Characterization of MoLDB1 required for vegetative growth, infection-related morphogenesis, and pathogenicity in the rice blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae

The RasGEF MoCdc25 regulates vegetative growth, conidiation and appressorium-mediated infection in the rice blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae

Ras guanine nucleotide exchange factors (RasGEFs) can trigger Ras GTPase activities and play important roles in controlling various cellular processes in eukaryotes. Recently, it has been exhibited that RasGEF Cdc25 regulates morphological differentiation and pathogenicity in several plant pathogenic fungi. However, the role of RasGEFs in Magnaporthe oryzae is largely unknown. In this study, we identified and functionally characterized a RasGEF gene MoCDC25 in M. oryzae, which is orthologous to Saccharomyces cerevisiae CDC25. Targeted gene deletion mutants (ΔMocdc25) were completely nonpathogenic and were severely impaired in hyphal growth, conidiation and appressorium formation. The mutants exhibited highly sensitive response to osmotic, cell wall integrity or oxidative stresses. MoCdc25 physically interacts with the MAPK scaffold Mst50 and the putative Cdc42GEF MoScd1 in yeast two-hybrid assays. Moreover, we found that MoCdc25 was involved in regulating the phosphorylation of the MAP kinases (Pmk1, Mps1, and Osm1). In addition, the intracellular cAMP content in hyphae of the ΔMocdc25 mutants was significantly reduced compared to the parent strain Ku80 and the defect of appressorium formation of the mutants could be partially restored by the supplement of exogenous cAMP. Taken together, we conclude that the RasGEF MoCdc25 regulates vegetative growth, conidiation, appressorium formation and pathogenicity via MAPK and cAMP response pathways in M. oryzae.

Exploring the diversity of virulence genes in the Magnaporthe population infecting millets and rice in India

Blast pathogen, Magnaporthe spp., that infects ancient millet crops such pearl millet, finger millet, foxtail millet, barnyard millet, and rice was isolated from different locations of blast hotspots in India using single spore isolation technique and 136 pure isolates were established. Numerous growth characteristics were captured via morphogenesis analysis. Among the 10 investigated virulent genes, we could amplify MPS1 (TTK Protein Kinase) and Mlc (Myosin Regulatory Light Chain edc4) in majority of tested isolates, regardless of the crop and region where they were collected, indicating that these may be crucial for their virulence. Additionally, among the four avirulence (Avr) genes studied, Avr-Pizt had the highest frequency of occurrence, followed by Avr-Pia. It is noteworthy to mention that Avr-Pik was present in the least number of isolates (9) and was completely absent from the blast isolates from finger millet, foxtail millet, and barnyard millet. A comparison at the molecular level between virulent and avirulent isolates indicated observably large variation both across (44%) and within (56%) them. The 136 Magnaporthe spp isolates were divided into four groups using molecular markers. Regardless of their geographic distribution, host plants, or tissues affected, the data indicate that the prevalence of numerous pathotypes and virulence factors at the field level, which may lead to a high degree of pathogenic variation. This research could be used for the strategic deployment of resistant genes to develop blast disease-resistant cultivars in rice, pearl millet, finger millet, foxtail millet, and barnyard millet.

Characterization of the MYB Genes Reveals Insights Into Their Evolutionary Conservation, Structural Diversity, and Functional Roles in Magnaporthe oryzae

