Characterization, Genome Sequencing, and Development of a Rapid PCR Identification Primer for <i>Fusarium oxysporum</i> f. sp. <i>crocus</i>, a New <i>forma specialis</i> Causing Saffron Corm Rot
Saffron corm rot (SCR), the most serious disease affecting saffron, has been confirmed to be caused by <i>Fusarium oxysporum</i> in previous studies. Compared to other fungal species, <i>F. oxysporum</i> exhibits host specialization, a special phenomenon associated with the s...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2024-11-01
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| Series: | Plants |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/13/22/3166 |
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| Summary: | Saffron corm rot (SCR), the most serious disease affecting saffron, has been confirmed to be caused by <i>Fusarium oxysporum</i> in previous studies. Compared to other fungal species, <i>F. oxysporum</i> exhibits host specialization, a special phenomenon associated with the secreted in xylem (<i>SIX</i>) genes. This study examined the pathogenicity specialization of <i>F. oxysporum</i> isolated from saffron corms with SCR disease. The results showed that this <i>F. oxysporum</i> strain was strongly pathogenic to saffron corms, causing SCR; weakly pathogenic to the corms of freesia, which is in the Iridaceae family along with saffron; and not pathogenic to watermelon, melon, and tomato. Other <i>formae speciales</i> of <i>F. oxysporum</i> were not pathogenic to saffron corms. This suggests that <i>F. oxysporum</i> saffron strains exhibit obvious pathogenicity specialization for Iridaceae spp. Subsequently, the <i>F. oxysporum</i> saffron strain (XHH35) genome was sequenced, and a comparative genomics study of XHH35 and three other <i>formae speciales</i> was conducted using OrthoVenn3. XHH35 contained 90 specific genes absent in the other three <i>formae speciales</i>. These genes are involved in certain key biological processes and molecular functions. Based on BLAST homology searching, the <i>F. oxysporum</i> saffron strain (XHH35) genome was predicted to contain seven <i>SIX</i> genes (<i>SIX 4</i>, <i>SIX 6</i>, <i>SIX 7</i>, <i>SIX 10</i>, <i>SIX 11</i>, <i>SIX 12</i>, and <i>SIX 14</i>) highly homologous to <i>F. oxysporum</i> f. sp. <i>lycopersici</i>, which was verified using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification. The corresponding individual phylogenetic tree indicated that the <i>F. oxysporum</i> saffron strain (XHH35) showed a separate branch with different <i>formae speciales</i>. This study is the first-ever report of <i>F. oxysporum</i> f. sp. <i>crocus</i>, a new <i>forma specialis</i>. Based on the specificity of its <i>SIX</i> genes, the <i>SIX 10</i> gene was selected to further establish a rapid identification technique for <i>F. oxysporum</i> f. sp. <i>crocus</i>, which will be useful in future research. |
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| ISSN: | 2223-7747 |