StPBS2, a MAPK kinase gene, is involved in determining hyphal morphology, cell wall development, hypertonic stress reaction as well as the production of secondary metabolites in Northern Corn Leaf Blight pathogen Setosphaeria turcica.

Mitogen activated protein kinase kinase (MAPKK) is a crucial component in the MAPK signaling pathway. However, the functions of MAPKKs in foliar pathogens remain poorly understood. In the current study, a MAPKK gene designated as StPBS2 was cloned from Setosphaeria turcica and the functions of this gene were investigated by RNAi technology. Four independent StPBS2 gene silence transformants with different efficiencies were confirmed by real time PCR. Compared to the wild type strain (WT), these transformants showed decreased colony growth, shortened hyphae cell length, broadened cell width and an obvious reduction in conidium yield. Moreover, the cell wall of the transformants was thicker and they were also more sensitive to substances that interfere with cell wall biosynthesis than WT. Additionally, the transformants displayed higher sensitivity to hypertonic stress than WT and the sensitivity was associated with the level of silencing of StPBS2. They were also resistant to the fungicides iprodione, procymidone and fludioxonil, to which WT almost completely sensitive. The transformants produced more red secondary metabolites than WT and the production was enhanced with increasing silencing level and increased glucose content in PDA medium. Our results suggest that StPBS2 is involved in morphogenesis, condiogenesis, cell wall development, hypertonic stress reaction and resistance to fungicides, as well as in the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites in S. turcica.

Identification of Development and Pathogenicity Related Gene in Botrytis cinerea via Digital Gene Expression Profile.

BACKGROUND: Botrytis cinerea, a haploid Euascomycete fungus that infects numerous crops, has been used as a model system for studying molecular phytopathology. Botrytis cinerea adopts various modes of infection, which are mediated by a number of pathogenicity and virulence-related genes. Many of these genes have not been reported previously. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to investigate development and pathogenicity-related genes between a novel nonpathogenic mutant and the Wild Type (WT) in B. cinerea. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Digital Gene Expression (DGE) tag profiling can reveal novel genes that may be involved in development and pathogenicity of plant pathogen. A large volume of B. cinerea tag-seq was generated to identify differential expressed genes by the Illumina DGE tag profiling technology. RESULTS: A total of 4,182,944 and 4,182,021 clean tags were obtained from the WT and a nonpathogenic mutant stain (BCt89), respectively, and 10,410 differentially expressed genes were identified. In addition, 84 genes were expressed in the WT only while 34 genes were expressed in the mutant only. A total of 664 differentially expressed genes were involved in 91 Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genome pathways, including signaling and metabolic pathways. CONCLUSIONS: Expression levels of 1,426 genes were significantly up-regulated in the mutant compared to WT. Furthermore, 301 genes were down-regulated with False Discovery Rates (FDR) of < 0.001 and absolute value of log2 Ratio of ≥ 1.

StSTE12 is required for the pathogenicity of Setosphaeria turcica by regulating appressorium development and penetration.

In filamentous fungi, the pathogenic mitogen-activated protein kinase (PMK) pathway performs an important function in plant infection. STE12-like genes found in higher eukaryotes encode transcription factors and are regulated by the PMK pathway. However, the functions of STE12-like genes in foliar pathogens remain poorly understood. In this study, we cloned StSTE12 from Setosphaeria turcica and investigated its functions by RNA interference. Transformants ste12-3, ste12-2 and, ste12-1, in which the StSTE12 silencing efficiency increased in order, were confirmed by real time PCR. Compared with the wild-type (WT) strain, the transformants showed reduced growth rate, lighter colony color, and obviously decreased conidium production. More importantly, different to WT strain and ste12-3 with lower StSTE12silencing efficiency, ste12-1 and ste12-2 with higher StSTE12 silencing efficiency were nonpathogenic on intact leaves, but pathogenic on wounded leaves. However, the biological activity of HT-toxin from all transformants showed no difference on corn leaves. Furthermore, ste12-1 and ste12-2 did not penetrate artificial cellophane membrane and showed abnormal and delayed development appressoria. Although it could penetrate the cellophane membranes, ste12-3 formed appressoria after 48 h of inoculation more than WT. Therefore, StSTE12 was involved in vegetative growth, conidiation, appressorial development, penetration as well as the pathogenicity, but it was not related to HT-toxin biosynthesis. More interestingly, all the results suggested that StSTE12 was crucial for pathogenicity due to involvement in regulating appressoria development and penetration.

