Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
6th International Molecular Immunology & Immunogenetics Congress, İstanbul, Türkiye, 28 - 30 Nisan 2025, (Yayınlanmadı)
Fusarium oxysporum is a cross-kingdom pathogen. While some strains
cause disseminated fusariosis and blinding corneal infections in humans, others
are responsible for devastating vascular wilt diseases in plants. To better
understand the distinct adaptations of F. oxysporum to animal or plant
hosts, we conducted a comparative phenotypic and genetic analysis of two
strains: MRL8996 (isolated from a keratitis patient) and Fol4287 (isolated from
a wilted tomato [Solanum lycopersicum]). In vivo infection of mouse
corneas and tomato plants revealed that, while both strains cause symptoms in
both hosts, MRL8996 caused more severe corneal ulceration and perforation in
mice, whereas Fol4287 induced more pronounced wilting symptoms in tomato. In
vitro assays using abiotic stress treatments revealed that the human
pathogen MRL8996 was better adapted to elevated temperatures, whereas the plant
pathogen Fol4287 was more tolerant to osmotic and cell wall stresses. Both
strains displayed broad resistance to antifungal treatment, with MRL8996
exhibiting the paradoxical effect of increased tolerance to higher
concentrations of the antifungal caspofungin. We identified a set of accessory
chromosomes (ACs) and protein-encoding genes with distinct transposon profiles
and functions, respectively, between MRL8996 and Fol4287. Interestingly, ACs
from both genomes also encode proteins with shared functions, such as chromatin
remodeling and post-translational protein modifications. Our phenotypic assays
and comparative genomics analyses lay the foundation for future studies
correlating genotype with phenotype and for developing targeted antifungals for
agricultural and clinical uses.