The filamentous fungus Colletotrichum gloeosporioides is the causative agent of one of the most serious diseases that damage plant fruit. In this study, we discovered and experimentally characterized a new gene in Colletotrichum gloeosporioides named CgloRPCYG. The CRISPR/Cas9 knockout mutant and complementary strain of CgloRPCYG were then obtained by polyethylene glycol (PEG)-mediated protoplast transformation to determine the related phenotypes. Compared with the wild-type strain and complementary mutant, the pathogenicity of the CRISPR/Cas9 knockout mutant was significantly decreased, the conidial yield was significantly reduced, and conidial germination was significantly delayed. These data indicate that CgloRPCYG contributes to pathogenicity, conidial yield, and germination in C. gloeosporioides. The successful application of the CRISPR/Cas9 system in C. gloeosporioides also confirms its utility in filamentous fungi for fundamental research and practical application. Furthermore, CgloRPCYG is a potential target gene for use in the development of plant protection technologies, such as spray-induced gene silencing, with the aim of controlling plant anthracnose disease caused by C. gloeosporioides.

The composition of microbiota in the digestive tract gut is essential for insect physiology, homeostasis, and pathogen infection. Little is known about the interactions between microbiota load and oral infection with baculoviruses. CnmeGV is an obligative baculovirus to Cnaphalocrocis medinalis. We investigated the impact of CnmeGV infection on the structure of intestinal microbes of C. medinalis during the initial infection stage. The results revealed that the gut microbiota profiles were dynamically driven by pathogen infection of CnmeGV. The numbers of all the OTU counts were relatively higher at the early and later stages, while the microbial diversity significantly increased early but dropped sharply following the infection. The compositional abundance of domain bacteria Firmicutes developed substantially higher. The significantly enriched and depleted species can be divided into four groups at the species level. Fifteen of these species were ultimately predicted as the biomarkers of CnmeGV infection. CnmeGV infection induces significant enrichment of alterations in functional genes related to metabolism and the immune system, encompassing processes such as carbohydrate, amino acid, cofactor, and vitamin metabolism. Finally, the study may provide an in-depth analysis of the relationship between host microbiota, baculovirus infection, and pest control of C. medinalis.

Serendipita indica (S. indica), a root endophytic fungus of the Sebacinaceae family, promotes growth and increases biomass accumulation in a wide range of plant species. However, the mechanism underlying S. indica-mediated growth promotion in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), particularly its effects on chlorophyll accumulation, remains poorly understood. In this study, colonization by S. indica significantly enhanced shoot growth, biomass accumulation, plant height, fresh weight, dry weight and chlorophyll content in wheat seedlings. Transcriptome analysis revealed extensive transcriptional reprogramming in leaves, characterized by the upregulation of genes involved in chlorophyll biosynthesis and the downregulation of senescence-associated genes. Gene ontology (GO) enrichment analysis indicated that differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were predominantly associated with light-regulated developmental processes, whereas Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis identified significant enrichment in carotenoid biosynthesis and porphyrin metabolism pathways. These transcriptomic results were further validated by reverse transcription quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR), which confirmed the induction of chlorophyll biosynthesis-related genes and the repression of senescence-associated genes following S. indica colonization. Collectively, our results indicate that S. indica establishes a beneficial association with wheat and promotes chlorophyll accumulation through coordinated regulation of chlorophyll biosynthesis and leaf senescence, which may contribute to enhanced photosynthetic capacity and improved plant growth during the seedling stage.