Mycoviruses Increase the Attractiveness of <i>Fusarium graminearum</i> for Fungivores and Suppress Production of the Mycotoxin Deoxynivalenol
Simon Schiwek,
Matthäus Slonka,
Mohammad Alhussein,
Dennis Knierim,
Paolo Margaria,
Hanna Rose,
Katja R. Richert-Pöggeler,
Michael Rostás,
Petr Karlovsky
Affiliations
Simon Schiwek
Institute for Plant Protection in Field Crops and Grassland, Julius Kühn Institute (JKI)—Federal Research Centre for Cultivated Plants, 38104 Braunschweig, Germany
Matthäus Slonka
Agricultural Entomology, University of Göttingen, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
Mohammad Alhussein
Molecular Phytopathology and Mycotoxin Research, University of Göttingen, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
Dennis Knierim
Leibniz Institute DSMZ-German Culture Collection for Microorganisms and Cell Cultures, 38124 Brunswick, Germany
Paolo Margaria
Leibniz Institute DSMZ-German Culture Collection for Microorganisms and Cell Cultures, 38124 Brunswick, Germany
Hanna Rose
Institute of Horticultural Production Systems, University of Hannover, 30419 Hannover, Germany
Katja R. Richert-Pöggeler
Institute for Epidemiology and Pathogen Diagnostics, Julius Kühn Institute (JKI)—Federal Research Centre for Cultivated Plants, 38104 Braunschweig, Germany
Michael Rostás
Agricultural Entomology, University of Göttingen, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
Petr Karlovsky
Molecular Phytopathology and Mycotoxin Research, University of Göttingen, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
RNA viruses of the genera Ambivirus, Mitovirus, Sclerotimonavirus, and Partitivirus were found in a single isolate of Fusarium graminearum. The genomes of the mitovirus, sclerotimonavirus, and partitivirus were assigned to previously described viruses, whereas the ambivirus genome putatively represents a new species, named Fusarium graminearum ambivirus 1 (FgAV1). To investigate the effect of mycoviruses on the fungal phenotype, the spontaneous loss of mycoviruses during meiosis and the transmission of mycoviruses into a new strain via anastomosis were used to obtain isogenic F. graminearum strains both with and without mycoviruses. Notable effects observed in mycovirus-harboring strains were (i) the suppression of the synthesis of trichothecene mycotoxins and their precursor trichodiene, (ii) the suppression of the synthesis of the defense compound aurofusarin, (iii) the stimulation of the emission of 2-methyl-1-butanol and 3-methyl-1-butanol, and (iv) the increased attractiveness of fungal mycelia for fungivorous collembolans. The increased attractiveness of mycovirus-infected filamentous fungi to animal predators opens new perspectives on the ecological implications of the infection of fungi with viruses.
