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Inhibition of RNase to Attenuate Fungal-Manipulated Rhizosphere Microbiome and Diseases

Summary

Fusarium fungi cause major crop diseases by using a protein called Fg12 that kills helpful bacteria in plant roots, making it easier for the fungus to infect crops. Scientists discovered that a compound called GMP blocks Fg12’s harmful activity and restores beneficial bacteria, reducing disease symptoms in soybeans and alfalfa by 47-75%. This discovery offers a new chemical strategy to protect crops from fungal infections by disarming this key fungal weapon.

Background

Soil-borne pathogens must overcome plant-associated microbiota barriers to cause disease. Fusarium graminearum, a major fungal pathogen, uses virulence effectors to manipulate both host immunity and rhizosphere microbiota. Understanding how pathogen effectors interfere with beneficial microbial communities is crucial for developing targeted disease control strategies.

Objective

To identify and characterize core effectors involved in pathogen-microbiota and pathogen-host interactions, specifically investigating how Fusarium graminearum’s Fg12 effector manipulates the rhizosphere microbiome and to develop chemical inhibitors targeting this effector for disease prevention.

Results

Fg12, a fungal-specific ribonuclease, selectively inhibits beneficial Bacillus and Pseudomonas species in the soybean rhizosphere through its RNase activity. Guanosine monophosphate (GMP) effectively inhibits Fg12’s RNase activity through molecular interactions with catalytic residues. GMP treatment significantly alleviated Fusarium root rot symptoms in soybean and alfalfa by 47-75% fresh weight increase and enhanced bacterial colonization.

Conclusion

Fg12 is a widely-distributed virulence effector among pathogenic fungi that manipulates host microbiota to promote pathogen colonization. GMP functions as an effective RNase inhibitor that blocks both Fg12’s microbiome-disrupting and plant-pathogenic functions, offering a promising chemical approach for controlling soil-borne fungal diseases in crops like soybean and alfalfa.
  • Published in:Advanced Science,
  • Study Type:Experimental Research,
  • Source: PMID: 40776430, DOI: 10.1002/advs.202503146
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