Research article - Peer-reviewed, 2021
Insights into the multitrophic interactions between the biocontrol agent Bacillus subtilis MBI 600, the pathogen Botrytis cinerea and their plant host
Samaras, Anastasios; Karaoglanidis, George S.; Tzelepis, GeorgiosAbstract
Botrytis cinerea is a plant pathogen causing the gray mold disease in a plethora of host plants. The control of the disease is based mostly on chemical pesticides, which are responsible for environmental pollution, while they also pose risks for human health. Furthermore, B. cinerea resistant isolates have been identified against many fungicide groups, making the control of this disease challenging. The application of biocontrol agents can be a possible solution, but requires deep understanding of the molecular mechanisms in order to be effective. In this study, we investigated the multitrophic interactions between the biocontrol agent Bacillus subtilis MBI 600, a new commercialized biopesticide, the pathogen B. cinerea and their plant host. Our analysis showed that this biocontrol agent reduced B. cinerea mycelial growth in vitro, and was able to suppress the disease incidence on cucumber plants. Moreover, treatment with B. subtilis led to induction of genes involved in plant immunity. RNAseq analysis of B. cinerea transcriptome upon exposure to bacterial secretome, showed that genes coding for MFS and ABC transporters were highly induced. Deletion of the Bcmfs1 MFS transporter gene, using a CRISP/Cas9 editing method, affected its virulence and the tolerance of B. cinerea to bacterial secondary metabolites. These findings suggest that specific detoxification transporters are involved in these interactions, with crucial role in different aspects of B. cinerea physiology.Keywords
ABC transporters; Biocontrol; Fungal-bacterial interactions; MFS transportersPublished in
Microbiological Research2021, volume: 248, article number: 126752
Publisher: ELSEVIER GMBH
Authors' information
Samaras, Anastasios
Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
Karaoglanidis, George S.
Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Forest Mycology and Plant Pathology
UKÄ Subject classification
Microbiology
Publication Identifiers
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.micres.2021.126752
URI (permanent link to this page)
https://res.slu.se/id/publ/112084