title: Transcriptome of an entomophthoralean fungus (Pandora formicae) shows molecular machinery adjusted for successful host exploitation and transmission.
abstract: Pandora formicae is an obligate entomopathogenic fungus from the phylum Entomophthoromycota, known to infect only ants from the genus Formica. In the final stages of infection, the fungus induces the so-called summit disease syndrome, manipulating the host to climb up vegetation prior to death and fixing the dead cadaver to the surface, all to increase efficient spore dispersal. To investigate this fascinating pathogen-host interaction, we constructed interaction transcriptome libraries from two final infection stages from the material sampled in the field: (1) when the cadavers were fixed, but the fungus had not grown out through the cuticle and (2) when the fungus was growing out from host cadaver and producing spores. These phases mark the switch from within-host growth to reproduction on the host surface, after fungus outgrowth through host integument. In this first de novo transcriptome of an entomophthoralean fungus, we detected expression of many pathogenicity-related genes, including secreted hydrolytic enzymes and genes related to morphological reorganization and nutrition uptake. Differences in expression of genes in these two infection phases were compared and showed a switch in enzyme expression related to either cuticle breakdown or cell proliferation and cell wall remodeling, particularly in subtilisin-like serine protease and trypsin-like protease transcripts.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Social Evolution, Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Thorvaldsensvej 40, 1871 Frederiksberg C, Denmark. Electronic address: jopi@plen.ku.dk.
authors.forename: Joanna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Małagocka
authors.affiliation: Department of Biotechnology, Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, Aalborg University, A.C. Meyers Vænge 15, 2450 Copenhagen SV, Denmark.
authors.forename: Morten N
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Grell
authors.affiliation: Department of Biotechnology, Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, Aalborg University, A.C. Meyers Vænge 15, 2450 Copenhagen SV, Denmark.
authors.forename: Lene
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lange
authors.affiliation: Centre for Social Evolution, Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Thorvaldsensvej 40, 1871 Frederiksberg C, Denmark.
authors.forename: Jørgen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Eilenberg
authors.affiliation: Centre for Social Evolution, Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Thorvaldsensvej 40, 1871 Frederiksberg C, Denmark.
authors.forename: Annette B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Jensen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001000:Ants / Q000469:parasitology*; D020091:Entomophthorales / Q000235:genetics* / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D015966:Gene Expression Regulation, Fungal / Q000502:physiology; D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions / Q000235:genetics*; D010802:Phylogeny; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D059467:Transcriptome
keywords: Ant disease; Entomophthorales; Formica polyctena; Host–pathogen interactions; de novo transcriptome