A protein inside a particular fungus was recently discovered to have the capability of disrupting the quiet lives of plants. Records from the US Department of Agriculture show that more than 600 plants were already affected by the protein.
The agency's Agricultural Research Service collaborated with scholars from Washington State University in order to single out the protein responsible for the demise of plants. According to their findings, the protein was discovered to be SsPINE1. This substance induces the fungus species responsible for creating white mold stem pathogens in plants.
Sclerotinia sclerotiorum Fungus and SsPINE1 Protein
The discovery of SsPINE1 protein, according to the experts, gives further insights to develop control measures for protecting plant species against the capabilities of the white mold fungus, also known as Sclerotinia sclerotiorum.
Sclerotinia sclerotiorum attacks a wide range of plants, including sunflowers, lentils, peas, potatoes, canola, soybeans, and other leaf crops. Outbreaks caused by this fungus could escalate quickly and even cut billion-dollar revenues from many agricultural businesses.
The presence of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum in vegetations leads the plants to rot and die effortlessly. This is because of the chemical, known as polygalacturonases (PG), which is being secreted by the fungus species.
This chemical disrupts and breaks the protective cell walls of plants. In 1917, it was confirmed that most plants evolved to fight off PG compounds. The plants produce protein, called PGIP, that inhibits the PG. But throughout history, the PGIP was eventually bypassed by some unknown factors, creating puzzling outbreaks and death among plant species.
ARS Grain Legume Genetics Physiology Research Unit expert and lead author of the study Weidong Chen explained that this phenomenon is considered an arms race between the particular fungus and the plants.
When one party advances with a solution, the other creates another infiltration approach to bypass the protective structures of the other and defeats it, cycling over and again, Chen continued.
Discovery of Plant-Killing Protein for Protection of Floras from White Mold Stem Pathogens
The discovery of SsPINE1 was made possible through the help of the substances excreted by the fungus itself. When the cause was nowhere to be found inside the fungus, the team searched for materials outside of it, and eventually, they found the protein.
To prove that the protein is behind the attacks, Chen's team deleted the molecule from the fungus in a laboratory and tested the fungus on the plant subjects. From their observations, the negative impacts such as rotting and withering decreased significantly, PhysOrg reports.
Washington State University's plant pathology expert and co-author of the study Kiwamu Tanaka said that they were surprised by the results of the investigation, as the breakthrough answers the mysterious attacks on plants for the last five decades.
The SsPINE1 protein will be studied further for more techniques on how it could be configured in order to control the white mold stem rot pathogens in plants, as well as to develop solutions to develop a targeted breeding approach that would make plants naturally resistant to sclerotinia diseases.
The study was published in the journal Nature Communications, titled "A fungal extracellular effector inactivates plant polygalacturonase-inhibiting protein."
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