ZhiyuanYin, Baitao Zhu, Hao Feng, Lili Huang. Horizontal Gene Transfer Drives Adaptive Colonization of Apple Trees by the Fungal Pathogen Valsa mali

Horizontal Gene Transfer Drives Adaptive Colonization of Apple Trees by the Fungal Pathogen Valsa mali .

ZhiyuanYin, Baitao Zhu, Hao Feng, Lili Huang.

Scientific RepoRts

DOI: 10.1038/srep33129

Abstract: Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) often has strong benefts for fungi. In a study of samples from apple canker in Shaanxi Province, China, diverse microbes, along with the necrotrophic pathogen Valsa mali , were found to colonize the apple bark, thus providing ample opportunity for HGT to occur. In the present study, we identifed 32 HGT events in V. mali by combining phyletic distribution-based methods with phylogenetic analyses. Most of these HGTs were from bacteria, whereas several others were from eukaryotes. Three HGTs putatively functioned in competition with actinomycetes, some of which showed a signifcant inhibitory effect on V. mali . Three HGTs that were probably involved in nitrogen uptake were also identifed. Ten HGTs were thought to be involved in pathogenicity because they were related to known virulence factors, including cell wall-degrading enzymes and candidate effector proteins. HGT14, together with HGT32, was shown to contribute to bleomycin resistance of V. Mali . These results suggest that HGT drives the adaptive evolution of V. mali . The HGTs identifed here provide new clues for unveiling the adaptation mechanisms and virulence determinants of V. mali .