Transcriptome of Ustilago maydis during tumour formation in bundle sheath and mesophyll cells of Zea mays L.

The biotrophic fungus Ustilago maydis causes smut disease on maize (Zea mays L.), which is characterized by immense plant tumours. To establish disease and reprogram organ primordia to tumours, U. maydis deploys effector proteins in an organ-specific manner. However, the cellular contribution to leaf tumours remains unknown. We investigated leaf tumour formation on the tissue- and cell type-specific level. Cytology and metabolite analysis were deployed to understand the cellular basis for tumourigenesis. Laser-capture microdissection was performed to gain a cell-type specific transcriptome of U. maydis during tumour formation. In-vivo visualization of plant DNA synthesis identified bundle sheath cells as the origin of hyperplasic tumour cells, while mesophyll cells become hypertrophic tumour cells. Cell type specific transcriptome profiling of U. maydis revealed tailored expression of fungal effector genes. Moreover, U. maydis See1 was identified the first cell type specific fungal effector, being required for induction of cell cycle reactivation in bundle sheath cells. Identification of distinct cellular mechanisms in two different leave cell types, and See1 as an effector for induction of proliferation of bundle-sheath cells, are major steps in understanding U. maydis-induced tumor formation. Moreover, the cell-type specific U. maydis transcriptome data is a valuable resource to the scientific community. Overall design: To analyze the cell type specific transcriptome of U. maydis during the indcution of plant tumors, transcriptomic profiling of U. maydis from LCM-dissected tumour cells was done. At 4 dpi, SG200 infected HTT cells, bundle sheath-derived HPT cells, and SG200?see1 infected HTT cells (?see1 HTT) were isolated. As controls, mesophyll and bundle sheath cells from mock treated leaf tissue of the same age were isolated.

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Villajuana-Bonequi M, Matei A, Ernst C, Hallab A, Usadel B, Doehlemann G