title: Ornithine decarboxylase of Stagonospora (Septoria) nodorum is required for virulence toward wheat.
abstract: A knockout strain of Stagonospora (Septoria) nodorum lacking the single ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) allele has been created by targeted gene replacement. A central region of the S. nodorum ODC gene was isolated by polymerase chain reaction using degenerate oligonucleotides and used to probe a lambda genomic library. The gene was sequenced and the encoded ODC protein sequence was shown to be similar to those from other fungi. The functionality of the S. nodorum ODC was confirmed by complementation of an Aspergillus nidulans mutant (puA) strain devoid of ODC activity, restoring growth in the absence of exogenous polyamines. Sporulation of the transformants was reduced suggesting abberant regulation of the S. nodorum gene in A. nidulans. Transformation-mediated gene replacement was used to create strains which were auxotrophic for putrescine and lack ODC coding sequences. Pathogenicity studies on these mutants showed that they are greatly reduced in virulence compared with non-disrupted transformants. This confirms that the strains carrying an ODC disruption cannot obtain sufficient polyamines from the host plant for normal growth and, thus, that fungal ODC may be a suitable target for chemical intervention.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Arable Crop Research-Long Ashton Research Station, Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Bristol, Long Ashton, Bristol, BS41 9AF, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bailey
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mueller
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bowyer
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001203:Ascomycota / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D001233:Aspergillus nidulans / Q000235:genetics; D001483:Base Sequence; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D003470:Culture Media; D017931:DNA Primers; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009955:Ornithine Decarboxylase / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D014170:Transformation, Genetic; D014908:Triticum / Q000382:microbiology*; D014774:Virulence
chemical_list: D003470:Culture Media; D017931:DNA Primers; D009955:Ornithine Decarboxylase