plant Growth and Contributes to the Control of Osmotic Stress Responses.

The accumulation of the auxin precursor indole-3-acetamide (IAM) in the ami1 mutant has recently been reported to reduce plant growth and to trigger abiotic stress responses in Arabidopsis thaliana. The observed response includes the induction of abscisic acid (ABA) biosynthesis through the promotion of NCED3 expression. The mechanism by which plant growth is limited, however, remained largely unclear. Here, we investigated the transcriptional responses evoked by the exogenous application of IAM using comprehensive RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) and reverse genetics approaches. The RNA-seq results highlighted the induction of a small number of genes, including the R2R3 MYB transcription factor genes MYB74 and MYB102. The two MYB factors are known to respond to various stress cues and to ABA. Consistent with a role as negative plant growth regulator, conditional MYB74 overexpressor lines showed a considerable growth reduction. RNA-seq analysis of MYB74 mutants indicated an association of MYB74 with responses to osmotic stress, water deprivation, and seed development, which further linked MYB74 with the observed ami1 osmotic stress and seed phenotype. Collectively, our findings point toward a role for MYB74 in plant growth control and in responses to abiotic stress stimuli.

What Can We Learn from -Omics Approaches to Understand Clubroot Disease?

Clubroot is one of the most economically significant diseases worldwide. As a result, many investigations focus on both curing the disease and in-depth molecular studies. Although the first transcriptome dataset for the clubroot disease describing the clubroot disease was published in 2006, many different pathogen-host plant combinations have only recently been investigated and published. Articles presenting -omics data and the clubroot pathogen Plasmodiophora brassicae as well as different host plants were analyzed to summarize the findings in the richness of these datasets. Although genome data for the protist have only recently become available, many effector candidates have been identified, but their functional characterization is incomplete. A better understanding of the life cycle is clearly required to comprehend its function. While only a few proteome studies and metabolome analyses were performed, the majority of studies used microarrays and RNAseq approaches to study transcriptomes. Metabolites, comprising chemical groups like hormones were generally studied in a more targeted manner. Furthermore, functional approaches based on such datasets have been carried out employing mutants, transgenic lines, or ecotypes/cultivars of either Arabidopsis thaliana or other economically important host plants of the Brassica family. This has led to new discoveries of potential genes involved in disease development or in (partial) resistance or tolerance to P. brassicae. The overall contribution of individual experimental setups to a larger picture will be discussed in this review.

The Endophytic Fungus Cyanodermella asteris Influences Growth of the Nonnatural Host Plant Arabidopsis thaliana.

Cyanodermella asteris is a fungal endophyte from Aster tataricus, a perennial plant from the northern part of Asia. Here, we demonstrated an interaction of C. asteris with Arabidopsis thaliana, Chinese cabbage, rapeseed, tomato, maize, or sunflower resulting in different phenotypes such as shorter main roots, massive lateral root growth, higher leaf and root biomass, and increased anthocyanin levels. In a variety of cocultivation assays, it was shown that these altered phenotypes are caused by fungal CO2, volatile organic compounds, and soluble compounds, notably astins. Astins A, C, and G induced plant growth when they were individually included in the medium. In return, A. thaliana stimulates the fungal astin C production during cocultivation. Taken together, our results indicate a bilateral interaction between the fungus and the plant. A stress response in plants is induced by fungal metabolites while plant stress hormones induced astin C production of the fungus. Interestingly, our results not only show unidirectional influence of the fungus on the plant but also vice versa. The plant is able to influence growth and secondary metabolite production in the endophyte, even when both organisms do not live in close contact, suggesting the involvement of volatile compounds.[Formula: see text] Copyright © 2021 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license.

Computational Applications in Secondary Metabolite Discovery (CAiSMD): an online workshop.

We report the major conclusions of the online open-access workshop "Computational Applications in Secondary Metabolite Discovery (CAiSMD)" that took place from 08 to 10 March 2021. Invited speakers from academia and industry and about 200 registered participants from five continents (Africa, Asia, Europe, South America, and North America) took part in the workshop. The workshop highlighted the potential applications of computational methodologies in the search for secondary metabolites (SMs) or natural products (NPs) as potential drugs and drug leads. During 3 days, the participants of this online workshop received an overview of modern computer-based approaches for exploring NP discovery in the "omics" age. The invited experts gave keynote lectures, trained participants in hands-on sessions, and held round table discussions. This was followed by oral presentations with much interaction between the speakers and the audience. Selected applicants (early-career scientists) were offered the opportunity to give oral presentations (15 min) and present posters in the form of flash presentations (5 min) upon submission of an abstract. The final program available on the workshop website ( https://caismd.indiayouth.info/ ) comprised of 4 keynote lectures (KLs), 12 oral presentations (OPs), 2 round table discussions (RTDs), and 5 hands-on sessions (HSs). This meeting report also references internet resources for computational biology in the area of secondary metabolites that are of use outside of the workshop areas and will constitute a long-term valuable source for the community. The workshop concluded with an online survey form to be completed by speakers and participants for the goal of improving any subsequent editions.