The myeloblastosis (MYB) transcription factor family is evolutionarily conserved among plants, animals, and fungi, and contributes to their growth and development. We identified and analyzed 10 putative MYB genes in Magnaporthe oryzae (MoMYB) and determined their phylogenetic relationships, revealing high divergence and variability. Although MYB domains are generally defined by three tandem repeats, MoMYBs contain one or two weakly conserved repeats embedded in extensive disordered regions. We characterized the secondary domain organization, disordered segments, and functional contributions of each MoMYB. During infection, MoMYBs are distinctively expressed and can be subdivided into two clades of being either up- or down-regulated. Among these, MoMYB1 and MoMYB8 are up-regulated during infection and vegetative growth, respectively. We found MoMYB1 localized predominantly to the cytosol during the formation of infection structures. ΔMomyb1 exhibited reduced virulence on intact rice leaves corresponding to the diminished ability to form hypha-driven appressorium (HDA). We discovered that MoMYB1 regulates HDA formation on hard, hydrophobic surfaces, whereas host surfaces partially restored HDA formation in ΔMomyb1. Lipid droplet accumulation in hyphal tips and expression of HDA-associated genes were strongly perturbed in ΔMomyb1 indicating genetic interaction of MoMYB1 with downstream components critical to HDA formation. We also found that MoMYB8 is necessary for fungal growth, dark-induced melanization of hyphae, and involved in higher abiotic stress tolerance. Taken together, we revealed a multifaceted picture of the MoMYB family, wherein a low degree of conservation has led to the development of distinct structures and functions, ranging from fungal growth to virulence.

The putative deubiquitinating enzyme MoUbp4 is required for infection-related morphogenesis and pathogenicity in the rice blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae

Ubiquitination is a key regulatory mechanism that affects numerous important biological processes, including cellular differentiation and pathogenesis in eukaryotic cells. Attachment of proteins to ubiquitin is reversed by specialized proteases, deubiquitinating enzymes (DUBs), which are essential for precursor processing, maintaining ubiquitin homeostasis and promoting protein degradation by recycling ubiquitins. Here, we report the identification of a novel non-pathogenic T-DNA-tagged mutant T612 of Magnaporthe oryzae with a single insertion in the second exon of MoUBP4, which encodes a putative ubiquitin carboxyl-terminal hydrolase. Targeted gene deletion mutants of MoUBP4 are significantly reduced in mycelial growth, conidiation, and increased in tolerance to SDS and CR (Congo red) cell-wall damage. The ΔMoubp4 mutants are blocked in penetration and invasive growth, which results in the loss of pathogenicity. Many conidia produced by the ΔMoubp4 mutants are unable to form appressoria and mobilization and degradation of glycogen and lipid droplets are significantly delayed. Moreover, immunohybridization analysis revealed that total protein ubiquitination levels of the null mutants were significantly increased, indicating that MoUbp4 functions as a deubiquitination enzyme. Taken together, we conclude that MoUbp4 is required for deubiquitination, infection-related morphogenesis and pathogenicity in M. oryzae.

MoLEU1, MoLEU2, and MoLEU4 regulated by MoLEU3 are involved in leucine biosynthesis, fungal development, and pathogenicity in Magnaporthe oryzae

Amino acids are vital components in cell metabolism. Leucine is a regulatory factor that generates significant impact on protein synthesis/turnover, modulates diverse cellular signalling pathways and participates in oxidative processes and immune responses. Here, we identified and characterized the functions of a leucine-associated Zn₂ Cys₆ -type transcription factor, MoLeu3. Disruption of MoLEU3 resulted in significantly reduced pathogenicity in barley and rice. Quantitative RT-PCR showed that the expression levels of the putative leucine biosynthesis-related genes, MoLEU1, MoLEU2 and MoLEU4 were downregulated in the ΔMoleu3 mutant. We used high-throughput gene knockout method to generate the null mutants of MoLEU1, MoLEU2 and MoLEU4 respectively. The ΔMoleu1, ΔMoleu2 and ΔMoleu4 mutants are leucine auxotroph and showed similar phenotypic characterizations, including reduced conidiation, delayed mobilization and degradation of glycogen and lipid droplets, limited appressorium-mediated penetration, and restricted invasive hyphae growth within host cells. Collectively, MoLEU1, MoLEU2, and MoLEU4 regulated by MoLEU3 play crucial roles in fungal development and infectious processes through modulation of leucine biosynthesis in Magnaporthe oryzae.

