title: Involvement of a Magnaporthe grisea serine/threonine kinase gene, MgATG1, in appressorium turgor and pathogenesis.
abstract: We isolated an MgATG1 gene encoding a serine/threonine protein kinase from the rice blast fungus Magnaporthe grisea. In the DeltaMgatg1 mutant, in which the MgATG1 gene had been deleted, autophagy was blocked; the mutant also showed fewer lipid droplets in its conidia, lower turgor pressure of the appressorium, and such defects in morphogenesis as delayed initiation and slower germination of conidia. As a result of lower turgor pressure of the appressorium, the DeltaMgatg1 mutant lost its ability to penetrate and infect the two host plants, namely, rice and barley. However, normal values of the parameters and infective abilities were restored on reintroducing an intact copy of the MgATG1 gene into the mutant. Autophagy is thus necessary for turnover of organic matter during the formation of conidia and appressoria and for normal development and pathogenicity in M. grisea.
authors.affiliation: Biotechnology Institute, Zhejiang University, Kaixuan Road 268, Hangzhou 310029, China.
authors.forename: Xiao-Hong
authors.initials: XH
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Jian-Ping
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Bo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Dong
authors.forename: Hang
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Min
authors.forename: Fu-Cheng
authors.initials: FC
authors.lastname: Lin
mesh_terms: D001343:Autophagy / Q000502:physiology; D005656:Fungal Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D017353:Gene Deletion; D001467:Hordeum / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000382:microbiology; D020082:Magnaporthe / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000472:pathogenicity* / Q000502:physiology; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D012275:Oryza / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000382:microbiology; D009997:Osmotic Pressure; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000382:microbiology; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D013172:Spores, Fungal / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure
chemical_list: D005656:Fungal Proteins; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases