Benzylisoquinoline alkaloids in compatible fungus interaction with a non-model plant: Argemone mexicana L.
摘要
The role of alkaloids in plant fungi interactions has been sporadically addressed. Fungi infested plants of Argemone mexicana L. (Papaveraceae) were field collected and analyzed for alkaloid contents. Leaves of these spontaneously fungi infected plants accumulated significant amounts of sanguinarine, which is normally absent in the aerial tissues. Four fungal strains were isolated from leaf necrotic lesions and identified as Cladosporium cladosporoides, Corynespora cassiicola, Fusarium solani and Lasiodiplodia theobromae by morphological descriptors and DNA sequencing of two independent markers. Although the four fungal strains resulted infective on tomato leaves, only C. cassicola could produce a primary infection on A. mexicana leaves. The nature of C. cassicola as the primary infective agent was further confirmed after it was re-isolated from controlled infected plants. Alkaloid analysis in fungus controlled infected leaves revealed that sanguinarine was accumulated only in those displaying necrotic lesions consistent with C. cassiicola infection symptoms. Contrastingly, berberine, the major A. mexicana leaf alkaloid, remained unchanged by fungal challenge, regardless of their infective capacity. In this manner, the system A. mexicana-C. cassicola offers a convenient model to approach the involvement of alkaloids in compatible plant-fungi interactions.