Leucine biosynthesis is required for infection-related morphogenesis and pathogenicity in the rice blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae

The rice blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae causes one of the most devastating crop diseases world-wide and new control strategies for blast disease are urgently required. We have used insertional mutagenesis in M. oryzae to define biological processes that are critical for blast disease. Here, we report the identification of LEU2A by T-DNA mutagenesis, which putatively encodes 3-isopropylmalate dehydrogenase (3-IPMDH) required for leucine biosynthesis, implicating that synthesis of this amino acid is required for fungal pathogenesis. M. oryzae contains a further predicted 3-IPMDH gene (LEU2B), two 2-isopropylmalate synthase (2-IPMS) genes (LEU4 and LEU9) and an isopropylmalate isomerase (IPMI) gene (LEU1). Targeted gene deletion mutants of LEU1, LEU2A or LEU4 are leucine auxotrophs, and severely defective in pathogenicity. All phenotypes associated with mutants lacking LEU1, LEU2A or LEU4 could be overcome by adding exogenous leucine. The expression levels of LEU1, LEU2A or LEU4 genes were significantly down-regulated by deletion of the transcription factor gene LEU3, an ortholog of Saccharomyces cerevisiae LEU3. We also functionally characterized leucine biosynthesis genes in the wheat pathogen Fusarium graminearum and found that FgLEU1, FgLEU3 and FgLEU4 are essential for wheat head blight disease, suggesting that leucine biosynthesis in filamentous fungal pathogens may be a conserved factor for fungal pathogenicity and, therefore, a potential target for disease control.

MoIVD-Mediated Leucine Catabolism Is Required for Vegetative Growth, Conidiation and Full Virulence of the Rice Blast Fungus Magnaporthe oryzae

Isovaleryl-CoA dehydrogenase (IVD), a member of the acyl-CoA dehydrogenase (ACAD) family, is a key enzyme catalyzing the conversion of isovaleryl-CoA to β-methylcrotonyl-CoA in the third reaction of the leucine catabolism pathway and simultaneously transfers electrons to the electron-transferring flavoprotein (ETF) for ATP synthesis. We previously identified the ETF ortholog in rice blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae (MoETF) and showed that MoETF was essential for fungal growth, conidiation and pathogenicity. To further investigate the biological function of electron-transferring proteins and clarify the role of leucine catabolism in growth and pathogenesis, we characterized MoIVD (M. oryzaeisovaleryl-CoA dehydrogenase). MoIvd is highly conserved in fungi and its expression was highly induced by leucine. The Δmoivd mutants showed reduced growth, decreased conidiation and compromised pathogenicity, while the conidial germination and appressorial formation appeared normal. Consistent with a block in leucine degradation, the Δmoivd mutants accumulated isovaleric acid, grew more slowly, fully lacked pigmentation and completely failed to produce conidia on leucine-rich medium. These defects were largely rescued by raising the extracellular pH, suggesting that the accumulation of isovaleric acid contributes to the growth and conidiation defects. However, the reduced virulence of the mutants was probably due to their inability to overcome oxidative stress, since a large amount of ROS (reactive oxygen species) accumulated in infected host cell. In addition, MoIvd is localized to mitochondria and interacted with its electron receptor MoEtfb, the β subunit of MoEtf. Taken together, our results suggest that MoIVD functions in leucine catabolism and is required for the vegetative growth, conidiation and full virulence of M. oryzae, providing the first evidence for IVD-mediated leucine catabolism in the development and pathogenesis of plant fungal pathogens.

A Putative Zn2Cys6 Transcription Factor Is Associated With Isoprothiolane Resistance in Magnaporthe oryzae

Isoprothiolane (IPT), a systemic fungicide, has been applied to control rice blast since the 1970s. Although resistance to IPT has been observed, the mechanism of resistance still has not been fully elucidated. In this study, nucleotide polymorphisms were detected between two IPT-resistant mutants generated in the lab, and their parental wild type isolates using a whole-genome sequencing approach. In the genomes of the two resistant mutants, single point mutations were identified in a gene encoding a Zn2Cys6 transcription factor-like protein. Notably, either knocking out the gene or replacing the wild type allele with the mutant allele (R343W) in a wild type isolate resulted in resistance to IPT, indicating that the gene is associated with IPT resistance, and thus was designated as MoIRR (Magnaporthe oryzae isoprothiolane resistance related). Along with point mutations R343W in mutant 1a_mut, and R345C in 1c_mut, a 16 bp insertion in 6c_mut was also located in the Fungal_TF_MHR domain of MoIRR, revealing that this domain may be the core element for IPT resistance. In addition, IPT-resistant mutants and transformants showed cross-resistance with iprobenfos (IBP), which was consistent with previous observations. These results indicated that MoIRR is strongly connected to resistance to choline biosynthesis inhibitor (CBI), and further work should focus on investigating downstream effects of MoIRR.

