Unveiling the Potential Role of Dhurrin in Sorghum During Infection by the Head Smut Pathogen <i>Sporisorium reilianum</i> f. sp. <i>reilianum</i>

The cyanogenic glucoside dhurrin is found in sorghum and has been reported for its role in defense against biotic and abiotic stresses, both involving hydrogen cyanide (HCN) release. The fungus <i>Sporisorium reilianum</i> f. sp. <i>reilianum</i> (SRS) causes sorghum head smu...

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Main Authors: Coumba Fall, Seunghyun Lim, Ezekiel Ahn, Sunchung Park, Louis K. Prom, Clint W. Magill
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-02-01
Series:Plants
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/14/5/740
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author Coumba Fall
Seunghyun Lim
Ezekiel Ahn
Sunchung Park
Louis K. Prom
Clint W. Magill
author_facet Coumba Fall
Seunghyun Lim
Ezekiel Ahn
Sunchung Park
Louis K. Prom
Clint W. Magill
author_sort Coumba Fall
collection DOAJ
description The cyanogenic glucoside dhurrin is found in sorghum and has been reported for its role in defense against biotic and abiotic stresses, both involving hydrogen cyanide (HCN) release. The fungus <i>Sporisorium reilianum</i> f. sp. <i>reilianum</i> (SRS) causes sorghum head smut and the infection occurs at the seedling stage, later resulting in panicle loss. Here, the focus was to determine the role of dhurrin in sorghum’s reaction against SRS infection. We investigated the genomic basis of HCN potential (HCNp) variation and its relationship with seedlings’ response to SRS inoculation, along with other sorghum traits, and the expression of dhurrin biosynthetic genes in SRS-inoculated young sorghum. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) using HCNp scores showed significant single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) on chromosomes harboring the dhurrin biosynthetic and catabolic genes but not in proximity. Significant hits were also detected in or near genes encoding proteins involved in plant defense/resistance against biotic stresses. Correlation analyses showed a strong positive relationship between average HCNp scores and latent period in SRS-inoculated sorghum seedlings. RT-qPCR revealed that the dhurrin biosynthetic genes were upregulated in the leaves of the head smut resistant line BTx635 up to two days after SRS inoculation. Our results suggest the involvement of dhurrin in sorghum’s protection against SRS.
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spelling doaj-art-30ece3538d1a4eff97aa0bef1b97eb382025-08-20T02:06:13ZengMDPI AGPlants2223-77472025-02-0114574010.3390/plants14050740Unveiling the Potential Role of Dhurrin in Sorghum During Infection by the Head Smut Pathogen <i>Sporisorium reilianum</i> f. sp. <i>reilianum</i>Coumba Fall0Seunghyun Lim1Ezekiel Ahn2Sunchung Park3Louis K. Prom4Clint W. Magill5Department of Plant Pathology & Microbiology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USASustainable Perennial Crops Laboratory, Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, Agricultural Research Service (ARS), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Beltsville, MD 20705, USASustainable Perennial Crops Laboratory, Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, Agricultural Research Service (ARS), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Beltsville, MD 20705, USASustainable Perennial Crops Laboratory, Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, Agricultural Research Service (ARS), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Beltsville, MD 20705, USASouthern Plains Agricultural Research Center, Agricultural Research Service (ARS), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), College Station, TX 77845, USADepartment of Plant Pathology & Microbiology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USAThe cyanogenic glucoside dhurrin is found in sorghum and has been reported for its role in defense against biotic and abiotic stresses, both involving hydrogen cyanide (HCN) release. The fungus <i>Sporisorium reilianum</i> f. sp. <i>reilianum</i> (SRS) causes sorghum head smut and the infection occurs at the seedling stage, later resulting in panicle loss. Here, the focus was to determine the role of dhurrin in sorghum’s reaction against SRS infection. We investigated the genomic basis of HCN potential (HCNp) variation and its relationship with seedlings’ response to SRS inoculation, along with other sorghum traits, and the expression of dhurrin biosynthetic genes in SRS-inoculated young sorghum. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) using HCNp scores showed significant single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) on chromosomes harboring the dhurrin biosynthetic and catabolic genes but not in proximity. Significant hits were also detected in or near genes encoding proteins involved in plant defense/resistance against biotic stresses. Correlation analyses showed a strong positive relationship between average HCNp scores and latent period in SRS-inoculated sorghum seedlings. RT-qPCR revealed that the dhurrin biosynthetic genes were upregulated in the leaves of the head smut resistant line BTx635 up to two days after SRS inoculation. Our results suggest the involvement of dhurrin in sorghum’s protection against SRS.https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/14/5/740cyanogenic glucosidehead smutsorghumsingle nucleotide polymorphism
spellingShingle Coumba Fall
Seunghyun Lim
Ezekiel Ahn
Sunchung Park
Louis K. Prom
Clint W. Magill
Unveiling the Potential Role of Dhurrin in Sorghum During Infection by the Head Smut Pathogen <i>Sporisorium reilianum</i> f. sp. <i>reilianum</i>
Plants
cyanogenic glucoside
head smut
sorghum
single nucleotide polymorphism
title Unveiling the Potential Role of Dhurrin in Sorghum During Infection by the Head Smut Pathogen <i>Sporisorium reilianum</i> f. sp. <i>reilianum</i>
title_full Unveiling the Potential Role of Dhurrin in Sorghum During Infection by the Head Smut Pathogen <i>Sporisorium reilianum</i> f. sp. <i>reilianum</i>
title_fullStr Unveiling the Potential Role of Dhurrin in Sorghum During Infection by the Head Smut Pathogen <i>Sporisorium reilianum</i> f. sp. <i>reilianum</i>
title_full_unstemmed Unveiling the Potential Role of Dhurrin in Sorghum During Infection by the Head Smut Pathogen <i>Sporisorium reilianum</i> f. sp. <i>reilianum</i>
title_short Unveiling the Potential Role of Dhurrin in Sorghum During Infection by the Head Smut Pathogen <i>Sporisorium reilianum</i> f. sp. <i>reilianum</i>
title_sort unveiling the potential role of dhurrin in sorghum during infection by the head smut pathogen i sporisorium reilianum i f sp i reilianum i
topic cyanogenic glucoside
head smut
sorghum
single nucleotide polymorphism
url https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/14/5/740
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