Functional analysis of the conserved transcriptional regulator CfWor1 in Cladosporium fulvum reveals diverse roles in the virulence of plant pathogenic fungi

B Ökmen, J Collemare, S Griffiths… - Molecular …, 2014 - Wiley Online Library
B Ökmen, J Collemare, S Griffiths, A van der Burgt, R Cox, PJGM de Wit
Molecular microbiology, 2014Wiley Online Library
Fungal W or1‐like proteins are conserved transcriptional regulators that are reported to
regulate the virulence of several plant pathogenic fungi by affecting the expression of
virulence genes. Here, we report the functional analysis of CfWor1, the homologue of W or1
in C ladosporium fulvum. Δ cfwor1 mutants produce sclerotium‐like structures and rough
hyphae, which are covered with a black extracellular matrix. These mutants do not sporulate
and are no longer virulent on tomato. A CE. CfWor1 transformant that constitutively …
Summary
Fungal Wor1‐like proteins are conserved transcriptional regulators that are reported to regulate the virulence of several plant pathogenic fungi by affecting the expression of virulence genes. Here, we report the functional analysis of CfWor1, the homologue of Wor1 in Cladosporium fulvum. Δcfwor1 mutants produce sclerotium‐like structures and rough hyphae, which are covered with a black extracellular matrix. These mutants do not sporulate and are no longer virulent on tomato. A CE.CfWor1 transformant that constitutively expresses CfWor1 produces fewer spores with altered morphology and is also reduced in virulence. RNA‐seq and RT‐qrtPCR analyses suggest that reduced virulence of Δcfwor1 mutants is due to global downregulation of transcription, translation and mitochondrial respiratory chain. The reduced virulence of the CE.CfWor1 transformant is likely due to downregulation of effector genes. Complementation of a non‐virulent Δfosge1 (Wor1‐homologue) mutant of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici with CfWor1 restored expression of the SIX effector genes in this fungus, but not its virulence. Chimeric proteins of CfWor1/FoSge1 also only partially restored defects of the Δfosge1 mutant, suggesting that these transcriptional regulators have functionally diverged. Altogether, our results suggest that CfWor1 primarily regulates development of C. fulvum, which indirectly affects the expression of a subset of virulence genes.
Wiley Online Library
以上显示的是最相近的搜索结果。 查看全部搜索结果