Glycerol-3-Phosphate Shuttle Is Involved in Development and Virulence in the Rice Blast Fungus Pyricularia oryzae

The glycerol-3-phosphate (G-3-P) shuttle is an important pathway for delivery of cytosolic reducing equivalents into mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation, and plays essential physiological roles in yeast, plants, and animals. However, its role has been unclear in filamentous and pathogenic fungi. Here, we characterize the function of the G-3-P shuttle in Pyricularia oryzae by genetic and molecular analyses. In P. oryzae, a glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase 1 (PoGpd1) is involved in NO production, conidiation, and utilization of several carbon sources (pyruvate, sodium acetate, glutamate, and glutamine). A glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase 2 (PoGpd2) is essential for glycerol utilization and fungal development. Deletion of PoGPD2 led to delayed aerial hyphal formation, accelerated aerial hyphal collapse, and reduced conidiation on complete medium (CM) under a light-dark cycle. Aerial mycelial surface hydrophobicity to water and Tween 20 was decreased in ΔPogpd2. Melanin synthesis genes required for cell wall construction and two transcription factor genes (COS1 and CONx2) required for conidiation and/or aerial hyphal differentiation were down-regulated in the aerial mycelia of ΔPogpd2 and ΔPogpd1. Culturing under continuous dark could complement the defects of aerial hyphal differentiation of ΔPogpd2 observed in a light-dark cycle. Two light-sensitive protein genes (PoSIR2 encoding an NAD⁺-dependent deacetylase and TRX2 encoding a thioredoxin 2) were up-regulated in ΔPogpd2 cultured on CM medium in a light-dark cycle. ΔPogpd2 showed an increased intracellular NAD⁺/NADH ratio and total NAD content, and alteration of intracellular ATP production. Culturing on minimal medium also could restore aerial hyphal differentiation of ΔPogpd2, which is deficient on CM medium in a light-dark cycle. Two glutamate synthesis genes, GDH1 and PoGLT1, which synthesize glutamate coupled with oxidation of NADH to NAD⁺, were significantly up-regulated in ΔPogpd2 in a light-dark cycle. Moreover, deletion of PoGpd1 or PoGpd2 led to reduced virulence of conidia or hyphae on rice. The glycerol-3-phosphate shuttle is involved in cellular redox, fungal development, and virulence in P. oryzae.

Low-affinity iron transport protein Uvt3277 is important for pathogenesis in the rice false smut fungus Ustilaginoidea virens

Ustilaginoidea virens is the causal agent of rice false smut disease resulting in quantitative and qualitative losses in rice. To gain insights into the pathogenic mechanisms of U. virens, we established a T-DNA insertion mutant library of U. virens through Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation and selected an enhanced pathogenicity mutant (i.e., B3277). We analyzed the biological characteristics of the wild-type P1 and B3277. The growth rate and sporulation of B3277 were decreased compared with those of P1; the ferrous iron could be utilized by B3277, but inhibited the growth of P1. Southern blot analysis was performed to verify the copy number of the foreign gene inserted in the genomic DNA and only one copy of the T-DNA was found. The combined hiTAIL-PCR with RACE-PCR analysis showed the successful cloning of full length of the T-DNA flanking gene associated with pathogenicity, named Uvt3277. Gene expression was analyzed using real-time PCR. Results revealed that Uvt3277 was expressed at lower levels in B3277 than in P1. This gene was then subjected to bioinformatics analysis. The encoded protein of Uvt3277 exhibited high homology with low-affinity iron transporter proteins in some fungi. Transformation of the RNAi vector by constructing the hairpin RNA of the target gene was confirmed as successful. The pathogenicity of the transformant also increased. These results suggested that Uvt3277 may have an important function associated with the pathogenesis of U. virens. This study provides insights into the pathogenic mechanism of U. virens and a molecular target of disease control.

