Balancing of the mitotic exit network and cell wall integrity signaling governs the development and pathogenicity in Magnaporthe oryzae.

The fungal cell wall plays an essential role in maintaining cell morphology, transmitting external signals, controlling cell growth, and even virulence. Relaxation and irreversible stretching of the cell wall are the prerequisites of cell division and development, but they also inevitably cause cell...

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Main Authors: Wanzhen Feng, Ziyi Yin, Haowen Wu, Peng Liu, Xinyu Liu, Muxing Liu, Rui Yu, Chuyun Gao, Haifeng Zhang, Xiaobo Zheng, Ping Wang, Zhengguang Zhang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2021-01-01
Series:PLoS Pathogens
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1009080
Description
Summary:The fungal cell wall plays an essential role in maintaining cell morphology, transmitting external signals, controlling cell growth, and even virulence. Relaxation and irreversible stretching of the cell wall are the prerequisites of cell division and development, but they also inevitably cause cell wall stress. Both Mitotic Exit Network (MEN) and Cell Wall Integrity (CWI) are signaling pathways that govern cell division and cell stress response, respectively, how these pathways cross talk to govern and coordinate cellular growth, development, and pathogenicity remains not fully understood. We have identified MoSep1, MoDbf2, and MoMob1 as the conserved components of MEN from the rice blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae. We have found that blocking cell division results in abnormal CWI signaling. In addition, we discovered that MoSep1 targets MoMkk1, a conserved key MAP kinase of the CWI pathway, through protein phosphorylation that promotes CWI signaling. Moreover, we provided evidence demonstrating that MoSep1-dependent MoMkk1 phosphorylation is essential for balancing cell division with CWI that maintains the dynamic stability required for virulence of the blast fungus.
ISSN:1553-7366
1553-7374