Asexual reproduction induces a rapid and permanent loss of sexual reproduction capacity in the rice fungal pathogen Magnaporthe oryzae: results of in vitro experimental evolution assays

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Sexual reproduction is common in eukaryotic microorganisms, with few species reproducing exclusively asexually. However, in some organisms, such as fungi, asexual reproduction alternates with episodic sexual reproduction events. Fungi are thus appropriate organisms for studies of the reasons for the selection of sexuality or clonality and of the mechanisms underlying this selection. <it>Magnaporthe oryzae</it>, an Ascomycete causing blast disease on rice, reproduces mostly asexually <it>in natura</it>. Sexual reproduction is possible <it>in vitro </it>and requires (i) two strains of opposite mating types including (ii) at least one female-fertile strain (<it>i.e</it>. a strain able to produce perithecia, the female organs in which meiosis occurs). Female-fertile strains are found only in limited areas of Asia, in which evidence for contemporary recombination has recently been obtained. We induced the forced evolution of four Chinese female-fertile strains <it>in vitro </it>by the weekly transfer of asexual spores (conidia) between Petri dishes. We aimed to determine whether female fertility was rapidly lost in the absence of sexual reproduction and whether this loss was controlled genetically or epigenetically.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>All the strains became female-sterile after 10 to 19 rounds of selection under asexual conditions. As no single-spore isolation was carried out, the observed decrease in the production of perithecia reflected the emergence and the invasion of female-sterile mutants. The female-sterile phenotype segregated in the offspring of crosses between female-sterile evolved strains and female-fertile wild-type strains. This segregation was maintained in the second generation in backcrosses. Female-sterile evolved strains were subjected to several stresses, but none induced the restoration of female fertility. This loss of fertility was therefore probably due to genetic rather than epigenetic mechanisms. In competition experiments, female-sterile mutants produced similar numbers of viable conidia to wild-type strains, but released them more efficiently. This advantage may account for the invasion of our populations by female-sterile mutants.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>We show for the first time that, in the absence of sexual reproduction, female-sterile mutants of <it>M. oryzae </it>rice strains can arise and increase in abundance in asexual generations. This change in phenotype was frequent and probably caused by mutation. These results suggest that female fertility may have been lost rapidly during the dispersion of the fungus from Asia to the rest of the world.</p

Silicon Vibrating Wires at Low Temperatures

International audienceNowadays microfabrication techniques originating from micro-electronics enable to create mechanical objects of micron-size. The field of Micro-Electro Mechanical devices(MEMs) is continuously expanding, with an amazingly broad range of applications at room temperature. Vibrating objects (torsional oscillators, vibrating wires) widely used at low températures to study quantum fluids, can be replaced advantageously by Silicon MEMs. In this letter we report on the study of Silicon vibrating wire devices. A goal-post structure covered with a metal layer is driven at resonance by the Laplace force acting on a current in a magnetic field, while the induced voltage arising from the cut magnetic flux allows to detect the motion. The characteristics of the resonance have been studied from 10 mK to 30 K, in vacuum and in 4He gas. In this article, we focus on the results obtained above 1.5 K, in vacuum and gas, and introduce some features observed at lower temperatures. The resonant properties can be quantitatively understood by means of simple models, from the linear regime to a highly non-linear response at strong drives. We demonstrate that the non-linearity is mostly due to the geometry of the vibrators. We also show that in our device the friction mechanisms originate in the metallic layers, and can be fully characterized. The interaction with 4He gas is fit to theory without adjustable parameters

Inventaire printanier d'une frayère multispécifique : l'ichtyofaune des rapides de la rivière Gatineau, Québec

Un inventaire ichtyologique printanier a été réalisé dans la rivière Gatineau, dans le premier rapide à l’amont de son embouchure dans la rivière des Outaouais, pour établir la chronoséquence d’utilisation du site par les espèces s’y reproduisant, dont trois espèces de chevaliers. L’échantillonnage des rapides a permis de capturer 2388 poissons répartis en 13 familles et 39 espèces, dont six ayant fait l’objet d’une évaluation par le COSEPAC. Seize espèces étaient en état de se reproduire lors de l’échantillonnage. Nous avons observé une reproduction plus ou moins simultanée pour le Chevalier blanc et le Chevalier rouge, suivie de celle du Chevalier de rivière. Également, pour ces trois espèces, nous avons observé la capture des mâles de stade V plus tôt que les femelles, et nous les retrouvons en plus grand nombre. Ceci pourrait s’expliquer du fait que les mâles précèdent les femelles sur les frayères, que celles-ci sont reconnues pour rester très peu de temps sur les sites de fraie et qu’un minimum de deux mâles par femelle est requis pour la reproduction. Cette étude démontre que les rapides de la rivière Gatineau doivent être protégés puisqu’ils sont habités par trois espèces qui ont obtenu un statut spécial du COSEPAC (Menacée: Fouille-roche gris; situation préoccupante : Lamproie du nord et Chevalier de rivière) en plus de constituer une frayère multispécifique importante

The variety mixture strategy assessed in a G × G experiment with rice and the blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae

Frequent and devastating epidemics of parasites are one of the major issues encountered by modern agriculture. To manage the impact of pathogens, resistant plant varieties have been selected. However, resistances are overcome by parasites requiring the use of pesticides and causing new economical and food safety issues. A promising strategy to maintain the epidemic at a low level and hamper pathogen's adaptation to varietal resistance is the use of mixtures of varieties such that the mix will form a heterogeneous environment for the parasite. A way to find the good combination of varieties that will actually constitute a heterogeneous environment for pathogens is to look for genotype × genotype (G × G) interactions between pathogens and plant varieties. A pattern in which pathogens have a high fitness on one variety and a poor fitness on other varieties guarantees the efficiency of the mixture strategy. In the present article, we inoculated 18 different genotypes of the fungus Magnaporthe oryzae on three rice plant varieties showing different levels of partial resistance in order to find a variety combination compatible with the requirements of the variety mixture strategy, i.e., showing appropriate G × G interactions. We estimated the success of each plant-fungus interaction by measuring fungal fitness and three fungal life history traits: infection success, within-host growth, sporulation capacity. Our results show the existence of G × G interactions between the two varieties Ariete and CO39 on all measured traits and fungal fitness. We also observed that these varieties have different resistance mechanisms; Ariete is good at controlling infection success of the parasite but is not able to control its growth when inside the leaf, while CO39 shows the opposite pattern. We also found that Maratelli's resistance has been eroded. Finally, correlation analyses demonstrated that not all infectious traits are positively correlated. (Résumé d'auteur