Functional characterization of electron-transferring flavoprotein and its dehydrogenase required for fungal development and plant infection by the rice blast fungus

Electron-transferring flavoprotein (ETF) and its dehydrogenase (ETFDH) are highly conserved electron carriers which mainly function in mitochondrial fatty acid β oxidation. Here, we report the identification and characterization of ETF α and β subunit encoding genes (ETFA and ETFB) and ETFDH encoding gene (ETFDH) in the rice blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae. It was demonstrated that, by impacting fatty acid metabolism, ETF and ETFDH mutations led to severe growth and conidiation defects, which could be largely rescued by exogenous acetate or carbonate. Furthermore, although conidium germination and appressorium formation appeared to be normal in ETF and ETFDH mutants, most appressoria failed to penetrate the host epidermis due to low turgor pressure. The few appressoria that succeeded in penetration were severely restricted in invasive growth and consequently failed to cause disease. Moreover, ETF mutant etfb(-) induced ROS accumulation in infected host cells and exogenous antioxidant GSH accelerated mutant invading growth without increasing the penetration rate. In addition, mutant etfb(-) displayed elevated lipid body accumulation and reduced ATP synthesis. Taken together, ETF and ETFDH play an important role in fungal development and plant infection in M. oryzae by regulation of fatty acid metabolism, turgor establishment and induction of host ROS accumulation.

ZNF1 Encodes a Putative C2H2 Zinc-Finger Protein Essential for Appressorium Differentiation by the Rice Blast Fungus Magnaporthe oryzae

The rice blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae forms specialized infection structures called appressoria which are essential for gaining entry to plant tissue. Here, we report the identification of a novel nonpathogenic T-DNA-tagged mutant XF696 of M. oryzae with a single insertion in the promoter of ZNF1, which encodes a putative transcription factor (TF). Targeted gene deletion mutants of ZNF1 are nonpathogenic and unable to develop appressoria. However, Δznf1 mutants still respond to exogenous cyclic AMP on hydrophilic surfaces and can sense hydrophobic surfaces, initiating the differentiation of germ tubes. Interestingly, Δznf1 mutants also produce significantly more conidia compared with the isogenic wild-type strain. Quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction analysis and green fluorescent protein fusion experiments revealed that expression of ZNF1 was highly induced during germination and appressorium development in M. oryzae and potentially regulated by the Pmk1 mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway. We observed that Δznf1 mutants are affected in mitosis and impaired in mobilization and degradation of lipid droplets and glycogen reserves during appressorium differentiation. Site-directed mutagenesis confirmed that three of the four C2H2 zinc-finger domains are essential for the function of Znf1. Taken together, we conclude that a C2H2 zinc-finger TF encoded by ZNF1 is essential for appressorium development by the rice blast fungus.

Systematic analysis of Zn2Cys6 transcription factors required for development and pathogenicity by high-throughput gene knockout in the rice blast fungus

Because of great challenges and workload in deleting genes on a large scale, the functions of most genes in pathogenic fungi are still unclear. In this study, we developed a high-throughput gene knockout system using a novel yeast-Escherichia-Agrobacterium shuttle vector, pKO1B, in the rice blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae. Using this method, we deleted 104 fungal-specific Zn(2)Cys(6) transcription factor (TF) genes in M. oryzae. We then analyzed the phenotypes of these mutants with regard to growth, asexual and infection-related development, pathogenesis, and 9 abiotic stresses. The resulting data provide new insights into how this rice pathogen of global significance regulates important traits in the infection cycle through Zn(2)Cys(6)TF genes. A large variation in biological functions of Zn(2)Cys(6)TF genes was observed under the conditions tested. Sixty-one of 104 Zn(2)Cys(6) TF genes were found to be required for fungal development. In-depth analysis of TF genes revealed that TF genes involved in pathogenicity frequently tend to function in multiple development stages, and disclosed many highly conserved but unidentified functional TF genes of importance in the fungal kingdom. We further found that the virulence-required TF genes GPF1 and CNF2 have similar regulation mechanisms in the gene expression involved in pathogenicity. These experimental validations clearly demonstrated the value of a high-throughput gene knockout system in understanding the biological functions of genes on a genome scale in fungi, and provided a solid foundation for elucidating the gene expression network that regulates the development and pathogenicity of M. oryzae.

