Li Rukun, Sun Huahao, He Huilin, Cheng Xinyao, Deng Mei, Jiang Qiantao, Xu Qiang, Wei Yuming, Zhang Yazhou
Triticeae Research Institute, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China.
State Key Laboratory of Crop Gene Exploration and Utilization in Southwest China, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China.
Plants (Basel). 2025 Aug 8;14(16):2458. doi: 10.3390/plants14162458.
Global food security relies on wheat, maize, and soybean, yet their cultivation faces escalating threats from Fusarium head blight (FHB) pathogens. We demonstrate that agricultural intensification enables cross-kingdom root infections by and across these crops. Screening of 180 strains revealed tripartite host infectivity, with transcriptomics uncovering host-adapted virulence strategies. Transcriptome analysis identified distinct gene expression patterns during the infection of each crop, with employing host-specific genes, such as (a pyridoxal phosphate-dependent transferase), for maize root infection. The knockout mutant (Δ) exhibited severely impaired root colonization. Our findings establish differential gene expression as a regulatory axis for cross-host adaptation, directly linking FHB transmission risks to wheat-maize intercropping and wheat-soybean rotations.
全球粮食安全依赖于小麦、玉米和大豆，然而它们的种植面临着来自镰刀菌穗腐病（FHB）病原体日益增加的威胁。我们证明，农业集约化使得 和 能够跨作物进行跨界根部感染。对180个 菌株的筛选揭示了三方宿主感染性，转录组学揭示了宿主适应性毒力策略。转录组分析确定了在每种作物感染期间不同的基因表达模式， 利用宿主特异性基因，如 （一种依赖磷酸吡哆醛的转移酶）感染玉米根部。 基因敲除突变体（Δ）表现出严重受损的根部定殖能力。我们的研究结果确立了差异基因表达作为跨宿主适应性的调控轴，直接将FHB传播风险与小麦-玉米间作和小麦-大豆轮作联系起来。
