title: Protein kinase A regulates production of virulence determinants by the entomopathogenic fungus, Metarhizium anisopliae.
abstract: Metarhizium anisopliae is a model system for studying insect fungal pathogenesis. The role of cAMP signal transduction in virulence was studied by disrupting the class I PKA catalytic subunit gene (MaPKA1). The PKA mutant (DeltaMaPKA1) showed reduced growth and greatly reduced virulence. PKA was dispensable for differentiation of infection structures (appressoria), but differentiation was delayed and the appressoria were defective because of reduced turgor pressure. DeltaMaPKA1 germinated at similar rates as the wild type in glucose and glycerol, but germination was delayed on alanine. Conidial adhesion and appressorium formation by DeltaMaPKA1 against a plastic surface was fully inhibited with glucose as sole nutrient source. Adhesion to plastic was not inhibited with glycerol or alanine, but appressorium formation was delayed. DeltaMaPKA1 showed reduced tolerance to the oxidative agent diamide, but not to H(2)O(2) and methyl-viologen. Comparative transcriptome analysis of DeltaMaPKA1 and the wild type strain showed that PKA is responsible for up-regulating approximately one-third of the genes induced by insect cuticle, including subsets of those responsible for differentiation of appressoria and penetration pegs, cuticle degradation, nutrient acquisition, pH regulation, lipid synthesis, cell cycle control and the cytoskeleton. PKA was not however required for expression of toxin-producing genes. We conclude therefore that MaPKA1 is required for sensing host-related stimuli and transduction of these signals to regulate many infection processes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Entomology, University of Maryland, 4112 Plant Science Building, College Park, MD 20742, USA. wfang1@umd.edu
authors.forename: Weiguo
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Fang
authors.forename: Monica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pava-ripoll
authors.forename: Sibao
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Raymond
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: St Leger
mesh_terms: D000409:Alanine / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D002448:Cell Adhesion; D017868:Cyclic AMP-Dependent Protein Kinases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D003958:Diamide / Q000494:pharmacology; D005656:Fungal Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D015966:Gene Expression Regulation, Fungal; D055786:Gene Knockout Techniques; D005947:Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D005990:Glycerol / Q000378:metabolism; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide / Q000494:pharmacology; D007313:Insecta / Q000382:microbiology; D052981:Metarhizium / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development / Q000472:pathogenicity* / Q000502:physiology*; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; D016877:Oxidants / Q000494:pharmacology; D010269:Paraquat / Q000494:pharmacology; D014774:Virulence; D037521:Virulence Factors / Q000096:biosynthesis*
chemical_list: D005656:Fungal Proteins; D016877:Oxidants; D037521:Virulence Factors; D003958:Diamide; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide; D017868:Cyclic AMP-Dependent Protein Kinases; D005947:Glucose; D000409:Alanine; D005990:Glycerol; D010269:Paraquat