Biology subjects

Zhang, J.-W.

Publications and source records attributed to Zhang, J.-W..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2021

Insights into the susceptibility of rice to a floral disease

Crop floral diseases are economically important as they reduce grain yield and quality and even introduce food toxins. Rice false smut has emerged as a serious floral disease producing mycotoxins. However, very little is known on the interaction mechanisms between rice flower and the causal fungus Ustilaginoidea virens. Here we show that a conserved anti-fungal immunity in rice flower is disarmed by U. virens via a secreted protein UvChi1. UvChi1 functioned as an essential virulence factor and directly interacted with the chitin receptor CEBiP and co-receptor CERK1 in rice to disrupt their oligomerizations and subsequent immune responses. Moreover, intraspecific-conserved UvChi1 could target OsCEBiP/OsCERK1 receptor complex in at least 98.5% of 5232 surveyed rice accessions. These results demonstrate that U. virens utilizes a crucial virulence factor to subvert chitin-triggered flower immunity in most rice varieties, providing new insights into the susceptibility of rice to false smut disease. One Sentence SummaryThe fungal pathogen Ustilaginoidea virens disarms chitin-triggered immunity in rice flower via a secreted chitinase.

plant biology↗

bioRxiv2021

Proteasome maturation factor UMP1 confers broad-spectrum disease resistance by modulating H2O2 accumulation in rice

Crops with broad-spectrum resistance (BSR) to diseases are highly desirable in agricultural production. Identification of BSR loci and dissection of the underlying mechanisms are fundamental for crop resistance breeding. Here, we describe the identification and characterization of a rice UMP1 allele, which confers race-nonspecific BSR against blast pathogen Magnaporthe oryzae. OsUMP1 encodes a proteasome maturation factor that contributes to 26S proteasome abundance and activity in rice. Modulation of OsUMP1 expression leads to proteome changes, particularly affects the amounts and activities of H2O2-degrading enzymes. Consequently, H2O2 accumulation and disease resistance are enhanced in OsUMP1-overexpressing rice but reduced in loss-of-function mutants. Elevation of OsUMP1 expression also promotes rice resistance to foliar pathogens Rhizoctonia solani and Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae and a floral pathogen Ustilaginoidea virens without observable yield penalty. These results indicate a BSR pathway linking the proteasome machinery and H2O2 homeostasis, and provide a candidate gene for balancing BSR and yield traits in rice breeding. One Sentence SummaryA natural allele of rice UMP1 promotes resistance to multiple pathogens by boosting H2O2 accumulation.

plant biology↗

bioRxiv2020

Novel Asgard archaea phylum Hermodarchaeota degrade alkanes and aromatics via alkyl/benzyl-succinate synthase and benzoyl-CoA pathway

Asgard superphylum is composed of a group of uncultivated archaea that are deemed the closest relatives of eukaryotes. These archaea are widely distributed in anaerobic environments and suggested to be important players in carbon cycling of sediments. Alkanes and aromatics are refractory organic compounds and abundant in sediments. However, little is known about degradation of these compounds by Asgard archaea to date. Here, we describe a previously unrecognized archaeal phylum, Hermodarchaeota, affiliated with the Asgard superphylum. The genomes of these archaea were recovered in metagenomes from mangrove sediments, and were found to encode alkyl/benzyl-succinate synthases and their activating enzymes that are similar to those found in alkanes-degrading sulfate-reducing bacteria. Hermodarchaeota also encode enzymes for alkyl-coenzyme A and benzoyl-coenzyme A oxidation, and the Wood-Ljungdahl pathway, as well as nitrate reductases. Furthermore, transcripts for these enzymes have been frequently detected in metatranscriptomes from mangrove sediments. This indicates that members of this phylum are able to anaerobically oxidize alkanes and aromatic compounds, coupling the reduction of nitrate. Genes encoding 16S rRNA and alkyl/benzyl-succinate synthases analogous to those in Hermodarchaeota were identified in a range of marine and freshwater sediments. These findings suggest that Asgard archaea capable of degrading alkanes and aromatics via formation of alkyl/benzyl-substituted succinates are ubiquitous in sediments.

genomics↗