Physcomitrium patens Mutants in Auxin Conjugating GH3 Proteins Show Salt Stress Tolerance but Auxin Homeostasis Is Not Involved in Regulation of Oxidative Stress Factors.

Salt stress is among the most challenging abiotic stress situations that a plant can experience. High salt levels do not only occur in areas with obvious salty water, but also during drought periods where salt accumulates in the soil. The moss Physcomitrium patens became a model for studying abiotic stress in non-vascular plants. Here, we show that high salt concentrations can be tolerated in vitro, and that auxin homeostasis is connected to the performance of P. patens under these stress conditions. The auxin levels can be regulated by conjugating IAA to amino acids by two members of the family of GH3 protein auxin amino acid-synthetases that are present in P. patens. Double GH3 gene knock-out mutants were more tolerant to high salt concentrations. Furthermore, free IAA levels were differentially altered during the time points investigated. Since, among the mutant lines, an increase in IAA on at least one NaCl concentration tested was observed, we treated wild type (WT) plants concomitantly with NaCl and IAA. This experiment showed that the salt tolerance to 100 mM NaCl together with 1 and 10 µM IAA was enhanced during the earlier time points. This is an additional indication that the high IAA levels in the double GH3-KO lines could be responsible for survival in high salt conditions. While the high salt concentrations induced several selected stress metabolites including phenols, flavonoids, and enzymes such as peroxidase and superoxide dismutase, the GH3-KO genotype did not generally participate in this upregulation. While we showed that the GH3 double KO mutants were more tolerant of high (250 mM) NaCl concentrations, the altered auxin homeostasis was not directly involved in the upregulation of stress metabolites.

Two Auxinic Herbicides Affect Brassica napus Plant Hormone Levels and Induce Molecular Changes in Transcription.

With the introduction of the new auxinic herbicide halauxifen-methyl into the oilseed rape (Brassica napus) market, there is a need to understand how this new molecule interacts with indigenous plant hormones (e.g., IAA) in terms of crop response. The aim of this study was to investigate the molecular background by using different growth conditions under which three different auxinic herbicides were administered. These were halauxifen-methyl (Hal), alone and together with aminopyralid (AP) as well as picloram (Pic). Three different hormone classes were determined, free and conjugated indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), aminocyclopropane carboxylic acid (ACC) as a precursor for ethylene, and abscisic acid (ABA) at two different temperatures and growth stages as well as over time (2-168 h after treatment). At 15 °C growth temperature, the effect was more pronounced than at 9 °C, and generally, the younger leaves independent of the developmental stage showed a larger effect on the alterations of hormones. IAA and ACC showed reproducible alterations after auxinic herbicide treatments over time, while ABA did not. Finally, a transcriptome analysis after treatment with two auxinic herbicides, Hal and Pic, showed different expression patterns. Hal treatment leads to the upregulation of auxin and hormone responses at 48 h and 96 h. Pic treatment induced the hormone/auxin response already after 2 h, and this continued for the other time points. The more detailed analysis of the auxin response in the datasets indicate a role for GH3 genes and genes encoding auxin efflux proteins. The upregulation of the GH3 genes correlates with the increase in conjugated IAA at the same time points and treatments. Also, genes for were found that confirm the upregulation of the ethylene pathway.

Indole-3-Acetic Acid Is Synthesized by the Endophyte Cyanodermella asteris via a Tryptophan-Dependent and -Independent Way and Mediates the Interaction with a Non-Host Plant.

The plant hormone indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) is one of the main signals playing a role in the communication between host and endophytes. Endophytes can synthesize IAA de novo to influence the IAA homeostasis in plants. Although much is known about IAA biosynthesis in microorganisms, there is still less known about the pathway by which IAA is synthesized in fungal endophytes. The aim of this study is to examine a possible IAA biosynthesis pathway in Cyanodermella asteris. In vitro cultures of C. asteris were incubated with the IAA precursors tryptophan (Trp) and indole, as well as possible intermediates, and they were additionally treated with IAA biosynthesis inhibitors (2-mercaptobenzimidazole and yucasin DF) to elucidate possible IAA biosynthesis pathways. It was shown that (a) C. asteris synthesized IAA without adding precursors; (b) indole-3-acetonitrile (IAN), indole-3-acetamide (IAM), and indole-3-acetaldehyde (IAD) increased IAA biosynthesis; and (c) C. asteris synthesized IAA also by a Trp-independent pathway. Together with the genome information of C. asteris, the possible IAA biosynthesis pathways found can improve the understanding of IAA biosynthesis in fungal endophytes. The uptake of fungal IAA into Arabidopsis thaliana is necessary for the induction of lateral roots and other fungus-related growth phenotypes, since the application of the influx inhibitor 2-naphthoxyacetic acid (NOA) but not the efflux inhibitor N-1-naphtylphthalamic acid (NPA) were altering these parameters. In addition, the root phenotype of the mutation in an influx carrier, aux1, was partially rescued by C. asteris.