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Transformation of the endophytic fungus Acremonium implicatum with GFP and evaluation of its biocontrol effect against Meloidogyne incognita

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Abstract

Acremonium implicatum is an endophytic fungus with biocontrol potential against Meloidogyne incognita based on its opportunistic egg-parasitic, hatching inhibition, and toxic properties. To understand its mode of plant endophytism and opportunistic egg parasitism, GFP-tagged A. implicatum was constructed by PEG-mediated protoplast transformation. By laser scanning confocal microscopy (LSCM), we evaluated the endophytism and opportunistic egg parasitism of a stable gfp transformant (Acr-1). Acr-1 could colonize epidermal tissue, cortical tissue, and xylem of roots and form a mutualistic symbiosis with tomato host plants. LSCM of Acr-1 infecting M. incognita eggs revealed that hyphae penetrated the shell and grew inside eggs to form trophic hyphae. A large number of hyphae enveloped parasitized eggs. In addition, the egg shell integrity was destroyed by fungal penetration. The percentage of egg parasitism was 33.8 %. There were no marked differences between the wild type and mutant in nematode second-stage juvenile mortality and egg hatching and in fungal control efficiency in a pot experiment. In conclusion, gfp-transformation did not change the nematicidal activity of A. implicatum and is a tool to examine the mode of plant endophytism and opportunistic egg parasitism of A. implicatum.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Special Fund for Agro-scientific Research in the Public Interest (201103018), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (30971905, 31101418), and the earmarked fund for the China Agriculture Research System (CARS-25-B).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Vegetables and Flowers, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, South Street No. 12, Zhongguancun, Haidian, Beijing, 100081, People’s Republic of China

    Yu-Rong Yao, Xue-Liang Tian, Bao-Ming Shen, Zhen-Chuan Mao, Guo-hua Chen & Bing-Yan Xie

  2. College of Resources and Environment, Henan Institute of Science and Technology, Xinxiang, 453003, China

    Xue-Liang Tian

  3. College of Plant Protection, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, 410128, China

    Bao-Ming Shen

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  1. Yu-Rong Yao
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  2. Xue-Liang Tian
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  4. Zhen-Chuan Mao
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  5. Guo-hua Chen
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Correspondence to Bing-Yan Xie.

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Yao, YR., Tian, XL., Shen, BM. et al. Transformation of the endophytic fungus Acremonium implicatum with GFP and evaluation of its biocontrol effect against Meloidogyne incognita . World J Microbiol Biotechnol 31, 549–556 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11274-014-1781-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11274-014-1781-2

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