α-Pheromone Precursor Protein Foc4-PP1 Is Essential for the Full Virulence of <i>Fusarium oxysporum</i> f. sp. <i>cubense</i> Tropical Race 4
<i>Fusarium oxysporum</i> f. sp. <i>cubense</i> (<i>Foc</i>), which causes Fusarium wilt of bananas, is considered one of the most destructive fungal pathogens of banana crops worldwide. During infection, <i>Foc</i> secretes many different proteins whi...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2023-03-01
|
| Series: | Journal of Fungi |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2309-608X/9/3/365 |
| _version_ | 1827749157760139264 |
|---|---|
| author | Lu Liu Yinghua Huang Handa Song Mei Luo Zhangyong Dong |
| author_facet | Lu Liu Yinghua Huang Handa Song Mei Luo Zhangyong Dong |
| author_sort | Lu Liu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <i>Fusarium oxysporum</i> f. sp. <i>cubense</i> (<i>Foc</i>), which causes Fusarium wilt of bananas, is considered one of the most destructive fungal pathogens of banana crops worldwide. During infection, <i>Foc</i> secretes many different proteins which promote its colonization of plant tissues. Although <i>F. oxysporum</i> has no sexual cycle, it has been reported to secrete an α-pheromone, which acts as a growth regulator, chemoattractant, and quorum-sensing signaling molecule; and to encode a putative protein with the hallmarks of fungal α-pheromone precursors. In this study, we identified an ortholog of the α-pheromone precursor gene, <i>Foc4-PP1</i>, in <i>Foc</i> tropical race 4 (TR4), and showed that it was necessary for the growth and virulence of <i>Foc</i> TR4. <i>Foc4-PP1</i> deletion from the <i>Foc</i> TR4 genome resulted in decreased fungal growth, increased sensitivity to oxidative stress and cell-wall-damaging agents, and attenuation of pathogen virulence towards banana plantlets. Subcellular localization analysis revealed that Foc4-PP1 was concentrated in the nuclei and cytoplasm of <i>Nicotiana benthamiana</i> cells, where it could suppress BAX-induced programmed cell death. In conclusion, these findings suggest that Foc4-PP1 contributes to <i>Foc</i> TR4 virulence by promoting hyphal growth and abiotic stress resistance and inhibiting the immune defense responses of host plants. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T06:19:53Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-24d1a80d406b496f84f1fe8baa477c0d |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2309-608X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T06:19:53Z |
| publishDate | 2023-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Fungi |
| spelling | doaj.art-24d1a80d406b496f84f1fe8baa477c0d2023-11-17T12:00:32ZengMDPI AGJournal of Fungi2309-608X2023-03-019336510.3390/jof9030365α-Pheromone Precursor Protein Foc4-PP1 Is Essential for the Full Virulence of <i>Fusarium oxysporum</i> f. sp. <i>cubense</i> Tropical Race 4Lu Liu0Yinghua Huang1Handa Song2Mei Luo3Zhangyong Dong4Innovative Institute for Plant Health/Key Laboratory of Green Prevention and Control on Fruits and Vegetables in South China, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Engineering, Guangzhou 510225, ChinaInnovative Institute for Plant Health/Key Laboratory of Green Prevention and Control on Fruits and Vegetables in South China, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Engineering, Guangzhou 510225, ChinaInnovative Institute for Plant Health/Key Laboratory of Green Prevention and Control on Fruits and Vegetables in South China, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Engineering, Guangzhou 510225, ChinaInnovative Institute for Plant Health/Key Laboratory of Green Prevention and Control on Fruits and Vegetables in South China, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Engineering, Guangzhou 510225, ChinaInnovative Institute for