Putative RhoGAP proteins orchestrate vegetative growth, conidiogenesis and pathogenicity of the rice blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae

Rho GTPases, acting as molecular switches, are involved in the regulation of diverse cellular functions. Rho GTPase activating proteins (Rho GAPs) function as negative regulators of Rho GTPases and are required for a variety of signaling processes in cell development. But the mechanisms underlying Rho GAPs in Rho-mediated signaling pathways in fungi are still elusive. There are eight RhoGAP domain-containing genes annotated in the Magnaporthe oryzae genome. To understand the function of these RhoGAP genes, we generated knockout mutants of each of the RhoGAP genes through a homologous recombination-based method. Phenotypic analysis showed that growth rate of aerial hyphae of the Molrg1 deletion mutant decreased dramatically. The ΔMolrg1 mutant showed significantly reduced conidiation and appressorium formation by germ tubes. Moreover, it lost pathogenicity completely. Deletion of another Rho GAP (MoRga1) resulted in high percentage of larger or gherkin-shaped conidia and slight decrease in conidiation. Appressorial formation of the ΔMoRga1 mutant was delayed significantly on hydrophobic surface, while the development of mycelial growth and pathogenicity in plants was not affected. Confocal fluorescence microscopy imaging showed that MoRga1-GFP localizes to septal pore of the conidium, and this localization pattern requires both LIM and RhoGAP domains. Furthermore, either deleting the LIM or RhoGAP domain or introducing an inactivating R1032A mutation in the RhoGAP domain of MoRga1 caused similar defects as the Morga1 deletion mutant in terms of conidial morphology and appressorial formation, suggesting that MoRga1 is a stage-specific regulator of conidial differentiation by regulating some specific Rho GTPases. In this regard, MoRga1 and MoLrg1 physically interacted with both MoRac1-CA and MoCdc42-CA in the yeast two-hybrid and pull-down assays, suggesting that the actions of these two GAPs are involved in MoRac1 and MoCdc42 pathways. On the other hand, six other putative Rho GAPs (MoRga2 to MoRga7) were dispensable for conidiation, vegetative growth, appressorial formation and pathogenicity, suggesting that these Rho GAPs function redundantly during fungal development. Taking together, Rho GAP genes play important roles in M. oryzae development and infectious processes through coordination and modulation of Rho GTPases.

Disruption and molecular characterization of calpains-related (MoCAPN1, MoCAPN3 and MoCAPN4) genes in Magnaporthe oryzae

Calpains are intracellular, cysteine proteases found in plants, animals and fungi functioning as signal transduction components in different cellular pathways including sporulation and alkaline adaptation in fungi. Calpains-related MoCAPN1 (MGG_14872), MoCAPN3 (MGG_15810) and MoCAPN4 (MGG_04818) genes from Magnaporthe oryzae genome which are 2604, 3513 and 771-bp in length and encoding identical proteins of 867, 1170 and 256 amino acids were functionally characterized for different phenotypes through gene disruption method. All the mutants except those for MoCAPN1 showed normal phenotypes. In pathogenicity test, the mutants did not lead to any visible changes in phenotypes causing similar blast lesions on blast susceptible rice and barley leaves as those of the Guy-11 strain suggesting no major role in pathogenicity. Germ tubes formation, appressorium formation, mycelium radial growth and mating with 2539 strain were indistinguishable among the mutants and Guy-11 strains. Cell wall integrity (congo red) test, stress response under chemical pressure (ZnSO4, CuSO4 and CdCl2), osmotic and oxidative (NaCl and H2O2) stress response, growth response on glucose and nitrogen deficient media resulted in similar results in the mutants and Guy-11 strains. However, mutants for ΔMoCAPN1 gene produced reduced (0.57±0.15B and 0.54±0.05B) conidia compared to that (1.69±0.13A) of the Guy-11 strain showing its involvement in conidiation.

