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Regulation of conidiation and antagonistic properties of the soil-borne plant beneficial fungus Trichoderma virens by a novel proline-, glycine-, tyrosine-rich protein and a GPI-anchored cell wall protein

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Abstract

Trichoderma spp. are widely used as commercial biofungicides, and most commercial formulations are conidia based. Identification of genes that regulate conidiation would thus be of help in genetic reprogramming of these species to optimize sporulation. In this study, we constructed an SSH (suppression subtractive hybridization) library from RNA samples of the wild type strain and a non-conidiating mutant, M7, grown under constant illumination for 2 days. We identified several genes that are underexpressed in the mutant. Some of these genes are related to secondary metabolism, and a few could be associated with conidiation. Genes coding for the following proteins, among others, were identified: O-methyl transferase, ATPase, alpha/beta-hydrolase, WD repeat containing protein, dehydrogenase, thioesterase, translationally controlled tumour protein, and a proline–glycine–tyrosine-rich protein (PGYRP) that has been annotated in T.reesei as a signalling protein. Two of these genes, encoding Pgy1, a novel PGYRP, and Ecm33, a GPI-anchored cell wall protein, were further studied in detail by generation of deletion mutants. We demonstrate here that both these genes not only regulate radial growth and conidiation in Trichoderma virens, but are also involved in antagonism against soil-borne wide host range plant pathogens. Furthermore, deletion of ecm33 affected hydrophobicity and cell wall integrity.

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Acknowledgements

Part of the work was carried out under an India–Israel joint project on genomics funded by the Department of Biotechnology, Government of India, and the Ministry of Science, Israel. The authors thank Dr. V.P. Venugopalan, Head, Nuclear Agriculture and Biotechnology Division for encouragement and support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Nuclear Agriculture and Biotechnology Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Trombay, Mumbai, 400085, India

    Ravindra Bansal, Mala Mukherjee & Prasun K. Mukherjee

  2. Homi Bhabha National Institute, Anushaktinagar, Mumbai, 400094, India

    Ravindra Bansal

  3. The Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, 32000, Israel

    Benjamin A. Horwitz

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  1. Ravindra Bansal
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  2. Mala Mukherjee
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  3. Benjamin A. Horwitz
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  4. Prasun K. Mukherjee
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Correspondence to Prasun K. Mukherjee.

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Bansal, R., Mukherjee, M., Horwitz, B.A. et al. Regulation of conidiation and antagonistic properties of the soil-borne plant beneficial fungus Trichoderma virens by a novel proline-, glycine-, tyrosine-rich protein and a GPI-anchored cell wall protein. Curr Genet 65, 953–964 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00294-019-00948-0

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