Stage-specific cellular localisation of two hydrophobins during plant infection by the pathogenic fungus Cladosporium fulvum.
Hydrophobins are central to developmental processes of filamentous fungi. HCf-1 and HCf-6 are two of the six hydrophobins identified in the plant pathogenic fungus Cladosporium fulvum. We have fused the viral epitope V5 to HCf-1 and HCf-6, introduced the recombinant genes into C. fulvum strains that lack the two genes, and localised the tagged proteins by immunofluorescence microscopy. HCf-1(V5) is abundant on conidia and aerial structures formed in vitro and emerging from disease lesions on infected tomato plants. This is consistent with the proposed function of HCf-1 in aerial development and dissemination of conidia. HCf-6(V5) is secreted onto the growth substrate by the hyphae and during invasion of plant tissues, which suggests a function in adhesion and infection. This was not supported by the phenotypic analysis of DeltaHCf-6 strains. Hydrophobins may play distinct roles due to precisely regulated spatial localisation during infection-related development of C. fulvum.
Whiteford
James R
JR
Department of Biological Sciences, Imperial College London, Sir Alexander Fleming Building, Imperial College Road, SW7 2AZ London, UK.
Lacroix
Hélène
H
Talbot
Nicholas J
NJ
Spanu
Pietro D
PD
D002963:Cladosporium / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D005614:Freeze Fracturing; D005656:Fungal Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D017353:Gene Deletion; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D018551:Solanum lycopersicum / Q000382:microbiology*; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D010935:Plant Diseases / Q000382:microbiology*; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000382:microbiology
D005656:Fungal Proteins