Characterisation of four LIM protein-encoding genes involved in infection-related development and pathogenicity by the rice blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae

LIM domain proteins contain contiguous double-zinc finger domains and play important roles in cytoskeletal re-organisation and organ development in multi-cellular eukaryotes. Here, we report the characterization of four genes encoding LIM proteins in the rice blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae. Targeted gene replacement of either the paxillin-encoding gene, PAX1, or LRG1 resulted in a significant reduction in hyphal growth and loss of pathogenicity, while deletion of RGA1 caused defects in conidiogenesis and appressorium development. A fourth LIM domain gene, LDP1, was not required for infection-associated development by M. oryzae. Live cell imaging revealed that Lrg1-GFP and Rga1-GFP both localize to septal pores, while Pax1-GFP is present in the cytoplasm. To explore the function of individual LIM domains, we carried out systematic deletion of each LIM domain, which revealed the importance of the Lrg1-LIM2 and Lrg1-RhoGAP domains for Lrg1 function and overlapping functions of the three LIM domains of Pax1. Interestingly, deletion of either PAX1 or LRG1 led to decreased sensitivity to cell wall-perturbing agents, such as Congo Red and SDS (sodium dodecyl sulfate). qRT-PCR analysis demonstrated the importance of both Lrg1 and Pax1 to regulation of genes associated with cell wall biogenesis. When considered together, our results indicate that LIM domain proteins are key regulators of infection-associated morphogenesis by the rice blast fungus.

The MET13 methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase gene is essential for infection-related morphogenesis in the rice blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae

Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductases (MTHFRs) play a key role in the biosynthesis of methionine in both prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms. In this study, we report the identification of a novel T-DNA-tagged mutant WH672 in the rice blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae, which was defective in vegetative growth, conidiation and pathogenicity. Analysis of the mutation confirmed a single T-DNA insertion upstream of MET13, which encodes a 626-amino-acid protein encoding a MTHFR. Targeted gene deletion of MET13 resulted in mutants that were non-pathogenic and significantly impaired in aerial growth and melanin pigmentation. All phenotypes associated with Δmet13 mutants could be overcome by addition of exogenous methionine. The M. oryzae genome contains a second predicted MTHFR-encoding gene, MET12. The deduced amino acid sequences of Met13 and Met12 share 32% identity. Interestingly, Δmet12 mutants produced significantly less conidia compared with the isogenic wild-type strain and grew very poorly in the absence of methionine, but were fully pathogenic. Deletion of both genes resulted in Δmet13Δmet12 mutants that showed similar phenotypes to single Δmet13 mutants. Taken together, we conclude that the MTHFR gene, MET13, is essential for infection-related morphogenesis by the rice blast fungus M. oryzae.

Global expression profiling of transcription factor genes provides new insights into pathogenicity and stress responses in the rice blast fungus

Because most efforts to understand the molecular mechanisms underpinning fungal pathogenicity have focused on studying the function and role of individual genes, relatively little is known about how transcriptional machineries globally regulate and coordinate the expression of a large group of genes involved in pathogenesis. Using quantitative real-time PCR, we analyzed the expression patterns of 206 transcription factor (TF) genes in the rice blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae under 32 conditions, including multiple infection-related developmental stages and various abiotic stresses. The resulting data, which are publicly available via an online platform, provided new insights into how these TFs are regulated and potentially work together to control cellular responses to a diverse array of stimuli. High degrees of differential TF expression were observed under the conditions tested. More than 50% of the 206 TF genes were up-regulated during conidiation and/or in conidia. Mutations in ten conidiation-specific TF genes caused defects in conidiation. Expression patterns in planta were similar to those under oxidative stress conditions. Mutants of in planta inducible genes not only exhibited sensitive to oxidative stress but also failed to infect rice. These experimental validations clearly demonstrated the value of TF expression patterns in predicting the function of individual TF genes. The regulatory network of TF genes revealed by this study provides a solid foundation for elucidating how M. oryzae regulates its pathogenesis, development, and stress responses.

