Abstract
A fungal pathogen soon to be described as Rutstroemia capillus-albis (Rutstroemiaceae, Helotiales, Leotiomycetes) has been identified as the causal agent of ‘bleach blonde syndrome’ on the invasive annual grass weed Bromus tectorum (cheatgrass) in western North America. This apparently common but previously undescribed disease causes premature senescence and sterility, but does not affect seed germination or seedling emergence and growth. This study investigated whether the new species produces phytotoxins that could be implicated in pathogenesis. The compounds 9-O-methylfusarubin, 9-O-methylbostrycoidin, 5-O-methylnectriafurone, trans-methyl-p-coumarate and terpestacin were isolated from the solid culture of this fungus. The undescribed absolute stereochemistry at C-3 of 9-O-methylfusarubin and at C-1’ of 5-O-methylnectriafurone were assigned by applying electronic and vibrational circular dichroism (ECD and VCD) combined with computational methods and the advanced Mosher’s method, respectively. The first three listed compounds are naphtoquinone pigments, while terpestacin is a sesterterpene, and trans-methyl-p-coumarate could be the product of an unusual fungal phenylpropanoid biosynthesis pathway. In a juvenile plant immersion bioassay, both 9-O-methylfusarubin and terpestacin proved to be highly toxic at 10−4 M, causing wilting and plant death within 10 days. This finding suggests that these two compounds could play a role in pathogenesis on B. tectorum.
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Claims 5
Claim · model-written summary
The fungus was identified as the causal agent of bleach blonde syndrome on cheatgrass.
- Taxon
- Bromus tectorum
Bromus tectorume0 - Interactor
- Rutstroemia capillus-albise0pathogen
- Outcome
- bleach blonde syndromee0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Rutstroemia capillus-albis (Rutstroemiaceae, Helotiales, Leotiomycetes) has been identified as the causal agent of ‘bleach blonde syndrome’ on the invasive annual grass weed Bromus tectorum (cheatgrass)”
Claim · model-written summary
The disease causes premature senescence and sterility.
- Taxon
- Bromus tectorumBromus tectorumt0
- Interactor
- Rutstroemia sp.n.t0pathogen
- Outcome
- premature senescence and sterilitye0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“This apparently common but previously undescribed disease causes premature senescence and sterility”
t0“Rutstroemia sp.n., the Causal Agent of Bleach Blonde Syndrome on Cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum)”
Claim · model-written summary
The disease does not affect germination, emergence or seedling growth.
- Taxon
- Bromus tectorumBromus tectorumt0
- Interactor
- Rutstroemia sp.n.t0pathogen
- Outcome
- seed germination or seedling emergence and growthe0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“does not affect seed germination or seedling emergence and growth”
t0“Rutstroemia sp.n., the Causal Agent of Bleach Blonde Syndrome on Cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum)”
Claim · model-written summary
9-O-methylfusarubin was highly toxic to juvenile plants at 10−4 M, causing wilting and death within 10 days.
- Taxon
- Bromus tectorumBromus tectorumt0
- Treatment
- 9-O-methylfusarubine0
- Outcome
- wilting and plant deathe0
- Value
- 10−4 Me0
- Qualifier
- within 10 dayse0
Not reportedComparatorDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“both 9-O-methylfusarubin and terpestacin proved to be highly toxic at 10−4 M, causing wilting and plant death within 10 days”
t0“Cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum)”
Claim · model-written summary
Terpestacin was highly toxic to juvenile plants at 10−4 M, causing wilting and death within 10 days.
- Taxon
- Bromus tectorumBromus tectorumt0
- Treatment
- terpestacine0
- Outcome
- wilting and plant deathe0
- Value
- 10−4 Me0
- Qualifier
- within 10 dayse0
Not reportedComparatorDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“both 9-O-methylfusarubin and terpestacin proved to be highly toxic at 10−4 M, causing wilting and plant death within 10 days”
t0“Cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum)”