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Soil fungi establish mutualistic interactions with the roots of most vascular land plants. Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi are among the most extensively characterised mycobionts to date. Current approaches to quantifying the extent of root colonisation and the abundance of hyphal structures in mutant roots rely on staining and human scoring involving simple yet repetitive tasks which are prone to variation between experimenters. We developed Automatic Mycorrhiza Finder (AMFinder) which allows for automatic computer vision-based identification and quantification of AM fungal colonisation and intraradical hyphal structures on ink-stained root images using convolutional neural networks. AMFinder delivered high-confidence predictions on image datasets of roots of multiple plant hosts (Nicotiana benthamiana, Medicago truncatula, Lotus japonicus, Oryza sativa) and captured the altered colonisation in ram1-1, str, and smax1 mutants. A streamlined protocol for sample preparation and imaging allowed us to quantify mycobionts from the genera Rhizophagus, Claroideoglomus, Rhizoglomus and Funneliformis via flatbed scanning or digital microscopy, including dynamic increases in colonisation in whole root systems over time. AMFinder adapts to a wide array of experimental conditions. It enables accurate, reproducible analyses of plant root systems and will support better documentation of AM fungal colonisation analyses. AMFinder can be accessed at https://github.com/SchornacklabSLCU/amfinder.

Background Oomycetes are pathogens of mammals, fish, insects and plants, and the potato late blight agent Phytophthora infestans and the oil palm and cocoa infecting pathogen Phytophthora palmivora cause economically impacting diseases on a wide range of crop plants. Increasing genomic and transcriptomic resources and recent advances in oomycete biology demand new strategies for genetic modification of oomycetes. Most oomycete transformation procedures rely on geneticin-based selection of transgenic strains. Results We established N-acetyltransferase AAC(3)-I as a gentamicin-based selectable marker for oomycete transformation without interference with existing geneticin resistance. Strains carrying gentamicin resistance are fully infectious in plants. We further demonstrate the usefulness of this new antibiotic selection to super-transform well-characterized, already fluorescently-labelled P. palmivora strains and provide a comprehensive protocol for maintenance and zoospore electro-transformation of Phytophthora strains to aid in plant-pathogen research. Conclusions N-acetyltransferase AAC(3)-I is functional in Phytophthora oomycetes. In addition, the substrate specificity of the AAC(3)-I enzyme allows for re-transformation of geneticin-resistant strains. Our findings and resources widen the possibilities to study oomycete cell biology and plant-oomycete interactions.

Multinucleate fungi and oomycetes are phylogenetically distant but structurally similar. To address whether they share similar nuclear dynamics, we carried out time-lapse imaging of fluorescently labeled Phytophthora palmivora nuclei. Nuclei underwent coordinated bidirectional movements during plant infection. Within hyphal networks growing in planta or in axenic culture, nuclei either are dragged passively with the cytoplasm or actively become rerouted toward nucleus-depleted hyphal sections and often display a very stretched shape. Benomyl-induced depolymerization of microtubules reduced active movements and the occurrence of stretched nuclei. A centrosome protein localized at the leading end of stretched nuclei, suggesting that, as in fungi, astral microtubule-guided movements contribute to nuclear distribution within oomycete hyphae. The remarkable hydrodynamic shape adaptations of Phytophthora nuclei contrast with those in fungi and likely enable them to migrate over longer distances. Therefore, our work summarizes mechanisms which enable a near-equal nuclear distribution in an oomycete. We provide a basis for computational modeling of hydrodynamic nuclear deformation within branched tubular networks.IMPORTANCE Despite their fungal morphology, oomycetes constitute a distinct group of protists related to brown algae and diatoms. Many oomycetes are pathogens and cause diseases of plants, insects, mammals, and humans. Extensive efforts have been made to understand the molecular basis of oomycete infection, but durable protection against these pathogens is yet to be achieved. We use a plant-pathogenic oomycete to decipher a key physiological aspect of oomycete growth and infection. We show that oomycete nuclei travel actively and over long distances within hyphae and during infection. Such movements require microtubules anchored on the centrosome. Nuclei hydrodynamically adapt their shape to travel in or against the flow. In contrast, fungi lack a centrosome and have much less flexible nuclei. Our findings provide a basis for modeling of flexible nuclear shapes in branched hyphal networks and may help in finding hard-to-evade targets to develop specific antioomycete strategies and achieve durable crop disease protection.

Despite their fungal morphology, oomycetes constitute a distinct group of protists related to brown algae and diatoms. Many oomycetes are pathogens and cause diseases of plants, insects, mammals, and humans. Extensive efforts have been made to understand the molecular basis of oomycete infection, but durable protection against these pathogens is yet to be achieved. We use a plant-pathogenic oomycete to decipher a key physiological aspect of oomycete growth and infection. We show that oomycete nuclei travel actively and over long distances within hyphae and during infection. Such movements require microtubules anchored on the centrosome. Nuclei hydrodynamically adapt their shape to travel in or against the flow. In contrast, fungi lack a centrosome and have much less flexible nuclei. Our findings provide a basis for modeling of flexible nuclear shapes in branched hyphal networks and may help in finding hard-to-evade targets to develop specific antioomycete strategies and achieve durable crop disease protection., Multinucleate fungi and oomycetes are phylogenetically distant but structurally similar. To address whether they share similar nuclear dynamics, we carried out time-lapse imaging of fluorescently labeled Phytophthora palmivora nuclei. Nuclei underwent coordinated bidirectional movements during plant infection. Within hyphal networks growing in planta or in axenic culture, nuclei either are dragged passively with the cytoplasm or actively become rerouted toward nucleus-depleted hyphal sections and often display a very stretched shape. Benomyl-induced depolymerization of microtubules reduced active movements and the occurrence of stretched nuclei. A centrosome protein localized at the leading end of stretched nuclei, suggesting that, as in fungi, astral microtubule-guided movements contribute to nuclear distribution within oomycete hyphae. The remarkable hydrodynamic shape adaptations of Phytophthora nuclei contrast with those in fungi and likely enable them to migrate over longer distances. Therefore, our work summarizes mechanisms which enable a near-equal nuclear distribution in an oomycete. We provide a basis for computational modeling of hydrodynamic nuclear deformation within branched tubular networks.