A novel transcription factor UvCGBP1 regulates development and virulence of rice false smut fungus Ustilaginoidea virens. Issue 1 (31st December 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Chen, Xiaoyang; Li, Pingping; Liu, Hao; Chen, Xiaolin; Huang, Junbin; Luo, Chaoxi; Li, Guotian; Hsiang, Tom; Collinge, David B.; Zheng, Lu
• Is Part Of: Virulence. Volume 12:Issue 1(2021)
• Page Start: 1563
• Page End: 1579
• Publication Date: 2021-12-31
• Subjects: Ustilaginoidea virens -- UvCGBP1 -- MAPK pathway -- ChIP-seq -- virulence; Virulence (Microbiology) -- Periodicals; Bacterial diseases -- Periodicals; Molecular microbiology -- Periodicals; 579.05
• DOI: 10.1080/21505594.2021.1936768
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2150-5608

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Ustilaginoidea virens, causing rice false smut (RFS) is an economically important ascomycetous fungal pathogen distributed in rice-growing regions worldwide. Here, we identified a novel transcription factor UvCGBP1 (C utinase G -box b inding p rotein) from this fungus, which is unique to ascomycetes. Deletion of UvCGBP1 affected development and virulence of U. virens . A total of 865 downstream target genes of UvCGBP1 was identified using ChIP-seq and the most significant KEGG enriched functional pathway was the MAPK signaling pathway. Approximately 36% of target genes contain the AGGGG (G-box) motif in their promoter. Among the targets, deletion of UvCGBP1 affected transcriptional and translational levels of UvPmk1 and UvSlt2, both of which were important in virulence. ChIP-qPCR, yeast one-hybrid and EMSA confirmed that UvCGBP1 can bind the promoter of UvPmk1 or UvSlt2 . Overexpression of UvPmk1 in the ∆UvCGBP1-33 mutant restored partially its virulence and hyphae growth, indicating that UvCGBP1 could function via the MAPK pathway to regulate fungal virulence. Taken together, this study uncovered a novel regulatory mechanism of fungal virulence linking the MAPK pathway mediated by a G-box binding transcription factor, UvCGBP1.