title: Calcium/calmodulin-dependent signaling for appressorium formation in the plant pathogenic fungus Magnaporthe grisea.
abstract: Magnaporthe grisea, the causal agent of rice blast, forms a dome-shaped melanized infection structure, an appressorium, to infect its host. Environmental cues that induce appressorium formation by this fungus include hydrophobicity and hardness of contact surface, and chemicals from the host. To determine if the calcium/calmodulin-dependent signaling systems are involved in appressorium formation in M. grisea, we tested the effects of the calcium chelator, calcium ionophore, diverse intracellular calcium modulators, and calmodulin antagonists on appressorium formation. Several calcium modulators and calmodulin antagonists inhibited appressorium formation at the microM level, while conidia germination remained unaffected. There was an inhibition of appressorium formation by EGTA, a calcium chelator, which was restored by the addition of exogenous CaCl2. Neomycin, a phospholipase C inhibitor, specifically inhibited appressorium formation at concentrations from 10 microM to 100 mM. These data suggest that a calcium/calmodulin-dependent signaling system is involved in the appressorium formation of M. grisea.
authors.affiliation: Department of Agricultural Biology and Research Center for New Bio-Materials in Agriculture, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Seoul National University, Suwon, Korea.
authors.forename: S C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Y H
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D000317:Adrenergic alpha-Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D001203:Ascomycota / Q000187:drug effects / Q000472:pathogenicity / Q000502:physiology*; D000001:Calcimycin / Q000494:pharmacology; D002118:Calcium / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000502:physiology*; D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers / Q000494:pharmacology; D015220:Calcium Channels / Q000187:drug effects; D002147:Calmodulin / Q000502:physiology*; D002614:Chelating Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D002746:Chlorpromazine / Q000494:pharmacology; D018492:Dopamine Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D004533:Egtazic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology; D005707:Gallic Acid / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000494:pharmacology; D005711:Gallopamil / Q000494:pharmacology; D015544:Inositol 1,4,5-Trisphosphate / Q000494:pharmacology; D007476:Ionophores / Q000494:pharmacology; D009355:Neomycin / Q000494:pharmacology; D012275:Oryza / Q000382:microbiology; D010643:Phenoxybenzamine / Q000494:pharmacology; D011500:Protein Synthesis Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D054830:Sesterterpenes; D015398:Signal Transduction; D013172:Spores, Fungal / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development; D013449:Sulfonamides / Q000494:pharmacology; D013729:Terpenes / Q000494:pharmacology; D010738:Type C Phospholipases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors
chemical_list: D000317:Adrenergic alpha-Antagonists; D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers; D015220:Calcium Channels; D002147:Calmodulin; D002614:Chelating Agents; D018492:Dopamine Antagonists; D007476:Ionophores; D011500:Protein Synthesis Inhibitors; D054830:Sesterterpenes; D013449:Sulfonamides; D013729:Terpenes; D010643:Phenoxybenzamine; D000001:Calcimycin; D005711:Gallopamil; C040764:ophiobolin A; D004533:Egtazic Acid; C006014:8-(N,N-diethylamino)octyl-3,4,5-trimethoxybenzoate; D005707:Gallic Acid; C017967:W 7; D015544:Inositol 1,4,5-Trisphosphate; D010738:Type C Phospholipases; D009355:Neomycin; D002118:Calcium; D002746:Chlorpromazine