Stress and sexual reproduction affect the dynamics of the wheat pathogen effector AvrStb6 and strobilurin resistance

• Published in: Nature genetics Vol. 50; no. 3; pp. 375 - 380
• Main Authors: Kema, Gerrit H J, Mirzadi Gohari, Amir, Aouini, Lamia, Gibriel, Hesham A Y, Ware, Sarah B, van den Bosch, Frank, Manning-Smith, Robbie, Alonso-Chavez, Vasthi, Helps, Joe, Ben M'Barek, Sarrah, Mehrabi, Rahim, Diaz-Trujillo, Caucasella, Zamani, Elham, Schouten, Henk J, van der Lee, Theo A J, Waalwijk, Cees, de Waard, Maarten A, de Wit, Pierre J G M, Verstappen, Els C P, Thomma, Bart P H J, Meijer, Harold J G, Seidl, Michael F
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Nature Publishing Group 01.03.2018
• Subjects: Alleles; Annotations; Bioinformatics; Biointeractions and Plant Health; Disease control; Durability; EPS; Fungi; Fungicides; Gene frequency; Genes; Genomes; Laboratorium voor Fytopathologie; Laboratorium voor Phytopathologie; Laboratory of Phytopathology; Medical treatment; Pathogens; PBR Biodiversiteit en Genetische Variatie; PBR Biodiversity and genetic variation; Pesticides; Plant diseases; Population genetics; Populations; PPO/PRI Biointeracties en plantgezondheid; PPO/PRI Biointeractions and Plant Health; Proteins; Reproduction (biology); Sex; Sexual reproduction; Strobilurin; Wheat; WUR PB Biodiversiteit en Genetische Variatie
• ISSN: 1061-4036; 1546-1718
• DOI: 10.1038/s41588-018-0052-9

Host resistance and fungicide treatments are cornerstones of plant-disease control. Here, we show that these treatments allow sex and modulate parenthood in the fungal wheat pathogen Zymoseptoria tritici. We demonstrate that the Z. tritici-wheat interaction complies with the gene-for-gene model by identifying the effector AvrStb6, which is recognized by the wheat resistance protein Stb6. Recognition triggers host resistance, thus implying removal of avirulent strains from pathogen populations. However, Z. tritici crosses on wheat show that sex occurs even with an avirulent parent, and avirulence alleles are thereby retained in subsequent populations. Crossing fungicide-sensitive and fungicide-resistant isolates under fungicide pressure results in a rapid increase in resistance-allele frequency. Isolates under selection always act as male donors, and thus disease control modulates parenthood. Modeling these observations for agricultural and natural environments reveals extended durability of host resistance and rapid emergence of fungicide resistance. Therefore, fungal sex has major implications for disease control.