StRas2 regulates morphogenesis, conidiation and appressorium development in Setosphaeria turcica.

The proteins of Ras family are a large group of monomeric GTPases and act as molecular switches transducing extracellular signals into the cell in higher eukaryotes. However, little is known about roles of Ras family in the foliar pathogens. In this research, we cloned the gene named StRas2 encoding Ras in Setosphaeria turcica and investigated its function by RNA interference technology. We found that the growth rate of RNAi transformants named as R1, R2, R3, R4, R5 and R6, in which the StRas2 silencing efficiency fell in turn. With the highest silencing efficiency, the transformant R1 showed anomalistic hyphae morphology, indicating its growth was significantly affected. The transformants with a middle-silencing efficiency, such as R3, R4, displayed a delay when forming appressoria and invasive hyphae. R1 could not form conidia and appressoria. However, the conidial formation in R5 and R6 was significantly reduced, and these two transformants could form appressoria and penetrate the artificial cellophane, only that its invasive hyphae were fascicular and rarely branched. The HT-toxin biological activity of all transformants showed no difference. All results suggested that StRas2 is involved in the morphogenesis, conidiation, and appressorium development and is not related to the biosynthesis of HT-toxin.

[Molecular cloning and characterization of calcineurin A in Setosphaeria turcica].

A Setosphaeria turcica gene encoding the catalytic subunit of calcineurin was cloned using degenerated primers corresponding to conserved domains of Ser/Thr protein phosphatases and its complete cDNA (GenBank accession No. EF 407562) was obtained with RACE method. It's validated single copied model by southern hybridization. Furthermore, the CNA inhibitor Cyclosporin A (CsA) exhibited potent antifungal activity against conidial germination and appressorium formation of S. turcica. The inhibition ratio was positively correlated to CsA concentration. However, appressorium formation was more sensitive than conidium germination to the inhibitor at the same concentration. It was suggested that CNA might play an important role in the pathogenicity of S. turcica.

[Cloning and functional analysis of scytalone dehytratase gene in Exserohilum turcicum].

Genemonic DNA and cDNA homologous fragments of the scd (scytalone dehydratase) gene were obtained by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification from degenerated primer sets designed on the basis of the conserved amino acid regions of scytalone dehydratase and polyketide synthase domains from others fungis. The completed cDNA sequence of scd in E. turcica was obtained by the method of SMART-RACE and 3' RACE. There is one open reading frame composed of 181 codons and two deduced introns of 50 and 78 nucleotides in the scd gene. The deduced amino acid sequence of the scd showed high similarity to the amino acid sequence of scytalone dehydratase from Bipolaris oryzae. Carpropamid, a specific inhibitor, could inhibit the conidial germination and appressorium production of E. turcica within 24h treatment but no evident inhibitory effect after 24h . The experimental results also suggested that E. turcica could not penetrate the surface of corn tissue or increase in the corn tissue. It was conclusion that scd gene might play an important role in melanin biosynthetic pathway and pathogenicity of E. turcica.

[Analysis and mapping of a rice repeated sequence].

A repeated sequence with a length of 560 bp, termed as DH17, was obtained during PCR amplification of rice NBS-LRR homologues. A repeated unit of 352 bp in the DH17 fragment was revealed through sequence analysis and comparison, which has a high homology with the known sequences of OS48 and TrsA, and belongs to the same repeat family. Southern hybridization displayed that there are higher DH17 copies in the genome of an indica variety, ZYQ8,than that in the genome of japonica variety, JX17. The tandom repeated DH17 sequence was mapped on the long arm end of chromosome 12 through RFLP analysis of a double haploid population derived from ZYQ8 and JX17 using DH17 as a probe.