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Metabolic arms race between a plant and a fungal pathogen

Liu, Y.; Mahdi, L.; Porzel, A.; Stark, P.; Esposto, D.; Scherr-Henning, A.; Bathe, U.; Acosta, I. F.; Zuccaro, A.; Balcke, G. U.; Tissier, A. F.

2023-07-29 plant biology
10.1101/2023.07.29.551000 bioRxiv
Show abstract

In this work, we uncover a metabolite interaction between barley and the fungal pathogen Bipolaris sorokiniana (Bs), involving hordedanes, a previously undescribed set of labdane-related diterpenoids with antimicrobial properties. Bs infection of barley roots elicits hordedane synthesis from a 600-kb gene cluster. Heterologous reconstruction of the synthesis pathway in yeast produced several hordedanes, including one of the most advanced products 19-b-hydroxy-hordetrienoic acid (19-OH-HTA). Barley mutants in the diterpene synthase genes of the cluster are unable to produce hordedanes but, unexpectedly, show reduced Bs colonization. Accordingly, 19-OH-HTA enhances both germination and growth of Bs, while it inhibits other fungi, and Bs chemically modifies 19-OH-HTA. Thus, plant and pathogen molecular interactions extend beyond protein-protein recognition and the simple detoxification of plant antimicrobial metabolites. One-Sentence SummaryA fungal pathogen uses barley diterpenoid phytoalexins to facilitate root colonization.

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