Two novel transcriptional regulators are essential for infection-related morphogenesis and pathogenicity of the rice blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae

The cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase A signaling pathway plays a major role in regulating plant infection by the rice blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae. Here, we report the identification of two novel genes, MoSOM1 and MoCDTF1, which were discovered in an insertional mutagenesis screen for non-pathogenic mutants of M. oryzae. MoSOM1 or MoCDTF1 are both necessary for development of spores and appressoria by M. oryzae and play roles in cell wall differentiation, regulating melanin pigmentation and cell surface hydrophobicity during spore formation. MoSom1 strongly interacts with MoStu1 (Mstu1), an APSES transcription factor protein, and with MoCdtf1, while also interacting more weakly with the catalytic subunit of protein kinase A (CpkA) in yeast two hybrid assays. Furthermore, the expression levels of MoSOM1 and MoCDTF1 were significantly reduced in both Δmac1 and ΔcpkA mutants, consistent with regulation by the cAMP/PKA signaling pathway. MoSom1-GFP and MoCdtf1-GFP fusion proteins localized to the nucleus of fungal cells. Site-directed mutagenesis confirmed that nuclear localization signal sequences in MoSom1 and MoCdtf1 are essential for their sub-cellular localization and biological functions. Transcriptional profiling revealed major changes in gene expression associated with loss of MoSOM1 during infection-related development. We conclude that MoSom1 and MoCdtf1 functions downstream of the cAMP/PKA signaling pathway and are novel transcriptional regulators associated with cellular differentiation during plant infection by the rice blast fungus.

Magnaporthe oryzae, the causal agent of rice blast disease, is an important model fungal pathogen for understanding the molecular basis of plant-fungus interactions. In M. oryzae, the conserved cAMP/PKA signaling pathway has been demonstrated to be crucial for regulating infection-related morphogenesis and pathogenicity, including the control of sporulation and appressorium formation. In this study, we report the identification of two novel pathogenicity-related genes, MoSOM1 and MoCDTF1, by T-DNA insertional mutagenesis. Our results show that MoSOM1 or MoCDTF1 are essential for sporulation, appressorium formatiom and pathogenicity, and also play a key role in hyphal growth, melanin pigmentation and cell surface hydrophobicity. Nuclear localization sequences and conserved domains of the MoSom1 and MoCdtf1 proteins are crucial for their biological function. MoSom1 interacts physically with the transcription factors MoCdtf1 and MoStu1. We also show evidence that MoSom1 has the capacity to interact with CpkA, suggesting that MoSom1 may act downstream of the cAMP/PKA signaling pathway to regulate infection-related morphogenesis and pathogenicity in M. oryzae. Our studies extend the current understanding of downstream components of the conserved cAMP/PKA pathway and its precise role in regulating infection-related development and cellular differentiation by M. oryzae.

Rediscovery by Whole Genome Sequencing: Classical Mutations and Genome Polymorphisms in Neurospora crassa

Classical forward genetics has been foundational to modern biology, and has been the paradigm for characterizing the role of genes in shaping phenotypes for decades. In recent years, reverse genetics has been used to identify the functions of genes, via the intentional introduction of variation and subsequent evaluation in physiological, molecular, and even population contexts. These approaches are complementary and whole genome analysis serves as a bridge between the two. We report in this article the whole genome sequencing of eighteen classical mutant strains of Neurospora crassa and the putative identification of the mutations associated with corresponding mutant phenotypes. Although some strains carry multiple unique nonsynonymous, nonsense, or frameshift mutations, the combined power of limiting the scope of the search based on genetic markers and of using a comparative analysis among the eighteen genomes provides strong support for the association between mutation and phenotype. For ten of the mutants, the mutant phenotype is recapitulated in classical or gene deletion mutants in Neurospora or other filamentous fungi. From thirteen to 137 nonsense mutations are present in each strain and indel sizes are shown to be highly skewed in gene coding sequence. Significant additional genetic variation was found in the eighteen mutant strains, and this variability defines multiple alleles of many genes. These alleles may be useful in further genetic and molecular analysis of known and yet-to-be-discovered functions and they invite new interpretations of molecular and genetic interactions in classical mutant strains.