Plant Health/Key Laboratory of Green Prevention and Control on Fruits and Vegetables in South China, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Engineering, Guangzhou 510225, China<i>Fusarium oxysporum</i> f. sp. <i>cubense</i> (<i>Foc</i>), which causes Fusarium wilt of bananas, is considered one of the most destructive fungal pathogens of banana crops worldwide. During infection, <i>Foc</i> secretes many different proteins which promote its colonization of plant tissues. Although <i>F. oxysporum</i> has no sexual cycle, it has been reported to secrete an α-pheromone, which acts as a growth regulator, chemoattractant, and quorum-sensing signaling molecule; and to encode a putative protein with the hallmarks of fungal α-pheromone precursors. In this study, we identified an ortholog of the α-pheromone precursor gene, <i>Foc4-PP1</i>, in <i>Foc</i> tropical race 4 (TR4), and showed that it was necessary for the growth and virulence of <i>Foc</i> TR4. <i>Foc4-PP1</i> deletion from the <i>Foc</i> TR4 genome resulted in decreased fungal growth, increased sensitivity to oxidative stress and cell-wall-damaging agents, and attenuation of pathogen virulence towards banana plantlets. Subcellular localization analysis revealed that Foc4-PP1 was concentrated in the nuclei and cytoplasm of <i>Nicotiana benthamiana</i> cells, where it could suppress BAX-induced programmed cell death. In conclusion, these findings suggest that Foc4-PP1 contributes to <i>Foc</i> TR4 virulence by promoting hyphal growth and abiotic stress resistance and inhibiting the immune defense responses of host plants.https://www.mdpi.com/2309-608X/9/3/365<i>Fusarium oxysporum</i> f. sp. <i>cubense</i>virulenceα-pheromone precursor |
| spellingShingle | Lu Liu Yinghua Huang Handa Song Mei Luo Zhangyong Dong α-Pheromone Precursor Protein Foc4-PP1 Is Essential for the Full Virulence of <i>Fusarium oxysporum</i> f. sp. <i>cubense</i> Tropical Race 4 Journal of Fungi <i>Fusarium oxysporum</i> f. sp. <i>cubense</i> virulence α-pheromone precursor |
| title | α-Pheromone Precursor Protein Foc4-PP1 Is Essential for the Full Virulence of <i>Fusarium oxysporum</i> f. sp. <i>cubense</i> Tropical Race 4 |
| title_full | α-Pheromone Precursor Protein Foc4-PP1 Is Essential for the Full Virulence of <i>Fusarium oxysporum</i> f. sp. <i>cubense</i> Tropical Race 4 |
| title_fullStr | α-Pheromone Precursor Protein Foc4-PP1 Is Essential for the Full Virulence of <i>Fusarium oxysporum</i> f. sp. <i>cubense</i> Tropical Race 4 |
| title_full_unstemmed | α-Pheromone Precursor Protein Foc4-PP1 Is Essential for the Full Virulence of <i>Fusarium oxysporum</i> f. sp. <i>cubense</i> Tropical Race 4 |
| title_short | α-Pheromone Precursor Protein Foc4-PP1 Is Essential for the Full Virulence of <i>Fusarium oxysporum</i> f. sp. <i>cubense</i> Tropical Race 4 |
| title_sort | α pheromone precursor protein foc4 pp1 is essential for the full virulence of i fusarium oxysporum i f sp i cubense i tropical race 4 |
| topic | <i>Fusarium oxysporum</i> f. sp. <i>cubense</i> virulence α-pheromone precursor |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2309-608X/9/3/365 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT luliu apheromoneprecursorproteinfoc4pp1isessentialforthefullvirulenceofifusariumoxysporumifspicubenseitropicalrace4 AT yinghuahuang apheromoneprecursorproteinfoc4pp1isessentialforthefullvirulenceofifusariumoxysporumifspicubenseitropicalrace4 AT handasong apheromoneprecursorproteinfoc4pp1isessentialforthefullvirulenceofifusariumoxysporumifspicubenseitropicalrace4 AT meiluo apheromoneprecursorproteinfoc4pp1isessentialforthefullvirulenceofifusariumoxysporumifspicubenseitropicalrace4 AT zhangyongdong apheromoneprecursorproteinfoc4pp1isessentialforthefullvirulenceofifusariumoxysporumifspicubenseitropicalrace4 |